Cheesy bean and rice burritos
Saucy beans, fluffy rice and melted cheddar rolled tight and toasted in a pan, and the extras freeze beautifully for nights you can’t be bothered.
- 45 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.65 a serving
- 740 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 cup long-grain white rice
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 flour tortillas, large, burrito size
- 1½ cups cheddar cheese, grated
- ½ cup salsa (optional)
- ½ cup sour cream (optional)
From your pantry
- 1¾ cups water, divided
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Each serving has about 740 calories, 28 g protein, 97 g carbs and 27 g fat, and costs about $1.65 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No long-grain white rice? Jasmine rice or basmati rice works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No pinto beans? Black beans or kidney beans work.
- No flour tortillas? Whole wheat tortillas work.
- No cheddar cheese? Shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese or mexican blend cheese works.
- No salsa? Pico de gallo works.
- No sour cream? Plain greek yogurt works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice, then put it in a small with 1¼ cups water and ½ teaspoon salt and over high heat.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Stir once, cover, and cook on low for 15 minutes. Take it off the heat and leave the lid on.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Dolly’s tip: No peeking. The trapped steam finishes the rice.Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large over medium heat and cook the onion, stirring, 5 minutes, until soft.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Stir in the chili powder, cumin and garlic powder for 30 seconds, then add the beans, ½ cup water and ½ teaspoon salt.
Medium heat
5 minutes, mashing about half the beans with a fork, until thick and creamy. Taste for salt.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds so they bend without cracking.
Dolly’s tip: Cold tortillas tear when you roll them. Warm ones fold like fabric.Down the middle of each tortilla, spread a quarter of the beans, a quarter of the rice and a quarter of the cheddar.
Fold the bottom edge up over the filling, the sides, then roll it up tight and set it seam side down.
Fold. Folding means mixing gently by scooping from the bottom and turning it over the top, instead of stirring hard. It keeps light mixtures airy and soft things like berries or herbs in one piece.
How you’ll know: You use slow, wide strokes and stop as soon as there are no streaks left.
Dolly’s tip: Tuck the filling in snugly with the first fold. That’s what keeps a burrito from falling apart.Wipe out the skillet, add the rest of the oil, and toast the burritos seam side down over medium heat, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until .
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
Serve with salsa and sour cream. To freeze extras, cool them, wrap each in foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
