Two words: FROZEN BURRITOS
I found out how easy it is to make & freeze burritos when I was pregnant. When I got the nesting bug (which came mainly in cooking form) I stocked up our freezer with these burritos from Everyday Food. Two months after Cooper was born, I found a batch of them in the back of my freezer and they were like gold! Three minutes in the microwave and this momma was nourished just like that! The best part was that I was able to feed my husband…who really deserved a home cooked meal after all the countless diapers he changed!
While some of us have a whole weekend afternoon dedicated for cooking for the week, most of us don’t. If you have a little less than an hour one night of the week, carve out some time and make some burritos to freeze. Your future self will thank you for hooking you up with something delicious, tasty, and something you’ve always wanted—your very own personal/customized frozen burrito! And really, the longest part of the process is waiting for the rice to cook. It’s a great way to get rid of stuff in your fridge & pantry all at once.
This is how I do it:
I make a batch of rice in my rice cooker. I add a can of diced tomatoes, 1 chopped onion, a clove of minced garlic & some chili powder and let it cook. When it’s done, I add some cilantro to make it more colorful.
On this batch, I have a can of refried beans, black beans, grated cheese, fresh cut cilantro & a hot sauce/greek yogurt combo for my sour cream. Don’t forget your hot sauce! Tapatio is one of my faves!
I take a dish cloth and run it under the faucet to moisten it, making sure to squeeze out any extra liquid. I then wrap up a stack of burrito sized flour tortillas in the towel and toss them in the microwave for 1 minute. It helps make the tortillas more pliable for wrapping. In that minute, I make a stack of aluminum foil sheets so I can easily wrap burritos up right after I fold them.
I load each tortilla with our favorite toppings (not TOO much) and wrap it up!
It takes a little practice at first, but in no time, you will be come an expert!
Wrap it up in foil and then tuck them away in your freezer, for safe keeping!
I would write a date on them in sharpie, but they are never in our freezer long enough to warrant that extra step.
So when you are ready to eat one, you just:
1. Unwrap frozen burrito from foil
2. Wrap burrito in damp paper towel
3. Microwave for 3 mins on high.
4. Wait to cool, then eat!
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128 Comments
say somethingLove this idea – way healthier and greener, too!
OK, they look so good and thanks for the idea. But now I am so, so hungry and it’s still hours away from lunch time!
I can tell already that this will be another one of your awesome ideas that we adopt at my house. We still say thanks to you a couple times a week for the cous cous / feta / tomato / basil / sausage dinner idea you had on here.
Thank you!
yeah, this is genius. totally doing this. you are my foodie hero. matty is here too, saying YESSSSS.
i loved chatting with you + alex the other night, BTW. we have to make that happen again!!!
it’s true janet! I can reuse the foil too, because it doesn’t get dirty!
lindsey- that is pretty much the sweetest thing ever. I am soo happy that that dish is in your rotation. This makes me so excited
jenny- YES! I was looking for you today…you musta bean bizzy! I am sure that if Casey gets this excited over frozen burritos, Henry & Matty are gonna go nutso!! xoxoxo
This is great! I will be adding it to my recipe file! The month of January I will be putting great ideas like these in to motion!
okay, I’m dumb. When you make the rice, you add all that good stuff before you cook it? So basically you just reduce the amount of water you cook it with and replace it with tomato juice from the can?
yup! you got it regan. I added it all to the rice maker and made sure the water line went up to the appropriate number line. The tomatoes really didn’t add that much liquid. They were really chunky not watery. Hope that helps!
I made these last night and they were delicious…I now have 4 protein bombs waiting in my freezer
Brilliant idea! I buy those Amy’s ones for my boys but homemade would be so much better. My husband would love these for the nights I am out.
My teenager is going to love these because I don’t buy the one from the store:)
He’ll appreciate having quick food although he’ll have to cook them in the toaster oven.
Nice Tracy! Love it!!
I don’t think these will even make it to the freezer!
Just discovered your site and in the last week have made the freezer burritos (wow how good are they), mexican chicken soup and the chicken pot pies. Keep up the fabulous recipes and I’ll send you my gym membership bill
WOW!!! LISA!!! Look at you go!! I am so glad you tried them & THANK YOU for stopping by!!!
We do this with our neighbors! Oftentimes we sneak in a bit of finely-chopped kale — totally inauthentic, but an easy way to get some vegetables on the quick.
LOVE kale. Love that idea! I know what’s going in my next batch!
