(gave serious thoughts of putting this in GD, but then figured it would be moved…)
So what of it? I occasionally buy frozen burritos when I don’t feel like cooking, and though I try different kinds, it seems like they are all uniformly crappy. You can make them edible by smothering them in cheese, salsa, and hot sauce of course. But are there any really good ones that I have missed?
Yes, but they are only sold at Trader Joe’s. I like the Shredded beef burrito and the Chicken Chili Verde.
PS - the chicken one at Trader Joe’s that isn’t the chili verde, is not good.
Amy’s Organic? They aren’t TOO bad, but you don’t get much for the price.
I sometimes buy all the ingredients I like and spend an evening making my own home-made. Letting them cool, wrapping tight in Saran wrap, putting in the freezer … they’re easy enough to unwrap, nuke a couple minutes, and serve with salsa or hot sauce or sour cream.
There’s a vegetarian beans-and-rice version sold at Costco, but heck if I can remember the brand name at the moment. They’re pretty decent.
salinqmind, do you use flour or corn tortillas? I was thinking just recently about doing the same thing, making up my own burritos and freezing them for later convenience eating/lunch bag fillers.
salinqmind I want to thank you for this. I lurve burritos, but the pre-made frozen ones aren’t exactly what I would consider “healthy.” I make them often enough at home with black beans, rice, low-fat sour cream, and veggies, but for some reason it NEVER occured to me to wrap them and freeze them for later. :smack: I’ll be doing it this weekend though!
I think most are decent enough depending on how you cook them. Microwaved burritos always end up tasting like shit to me, but baking them or frying them tend to create a much tastier burrito.
Yeah, I usually bake them unless I’m in a big hurry… so Trader Joe’s? I’ll have to find one of them nearby. And I’ll look for Amy’s Organic as well. The one’s from Costco are OK, I guess. I’ve had them a few times.
salinqmind, do you have a recipe? That sounds like a good idea!
I typically see them in the refrigerated section as opposed to frozen but I like Don Miguel, particularly the steak chimichangas.
I make my own burritos as well. A really easy recipe is to take about a pound of ground beef, an onion, a can of jalapenos, two can of refried beans, chili powder, and garlic and cook all this together. Add some cheese as you assemble the burritos. This recipe of course tastes way better with shredded beef and fresh ingredients, but that take a bit more time to prepare.
That sounds awesome, but I’m trying to cut down on red meat for health reasons. I was thinking fresh made black or pinto beans (cumin, garlic, chili powder), jals, onions, some red chile sauce, and a touch of cheese. Man, I’m getting hungry.
They’ve started stocking Evol burritos in the natural section of my grocery store and they’re pretty good! I like the chicken, beef, and pinto bean varieties.
I should definitely freeze some of our home-made burritos. I never think of these things.
Evil burritos? That sound ominous… :eek:
I’ll have to look for the Don Miguel also.
CEDARLANE LOW FAT BEANS, RICE & CHEESE STYLE BURRITO
They are pretty good - one of the few vegetarian meals I eat.
Oo, yes, those are it. I’m a vegetarian and like them, as does my very omnivorous but likes-veg husband. I think they’re much better than the fresh bean/veg/rice/cheese burritos made by Whole Foods.
Oh, I guess I haven’t tried those! Next time I get to Costco I will.
That reminds me of a burrito I used to eat up in Oregon, called a Nearly Nasty burrito at a place called Nearly Normal’s. A purely veggy burrito that was so good it’d make you slap your momma! Wish I could get the recipe for those!
A decade ago I tried to bring forth the lie on this board, using the frozen ones in my demonstration that, contrary to claims, microwaves do not heat a burrito from the inside-out.
QE-to also-D, to anybody who has noticed that the outer beans can be painfully hot while the middles remain frozen, my support that anybody who continues to claim that microwaving “cooks from the inside out” should be shot like a dog.
I used to buy these ones called Marquez; they were cheap but good, especially the Beef with Red Chile or the Beef with Green Chile ones. Whatever you do, though, stay away from the Bean and Cheese (bland) or the Chili Dog one, which has a chicken wiener.
I make these with black beans instead of kidney beans and freeze them. They are fantastic reheated. Of course if you don’t like sweet potatoes, they may not be for you.
Sweet potatoes, if they have not yet received it, are due to be the hot food of the Teens. they take sweet and savory and make them work.
As long as you don’t add marshmallows. 
pukey smiley that we lack:
I use flour tortillas - when I have the filling ready, I nuke each tortilla 15 seconds to make it flexible for rolling up - put a few spoonfulls in the center more toward the bottom, fold each side, fold the bottom, and roll up tightly. (Haven’t used corn tortillas, they need to be fried in oil to make flexible, they are fragile, but you could try.)…You can be creative with your fillings.
Easiest is saute and drain a pound of ground beef and mix with a packet of chili seasoning, taco seasoning, or burrito seasoning according to the directions - adding water or tomato sauce, whatever it calls for. (I like McCormick Burrito seasoning, but it’s hard to find. Walmart sells it alongside the packets of gravy powder and chili seasoning.) Sprinkle filling with sharp grated cheese and roll 'em up.
Don’t make the filling too wet or put in too much. Each burrito is then ready to be wrapped in wax paper, or saran wrap for freezing… To heat, I nuke them on a plate, covered with a damp paper towel (so the edges don’t get hard and dry) for 4 or 5 minutes until you can touch the top and feel the contents ‘sizzling’ inside. They’re also good browned on each side in a bit of oil or butter.
So there you go, custom-made burritos, easy to make, relatively inexpensive, and IMO much tastier than those cardboardy beany frozen things you buy from the 7-11 freezer.