Burritos for the Freezer!
As I mentioned yesterday, beans are a healthy and filling food. My favorite way to enjoy them is as a part of Mexican food! A few times a month, I’ll create a “Taco Bar” for dinner – lots of veggies, beans, rice, some meat, salsa and guacamole and let the family each create their own meal – tacos, burritos, salads, whatever. It’s always a hit, but I also always end up with TONS of leftovers.
This time around I got the idea (thanks to several Pinterest boards) to use the leftovers to create a bunch of burritos for quick and easy lunches. I turned a show on Netflix and went to town, and it worked out perfectly!
Freezer Burritos:
Step one: Set out all your potential burrito ingredients: beans, meat, cheese, salsa, onions, peppers, and tortillas (corn or wheat). I wouldn’t include sour cream or guacamole although they would be great served on top of these once they are thawed. Next, get some paper towels and aluminum foil. I did use a lot of aluminium foil which I wasn’t thrilled about but I figure since there isn’t any actual food on them I’ll at least be able to re-use them later.
Step two: Place a paper towel on a square of aluminum foil. On top of the paper towel set a tortilla. Fill the tortilla with desired ingredients.
Step three: Roll up the burrito, then wrap it in the paper towel and then the whole thing in the aluminum foil. Place in a freezer bag and label – I did a mix of bean burritos and chicken and bean burritos – perfect for meals on the go!
Step four: To heat these up, pull one out of the freezer, take off the aluminum foil, and re-heat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes (leave it in the paper towel). If you don’t use a microwave, remove the paper towel too and re-heat in the oven at 250 until warmed through.
The corn tortillas fell apart on me when I re-heated, but they still tasted delicious with a fork! I suspect I just filled them too full.
What a great way to use up leftovers!
We love homemade frozen burritos! My post linked below raves about how great they are, with links to our two favorite recipes. A great way to freeze them is reusing the heavy plastic bags from inside boxes of cereal or crackers–cut them open and use like sheets of waxed paper. You can also reuse bags that purchased frozen food came in, or bread bags, if you label them clearly–always put your food against the “inside” side of the bag, not the printed side, just in case the ink is not safe for food contact.
Great tips Becca – thanks for sharing!