I don’t use a microwave, I wonder how long they’d take to cook in the oven?
hmm. that’s a good question. Perhaps you could consult the wrapper of a frozen burrito at the grocery store? I would say 350 for 15-20? but that’s just a guess. Let me know what you come up with??
looked it up and this is what is recommended:
Place on a baking sheet; bake at 450°, 40 minutes; remove foil, and bake to crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. (To reheat defrosted burritos, remove any wrapping, and bake for 10 minutes.)
I love this idea! But do not use a microwave.
What would the recommended time be to thaw/oven bake these?
I looked up the original recipe and this is what it says:
Place on a baking sheet; bake at 450°, 40 minutes; remove foil, and bake to crisp, 5 to 10 minutes. (To reheat defrosted burritos, remove any wrapping, and bake for 10 minutes.)
hope that works!!
I’m going to make a batch this week to get me through Winter quarter classes! Thanks!
this is awesome. i’m so making these this week!
Mmm, thanks for sharing. Bookmarking the recipe so I can make some too for after baby’s born…
I just made these this afternoon! I forgot the cheese but no worries—I have a feeling that I will be repeating this several times a month. This was absolutely delicious, quick and easy to make. Thank you so much for sharing
do you think you can make the rice in a crack pot?
crock pot? i dunno! probably!
http://www.ehow.com/how_2062594_use-crockpot-cook-rice.html
Thanks Tracy!
Hi Tracy!
Quick question because I just saw this and I’m dying to try it. I don’t have a crock pot or rice cooker, so would I just cook the rice alone and then add in rice ingredients afterwards?
Thanks for the help, and I love your website!! I check it almost everyday
This is such a great idea, thank you so much. I love your site and your style.
This is our families favorite way to make these.
Taco Salad Snack Burritos (Made from extra Taco Salad toppings)
2 lbs Ground beef cooked and seasoned in taco seasoning, 1 diced onion and 1 diced green bell peppers simmered with cooked meat and seasoning, drained but not rinsed. 1 Can pinto beans, 1 bag shredded cheese, pace picante sauce mixed with sour cream. 1 grab bag size nacho tortilla chips crushed and mixed in.
Serve this over iceberg lettuce greens with Catalina dressing. Take the left over taco meat mixture and stretch it with a package of cooked Knorr Spanish Rice and Sauce and a small can of mexi corn. Then spoon into tortillas and roll closed. We wrap into plastic wrap in 8 inch tortillas. This makes the perfect snack size for young kids. Two make a perfect lunch. If you do with with chicken use black beans, add 1 can diced ortega green chilis, onions and orange bell peppers. Use white rice cooked in chicken broth with cumin and cilantro and Monterey Jack cheese. Sour cream mixed with salsa verde. Roll in 8 inch tortillas. These make creamy chicken enchiladas by mixing sour cream, cream of chicken, diced green chilies and gobs of Monterey Jack cheese all mixed together as a topping.
Wow! Sounds interesting. Especially the crushed chips part.
It looks So Yooommyyy!! But i’ve got a Question I don’t know if it’s a good question or a Dumb question but Did you let the rice to get cold and place it in the burrito?
I love your blog!! You make me want to cook delicious food!!
I usually get it to room temp before I fold them up!
(Thank you!)
This looks like such a good idea! Is there a reason you used Greek yogurt besides the flavor? Does it freeze better?
Thank you! I usually have Greek Yogurt on hand and not sour cream. It freezes really well!
I can’t wait to try these! My husband always wants frozen burritos, and I have such a hard time buying them for him, when I could make them myself. Thanks for the inspiration!
What an awesome idea. Thanks.
LOVE this idea! I’m sure they taste 10394282 times better than the kind you buy at the grocery store.
the link to everyday food is not working for me. can you cut and paste it again?
thanks so much for the great idea!!!
I googled it and found it again! fixed! They must have changed their site since I posted that. Good lucky!
Just found this on Pinterest. Excited. Can’t wait to make these and have them in my freezer for my teens to grab and heat up themselves. thanks for sharing!
Love this idea! I always crave burritos but end up buying the cheapy frozen ones. This idea is brilliant!
How long can you freeze them for?
I would say about 3 months.
Thank you so much for this fantastic idea! I made these last night and making lunches this morning was a breeze! I’m eating one for lunch right now and it is delicious!!
That’s fantastic, Chelsea! I’m so glad it’s helped streamline your day
I FRIGGIN LOVE TAPATÍO!!!!
haha. ditto.
i really want a rice cooker, but am wondering if it’s a worthwhile gadget to get? or one that will just take up space/collect dust? any suggestions on a good brand?
cheers!
I know this post is over two years old, but I’m commenting anyway.
