If you have read any
of my articles on our blog, then you know that beans and other
legumes play an important part of our dietary needs. They are,
inexpensive, provide a good balance of both protein and
carbohydrates, store easily, and will last forever when packaged
properly. One item I make on a regular basis using dried beans are
'Bean and Cheese' and 'Bean, Beef, and Cheese' burritos. Because
dried beans are so inexpensive, I am amazed that people buy frozen
bean, and or bean and beef burrtios at their local grocery that are
chock full or preservatives and fats. And that is what brings me to
the heart of this article.
Bean burritos can be
a low cost protein packed meal that is actually pretty healthy for
you. No I am not talking about the bean burritos you find in the
frozen food section of your local supermarket. I am talking about
fresh homemade bean burritos made from dried beans, spices and
cheese. You will find no added fat or preservatives in these
burritos, only fresh homemade ingredients.
Once every couple of
weeks I make a batch of bean burritos (8-10 each) or a batch of bean
and beef burritos (8-10 each) which I wrap in foil and place in the
freezer. I eat these bean or bean and beef burritos a couple of times
a week on my hour drive home from work when I am not eating a
sandwich. Any leftover beans that I have from making burritos is used
to make my 'Frito Style' bean dip. For more information regarding
making your own bean dip see my article on our blog 'Frito Style Bean
Dip'.
The Recipe
For both my bean and
cheese, and combination (bean, beef and cheese) burritos, the real
star is the beans. IMHO, living in Texas, there is only one bean to
consider when making bean burritos, and this is the common pinto
bean. Now there are a bunch of bean burrito recipes on the internet
that use canned refried beans, and making it this way definitely is a
better alternative than buying the pre-made frozen bean burritos
($0.99 for a 16oz can of Great Value Refried Beans at Walmart).
However to see the real savings potential you only have one choice,
and that is make your own burritos from dried beans. In this article,
I have included recipes for making both of my bean and cheese, and
combination (bean, beef and cheese) burritos.
Bean and Cheese
Burrito's
8 – 10 count
Burritos size flour tortillas
1 recipe bean
filling (see below)
2 cups mild cheddar
cheese, shredded
1 tablespoon
homemade taco sauce
½ to ¾ cup
homemade taco sauce
Bean Burritos (The
Bean Filling)
1 lb dried pinto
beans
1lb dried pinto
beans
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon chili
powder
½ teaspoon garlic
powder
½ teaspoon onion
powder
½ teaspoon black
pepper
Sort though and
remove any small rocks you may find. Yes, I said small rocks, as I
generally find at least one in every bag of pinto beans I buy and you
really do not want to break a tooth. Add the pinto beans to your
pressure cooker and cover with 2 to 4 inches of water, then soak the
dried beans overnight. They will absorb a lot of water and will
double in size overnight.
In the morning drain
the water (pour it in your houseplants or garden, why waste it) and
add enough fresh water to cover the beans in the pressure cooker by 3
to 4 inches. Bring your pressure cooker up to pressure and cook for
30 to 35 minutes. Remove the pressure cooker from the heat and allow
the pressure to release it's pressure on it's own.
Drain the beans and
reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid (I usually save the rest
for making a three bean or other type of soup, but you can discard it
if you wish). Add the remaining ingredients and take a potato masher
and mash the pinto beans to combine all of the ingredients throughly.
Add a little of the reserved bean water as needed until you get to
the desired consistency. Check seasoning and adjust to suit your
personal preferences.
Chef's Note: You
can also add all the ingredients into your food processor and blend
until you achieve the desired consistency. You can find my recipe for
the Taco Sauce that I use in my earlier article: Fast
Food Style Taco Sauce.
The Beef Filling
1 lb ground beef
2 teaspoons
cornstarch
1 teaspoon powdered
beef boullion
1 teaspoon onion
powdere
1 teaspoon garlic
powder
½ teaspoon chili
powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black
pepper
Combine the dry
ingredients in a small bowl, mix throughly and set aside.
Brown ground beef in
a medium saucepan. Once it is done and still hot place ground beef
in a wire mesh strainer and rinse with hot water to remove any
unwanted fat. Rinse out the saucepan as well, then return the
saucepan and the cooked ground beef to the stove and add the
remianing ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer covered for 10
minutes, remove cover and simmer for a few more minutes or until beef
mixture has thickened.
Putting It All
Together
Now you can use any
style of sauce on your bean and or combination burritos you wish, or
choose to not use any at all. I prefer to use my own homemade taco
style sauce, but salsa verde (green shile sauce) or a picante sauce
works just as well. It is all a matter of personal preference and you
are making these for you and your family after all.
