Go Back
alt=""

Turkey and Brown Rice Taco Burritos

Yield: 8 burritos
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ground turkey, can substitute ground beef
  • ½ cup chopped onion
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon pepper
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
  • 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
  • ¼ cup low-sodium chicken broth or water
  • 1 (15-ounce) can black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
  • 2 cups cooked brown rice (see note)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • Chopped cilantro to taste
  • Shredded cheddar and/or Monterey Jack cheese, about 2 cups
  • 8 burrito-sized, 10-inch flour tortillas, white or whole wheat
  • Taco toppings like tomatoes sour cream, salsa, olives, lettuce, avocados

Instructions 

  • In a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook the ground turkey, onion, salt and pepper over medium heat, breaking the meat into small pieces, until the meat is fully cooked. Drain any excess grease, if needed.
  • Add the chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, paprika and cumin and stir well to combine. Stir in the tomato sauce, chicken broth and beans. Simmer for 5-6 minutes.
  • Stir in the rice, lime juice and cilantro until the mixture is evenly combined. Cook until the rice and other ingredients are hot and bubbling, 2-3 minutes.
  • Fill each tortilla evenly with the hot meat and rice filling. Top with cheese and roll the tortilla up burrito style, tucking in the ends.
  • Serve immediately (or keep warm in a 200 degree oven until ready to serve) smothered with any and all taco toppings your heart desires.

Notes

Spices: I took the spice makeup from my favorite homemade taco seasoning, so if you have some of that on hand, omit the salt, pepper, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, paprika and cumin and instead use that (or you could try subbing in packaged taco seasoning although I haven't tried it).
Brown Rice: this recipe calls for already cooked brown rice. My favorite (favorite!) way to cook brown rice is in the pressure cooker. In the InstantPot (or other electric pressure cooker), combine 1 cup brown rice with 1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth and a pinch of salt (you can sub water but the broth gives it great flavor). Cook at high pressure for 22 minutes and let the pressure naturally release. For stovetop pressure cookers, do the same but cook for 20 minutes.
Burritos: this recipe makes large burritos but you could definitely use smaller tortillas and get more out of the batch. The assembled burritos can be frozen (I like to wrap each burrito in plastic wrap and then pack them in a gallon-size ziploc bag) and reheated in the oven or microwave.