My husband and I are expecting a baby in early July and now I’m planning on using this to make freezer meals for when after the baby is born too. Genius idea! I never thought of freezing burritos. Now I’m hungry.
Making these now! Been looking for a good homemade frozen burrito recipe — I’ve been buying the store bought ones and I always think how I could make them healthier and cheaper. I’m so excited for this new plan to stock my freezer with a delicious, quick protein fix! Thanks so much.
I also did these for breakfast with egg, cheese, green pepper, onion and spinach. Super quick and easy to grab on the way out the door!
Awesome! I’m going to make some this weekend. How long do you microwave them for? And do you undercook the eggs?
Am I the only one who seems to be having a problem reheating these in the microwave? The damp napkin I wrap it in seems to want to stick to the burrito.
Bizarre! Maybe you need to saturate it with water? Or how about you try using a wet dish towel? Let me know if that helps. I’m sorry this is happening to you!
My paper towels always stuck too so we use a wet/damp washcloth. Works like a charm!
What if I don’t have a microwave? How can I reheat them then? The oven? For how long?
350F for about 20 minutes!
Just made 12 of these last night for quick grab-and-go work lunches. Brilliant idea! Delicious, nutritious, and especially satisfying to know that I know exactly what’s in them.
i just discovered this and since i am an avid pre-cooker then freezer i cant wait to make these!!! one thing… have you ever tried heating them up in the oven or toaster oven? i dont like to use my microwave for food so i am wondering if it would work another way??? any feedback would be just lovely (:
I am late to the party, but thanks for this! I am always looking for something good for office lunch & trying to boost fiber/cut fat, so this was an awesome find. Made a batch last night and loved lunch today. Made with your ingredients, but replaced the hot sauce/yogurt with roasted sweet potatoes. Amazed that I made 10 burritos with one batch of ingredients – talk about economical! Cheers!
These look amazing. I can’t wait to try them. What type of rice do you use and how much? Thanks!
I think I used basmati for this batch…but I usually use brown rice.
Okay, thanks! How many cups do you use? I’m new to using a rice cooker so any tips you can give me would be great. Thanks so much!
Hi,
Is there anyway to make these with meat? My husband always wants meat included??
Thanks all for your time
yeah! just add cooked meat in the mix. so easy!
When you take out the burrito from freezer, doesn’t it stick to the foil? Can you wrap it in saran wrap instead, or not? Just wondering. Thanks again.
June
When you take out the burrito from freezer, doesn’t it stick to the foil? Can you wrap it in saran wrap instead, or not? Just wondering. Thanks again.
June
nope! Doesn’t stick to the foil!
How much rice do you make? I only have a 3 cup rice cooker, so I’m trying to figure out if/how I need to adjust the recipe as yours looks quite big.
Hi Just made this and gave one to my son for lunch. I thawed it overnight on the counter, and popped in the microwave wrapped in a damp paper towel for 3 minutes. He said it was hard to eat, and it was as hard as a rock?? Did I do something wrong?
You don’t need to thaw it! 3 minutes was for a frozen burrito. If you are going to thaw it, microwave for less time. Good luck!
Love the idea! But can you tell me how you make the rice, I.e. how many cups of rice, the amount of diced tomatoes, etc. Thanks!!!
OMG I just tried this and they turned out excellent. Thanks!!!
Making these right now! I’m a vegetarian and a full time student so these will be great for me when the semester gets busy. I’m using quinoa, black beans, chopped tomato, garlic, cheddar cheese, and greek yogurt mixed with all natrual taco seasoning. I can’t wait to see how they come out
Hi. How does the lettuce taste? It’s on my ‘doesn’t freeze well’ list and am wondering how it is freezable here in your recipe? Thanks. I made a different recipe today and yours sounds better and simpler!
Yay! I’m so glad I found this. I’m expecting my first baby in 3 weeks and was looking for some easy freezer recipes. This is perfect! I think I’ll make a few of these today. Thank YOU! Do you have any other freezer-ready recipes or suggestions?
do you have to microwave them or will cooking them in the oven work just as well? if so, do you have a recommended time/temp? thanks! i just made them!
I think 350 for 10-15 minutes should work.
Just finished making a huge batch of burritos based on this recipe. I made 26 regular burritos and 10 “Husband sized” burritos. It took up half the freezer!
And Oh my gosh, they taste amazing! Addicting really, and perfect for my husband who is always snooping around in the kitchen for something to eat!
I only skipped the black beans and cilantro and added cooked ground beef. And the greek yogurt does freeze very well!
Thanks SUUUPER much!
Love the combos you came up with. My husband LOVES it when I make them too!!
These were delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
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