Bean and Cheese
Burrito Individual Portions
1 10” burrito size
flour tortilla (total cost $0.21ea)
¾ cup bean filling
(8oz by weight, total cost of $0.18)
¼ cup mild cheddar
cheese (0.6 ounces by weight or total cost of $0.12)
1 tablespoon
homemade taco sauce ($0.02)
Bean, Beef and
Cheese Combination Burrito Individual Portions
1 10” burrito size
flour tortilla (total cost $0.21ea)
½ cup bean filling
(6oz by weight, total cost of $0.12)
¼ cup beef filling
(2oz by weight, total cost of $0.24)
¼ cup mild cheddar
cheese (0.6 ounces by weight or total cost of $0.12)
1 tablespoon
homemade taco sauce ($0.02)
Heat a large skillet
over medium high heat, then heat your tortillas for about 30 seconds
per side. The goal here is not to cook the tortillas any more, rather
warming them makes them more pliable and easier to roll into a
burrito.
Place your burrito
on your foil and place ¾ cup of the bean filling in the middle, I
use a small spatchula to evenly spread the bean filling on the
tortialla, then add your ¼ of cheddar cheese and then drizzle your
taco sauce on top and fold your burrito and set aside to be placed in
the freezer when you are done.
To heat the
burritos, I take them to work in my cooler frozen and they thaw out
during the day and then I heat them up in the microwave. At the
hospital we have one of those industrial microwaves and it heats the
burrito just right in 60 seconds, at home we have a small Sharp brand
microwave that takes two minutes to heat it just right. The bottom
line is you may have to experiment with your microwave to get the
proper cook times.
As for cooking them
frozen I have never tried, so I am not sure how long you would need
to heat them. Even the directions for the El Monterey frozen burritos
recommend that you thaw them before cooking, however they list
instructions for heating them in 90 second intervals until they reach
the desired temperature. Just remember when heating up your burritos
to take them out of the foil wrapper before placing them in the
microwave.
The Ingredients
Better ingredients,
better burritos, not much more that you can say. By making your own
bean and combination burritos you avoid all the unwanted fats, and
preservatives found in commercially prepared burritos. One look at
the ingredient list of some of the popular brands of burritos listed
here and you will wonder why you never made your own burritos. In
addition, when it comes to taste and freshness you cannot beat
homemade.
El
Monterey Bean Burritos:
Water, Wheat Flour (Enriched With Niacin, Reduced Iron,
Thiamin Mononitrate, Riboflavin, Folic Acid), Beans, Vegetable Oil
(Soybean, Sunflower, Canola and/Or Corn Oil), Cheddar Cheese Blend
(Cheddar Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes),
Water, Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Potato Starch, Maltodextrin, Sodium
Phosphate, Sodium Caseinate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Salt, Enzymes,
Lactic Acid, Vegetable Coloring), Contains 2% Or Less Flour Blend
(Salt, Rice Flour, Yeast, Cellulose Gum, Guar Gum, Wheat, Sodium
Bicarbonate, Wheat Starch, Food Starch, Dough Conditioners (Sodium
Metabisulfite, Sodium Stearoyl Lactylate, L-Cysteine, Mono and
Diglycerides, Dicalcium Phosphate), Microcrystalline Cellulose,
Silicon Dioxide (to Prevent Caking)), Salt, Jalapeno Pepper (With
Salt, Acetic Acid, Calcium Chloride), Flavor, Spices. Contains Wheat,
Milk.
Patio
Bean and Cheese Burrito Ingredients:
Burrito Filler (Water, Beef, Pinto Beans, Modified Food
Starch, Cheddar Cheese [Cultured Pasteurized Milk, Salt, Enzymes,
Annatto], Diced Green Chili [Green Chili Peppers, Citric Acid, Salt],
Soybean Oil, Rolled Oats, Cheese Powder, Salt, Chili Pepper, Spices,
Onion Powder, Garlic Powder), Flour Tortilla (Bleached Enriched Flour
[Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate, Riboflavin,
Folic Acid], Water, Soybean Oil [Soybean Oil, Citric Acid], Salt,
Baking Powder [Sodium Aluminum Sulfate, Calcium Sulfate, Monocalcium
Phosphate], Guar Gum, Dough Conditioners [Sodium Metabisulfite, Corn
Starch, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Dicalcium Phosphate]). Contains:
Wheat, Milk.
Homemade
Bean and Cheese Burrito
Ingredients: Water, Pinto Beans,
Salt, Taco Sauce, Onion Powder, Paprika, Chili Pepper, and Garlic
Powder, cheddar cheese.
