Bean and Cheese Burritos

Chile Colorado Beans? That’s right! It’s not something new. As a matter of fact, this bean recipe, minus the cheese and jalapeños, is the same recipe mom prepared for tamales every Christmas. It has been in our family for at least the past 70 years or more. I enjoy these beans so much that it dawned on me recently that maybe they would be delicious in burritos!

When things come full circle

The simple bean and cheese burritos were my favorite cafeteria school lunch. Here I am almost forty years later trying to relive those school moments with a homemade version. Of course, the bean recipe makes them more special because of mom’s influence. You can check out the bean and jalapeño tamal recipe and add it to your holiday tamal menu. It’s a good excuse to test out the recipe now just to be ready, lol!

VIDEO LINK

https://animoto.com/play/ss1GhrgMzs9MLqwRc110fQ

Have salsa ready to go

If you follow me regularly on Instagram stories, you know I prepare salsa often. About every ten to eleven days, I prepare a basic spicy salsa verde and a red tomato chile de arbol salsa or a red version of a tomatillo salsa.

There are many varieties of dried chiles, but I always favor chile ancho

Could be my favorite because it was one of the primary dried chile peppers that mom used in her recipes. Some of the recipes that come to mind are pork tamales, asado de puerco, costillas de puerco and enchiladas norteñas.

Cooking these beans require some time and patience. You cannot rush the cooking time, because you will take a chance on burning them.

Using natural rendered pork lard adds a lot of traditional flavors, but it’s not a deal breaker if you decide to use oil.

These chile colorado beans are freezer friendly! They become even more flavorful after a few months in the freezer.

Prepare your assembling station! I promise you it will make things go a lot smoother!

Store bought flour tortillas work too, but why not makes these burritos extra special with homemade flour tortillas?

Preparing a smaller burrito is more manageable and is easier to store in multiples.

If you prefer not to use the deli sheets to overwrap the burritos, you can flash freeze them on a baking sheet for 2 hours and then store them in a freezer bag.

Chile Colorado Beans! Bean and Cheese Burritos!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 Burritos

Ingredients

• 1 tbsps avocado oil
• 4 chile ancho stems and seeds removed
• ½ cup white onion sliced or diced
• 3 cloves garlic smashed
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds or ground if using ground, add to the blender jar when you blend the sauce
• Pinch of oregano
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup bean broth
• 2 tablespoon oil or lard
• 4 Cups pinto beans with some of the liquid previously cooked
• 1 c pickled jalapeños diced
• 8 oz queso quesadilla chihuahua, or jack, shredded

Instructions

• In a skillet, add the avocado oil and heat to medium. Add the chile ancho. After a few minutes they will become aromatic. Gently press them and turn as needed for the next 1-2 minutes. Add the onion and garlic. Stir and sauté for 3 minutes.
• Add the cumin and oregano. Sauté for 30 seconds. Pour in 1 cup of water and bring to a light simmer. As soon as it comes to a simmer, cover it and remove it from the heat. Let sit for 10 minutes.
• When ready transfer all the ingredients from the skillet to the blender jar. Pour in the 1 cup of bean broth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cover and blend on high until very smooth.
• In a skillet at medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of pork lard. Heat for 2 minutes. Carefully pour in the sauce from the blender. Stir quickly and keep the lid handy because it will splatter. Continue to cook the sauce, partially covered for 10 minutes.
• Pour in the 4 cups of beans. Stir well to combine. Reduce heat slightly and continue cooking the beans for 10 minutes. When ready, mash the beans until you reach the desired consistency and continue cooking for another 20 minutes or until they become thicker. Stir every few minutes so they don’t burn at the bottom.
• When ready, mix in the pickled jalapeños. Remove the skillet from the heat and fold in the 8 oz of shredded cheese.

Notes

For Burritos
20 – (8 inch) flour tortillas
16 oz. Shredded Cheese, monterey jack, chihuahua, oaxaca
Jalapeño strips
Fill and roll burritos. Wrap in wax paper or deli sheets. Store in freezer bags laying flat. Burritos will keep frozen for a few months. To reheat, Place burritos in the microwave for 1 ½ minutes per side. Remove paper and transfer to a preheated skillet if you want to crisp the exterior. Brush with oil as needed. If you skip the skillet, you will need to cook a little longer in the microwave. If you want to use the beans for tamales, you will have to cook them down for another 30 minutes or until they reduce and become very thick.

Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

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