Traditional all-time favorite basic beef burrito recipe - easy to make, totally customizable with your favorite fillings: guacamole, tomatoes, black beans, Candied Jalapenos, shredded cheese, and the hands-down best seasoned ground beef! This everyday burrito recipe is simple, delicious, fresh or frozen, then reheated.
As good as Traditional Mexican Ground Beef and Rice Skillet.
The Easiest Beef Burrito
This is the easiest beef burrito I've ever made - it's so basic that you will question yourself if you did it right! All you will need is ground beef, tomatoes, black beans, guacamole, rice and sour cream! Done.
No fancy shredded beef, or seared sirloin, just basic ground beef burrito on the go! Perfect with Strawberry Margarita on the Rocks!
What makes Burrito a Burrito?
A burrito is a dish in Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine consisting of a flour tortilla and filled with savory ingredients. The tortilla is sometimes lightly grilled, or heated to make it more soft and pliable, and allow it to adhere to itself when wrapped.
At first glance, these beef burritos are totally typical - just sautéed ground beef and onion, rolled up with rice, beans and cheese in your choice of tortillas. Topped with guacamole and tomatoes. But the second anyone takes a bite, they come to find that the magic lies completely in the combined taste of all filling ingredients. So good!
Why You'll Love Basic Beef Burrito!
These simple burritos pack the most delicious, rich and complex flavors that make them taste like you've been working on them all day. But in reality, this delicious burrito recipe only takes a few extra minutes to prep, and it's made with a handful of everyday ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
Beef Burrito Ingredients
As I mentioned above, this easy beef burrito recipe is extremely flexible when it comes to ingredients. So feel free to get creative and customize your beef burritos however you like! In general, you will need:
- Ground beef: Love high quality ground beef, but feel free to substitute beef with ground chicken or turkey if you would like lean protein.
- Seasoning: I buy taco seasoning and add it to the beef mixture.
- Beans: I typically use black beans, but pinto beans, white beans, or lentils would all work great here.
- Tortillas: 10 inch flour tortillas are perfect for burritos. Size matters. So when you want to add those extras to your burritos, the flour tortillas are easy to roll and even tastier when soaked with the beef mixture! Any of your favorite tortillas will work though.
- Cheese: I like to use either Mexican-blend shredded cheese or Pepper Jack for these burritos. But cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or other shredded cheeses would also do.
- Fillings: Chopped tomatoes, guacamole, fresh lettuce, sour cream, or whatever else sounds good! When it comes to burrito fillings, the more the merrier.
How to make the best beef burritos
1. Brown the Beef
First things first, you will need to brown your ground beef together with taco seasoning, chopped onion and garlic powder in a large skillet. You will cook and crumble it until it's no longer pink. Then you will add beef broth and beans; and sprinkle with shredded cheese to allow it to melt.
2. Wrap a burrito
Once you prepare the ground beef and have all the fillings in place, it's time to wrap a burrito! To make burritos, lay your tortillas out on a flat surface and divide the rice, beef mixture, tomatoes, guacamole, remaining cheese, sour cream among the 8 tortillas. In this order:
- Warm tortilla: Let's make sure your tortilla is warm because a warm tortilla will make it more pliable and easier to roll. Use a skillet to heat up your tortillas slightly.
- Add rice first because it absorbs the flavors of all the other ingredients.
- Add beef mixture: Next, I add my warm ingredients, which is my beef mixture.
- Add cold ingredients, such as tomatoes, guacamole, cheese and sour cream, get added last.
- Roll the burrito: We should be able to roll a burrito now by pulling the bottom half of the burrito over to meet the top half.
- Fold one end in and then the other end. With both ends folded, tightly roll your tortilla until you have a burrito!
Traditional Beef Burrito
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Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef
- ½ onion chopped
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 15 oz. black beans (1 can)
Fillings:
- 8 large 10-inch flour tortillas
- 1 cup cooked rice
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Guacamole
- Sour cream
- 2 tomatoes chopped
- Lettuce chopped
Instructions
- In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, add ground beef, onion, garlic powder, and taco seasoning to skillet. Cook and crumble beef and cook until no longer pink. Drain grease.
- Add beef broth and season with salt to taste. Cook and stir until mixture comes to a slight boil. Reduce heat to low and cook for about 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Then you will add beans and sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded cheese to allow it to melt.
- Remove from heat.
- Lay tortillas out on a flat surface and divide the beef mixture, rice, remaining cheese, guacamole, sour cream, tomatoes and lettuce among the 8 tortillas. Fold each burrito-style.
- Serve immediately, or:
- Wrap each burrito with saran wrap, and then place burritos in a freezer-safe ziplock bag. Freeze up to 2 months.
- To Reheat: Unwrap burrito from plastic wrap. Place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave 2 to 3 minutes or until heated through. Serve and enjoy!
Is traditional burrito healthy?
Make sure to chose the leanest ingredients, of course we are talking about ground beef here, as well as most nutrient-dense ingredients, such as avocado, beans and brown rice. This ensures that these particular burritos can be a healthy part of any meal plan!
Do you have to have rice in a traditional burrito?
It's optional. I like to include it both for the texture of it and nutritional value. But the purpose of a burrito is to envelop meats, beans, vegetables, and sauces like guacamole or salsa inside a warm tortilla. Rice is basically just filler, and it's completely optional.
Can you make beef burrito without beans?
Why would you want to? There is no such thing as a burrito without beans. ... It's just not a burrito. A real burrito is always filled with fiber-rich beans! The best way I like to enjoy my beans... Yes, you guessed it - in a burrito.
Should I cut my burrito in half?
To cut or not to cut? That's the question. I always cut my burritos in half. Why cut it in half? It's so much easier to handle the burritos this way, especially if you are intending on storing them in the fridge or a freezer later.
It's also much easier just to hold it and bite it when it's halved!
How to freeze traditional beef burritos
- Enjoy fresh or wrap each beef burrito with Saran Wrap and then place them in the freezer-safe plastic zipper bag. You can store them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- To reheat, simply unwrap the burrito from the plastic wrap and place in the microwave. Microwave for 2 to 3 minutes until heated through.
Jenny says
Love burritos sooo so very much! Thank you for this two step recipe!
Olya Shepard says
My favorite breakfast food!
Maria says
Delicious!
Olya Shepard says
Thank you!
Elizabeth says
Thank you for this delicious recipe. My family and I love it! I made the burritos this evening, doubling the recipe so I can freeze the left-overs. I'm freezing the skillet ingredients rather than the wrapped burritos, hoping they might be a little fresher after thawing and wrapping with the other fresh ingredients. Thank you again!
Olya says
Sounds like a great plan freezing the skillet ingredients!
Nyasha says
A nice recipe, I feel that burritos are so fun to make and extremely delicious to have alone or with friends! I hope you'll also be able to check out my recipe: http://nyamwithny.com/nyam-recipes-burritos/ It's a little more spicy! Some of my favourite ingredients to add are cheese and green chillies. What about you?
Dana says
I made these burritos twice already! I love that they have so much stuff in them especially avocados!!!
Olga says
Yes! A perfect combination of protein, carbs and healthy fats (avocado!)
Anaëlle says
Loved it, really flavorful !