Homemade
Bean, Cheese,
and Beef Burrito Ingredients:
Water, Pinto Beans, Beef, Salt, Taco Sauce, Onion Powder, Paprika,
Chili Pepper, and Garlic Powder, cheddar cheese, and cornstarch.
Homemade
Flour Tortillas: All-purpose flour, salt, baking powder,
vegetable oil, and water.
Now, I am not going
to beat you up if you do not make your own tortillas, but note that
some commercially prepared tortillas contain quite a few
preservatives. As evidenced by the following brands of tortillas
which I occasionally use. Using commercially prepared tortillas
changes the overall nutritional value of the finished burritos so
take that into consideration when comparing your homemade burritos
with a commercially prepared brand.
Mi
Casa Flour Tortillas (Burrito Size) Ingredients: Enriched
Bleached Wheat Flour [Flour, Malted Barley Flour, Niacin, Reduced
Iron, Thiamin Mononitrate (Vitamin B1), Riboflavin (Vitamin B2),
Folic Acid (a B Vitamin)], Water, Vegetable Shortening
(Interesterified Soybean Shortening, Fully Hydrogenated Soybean Oil
or Palm Oil), Calcium Propionate (to Retard Spoilage), Salt, Wheat
Starch, Sodium Aluminum Phosphate, Sodium Bicarbonate, and Yeast.
Cost Breakdown
Depending on the
brand, frozen bean and cheese, and bean and beef burritos cost
anywhere from $0.37 to $0.50 each. Dried pinto beans purchased at my
local Dollar Tree cost me $1.00 for 2lbs or $0.50 per pound. So for
$1.00 plus the cost of spices (about $0.15) for a total of $1.15 I
can make 6-8 cups of homemade bean burrito filling. That's $0.02
to $0.04
per ounce, that's right 2 to 4 cents per ounce. We used our
price comp strategy (Walmart price matches competitor's adds) to
purchase 73/27 ground beef for $1.98lb on sale at our local Walmart.
One thing you have
to consider when costing out your ingredients is the final weight and
or volume of the ingredients you are using. Dried beans gain about
twice their weight and volume when the are soaked and cooked due to
the amount of water they absorb. A ¼ cup of shredded cheddar cheese
while 2oz per volume, only weighs 0.6oz, so the actual cost is $0.126
per burrito, not $0.21. Be careful when costing ingredients as a
mistake here can easily skew your numbers.
Homemade bean
filling 6-8 cups ($0.02 to $0.04 per ounce)
Ground Beef (73/27)
16oz at Walmart for $1.98 ($0.12 per ounce)
Homemade 'Fast Food
Style' Taco sauce 30oz $0.69 ($0.02 per ounce)
American Heritage
Mild Cheddar 32oz package at Walmart $6.84 ($0.21 per ounce)
Mi Casa Burrito Size
Flour Tortillas 10ct package $2.18 ($0.21 per tortilla)
El
Monterey Beef and Bean
Burritos 32oz (8 count package) $2.98 or $0.37
each ($0.09
per ounce)
El
Monterey Bean and Cheese
Burritos 32oz (8 count
package) $2.98 or $0.37 each
($0.09 per ounce)
El
Monterey Bean and Cheese
Burritos XXL
10oz $1.00
each
($0.10
per ounce)
Patio Bean and
Cheese Burritos 5oz $0.50 each ($0.10 per ounce)
Homemade Bean and
Cheese Burritos 8oz $0.53 each ($0.07 per ounce)
Homemade Bean, Beef,
and Cheese Burritos 8oz $0.65 each ($0.8 per ounce)
I like to use my own
Taco Sauce because it is flavorful but not hot, you could however use
a green chile sauce (salsa verde) for mild heat, or if you like to
turn up the heat a little, try Tabasco, Louisania Style Hot Sauce or
Sirachi.
Conclusion
These minimalist
pantry friendly bean and cheese burrito recipe is extremely flexible,
you can stretch your food dollars by adding cooked white, yellow or
spanish rice to the bean filling. Or add beef to make a combination
bean, beef and cheese burtitos. Making your own bean and cheese
burritos is not only good for your health, but it is good for your
bank account as well. My grandkids love these burritos, and when I
make my own tortillas they have zero preseratives and the only fat is
the oil used in the tortillas. Making your own bean burritos saves
you over 20 to 30% off most of the store brands. However, for me
having a ready meal that I can grab out of the freezer and throw in
my lunch kit keeps me from stopping at a fast food place and spending
money on the way home from work, and that is where the real savings
occur.
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