Mexican
Bean Burritos
Pinto beans simmer with onion, cumin, and chili powder, then get mashed and rolled with cheese. It is a low-cost dinner that uses the pantry on purpose.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
Why you’ll love it
- Canned pinto beans are the protein and the filling.
- Mashing half the beans makes the burrito hold together.
- A short simmer with cumin beats a flavor packet.
- They wrap well for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.
Check the ingredients you still need, then add them. If nothing is checked, the full list is added. Saved on this device.
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the onion until soft, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- 2
Add the beans, water, cumin, chili powder, and salt. Simmer 5 minutes, until the beans are hot and the liquid has thickened a little.
- 3
Mash about half the beans with a spoon or potato masher, leaving the rest whole so the filling has texture.
- 4
Warm the tortillas in a dry skillet for about 20 seconds per side so they roll without cracking.
- 5
Spoon the beans down the center of each tortilla. Top with cheddar, salsa, and cilantro.
- 6
Fold in the sides, roll tightly, and set the burritos seam-side down in the skillet for 1 minute so they hold. Serve warm.
Pro tips
- Rinse the canned beans. The can liquid makes the filling watery and salty.
- Do not overfill. A packed burrito splits when you roll it.
- Warm tortillas bend. Cold tortillas crack.
Easy substitutions
- Pinto beans
- Black beans, same amount.
- Cheddar
- Monterey Jack.
- Flour tortillas
- Large whole-wheat tortillas.
Storage and reheating
Storage
Refrigerate wrapped burritos for up to 3 days. Freeze wrapped burritos for up to 2 months.
Reheating
Microwave a burrito covered with a damp paper towel until the center is hot, or warm it in a covered skillet.
Nutrition
Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.
- Calories
- 430
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fiber
- 12 g
Budget friendly · Stovetop
You might also like
Bean and Cheese Burritos
Flour tortillas rolled around seasoned beans, rice, and cheddar. A cheap dinner that you can also wrap for tomorrow.
25 min · Easy
View recipe
Red Beans and Rice
Canned red beans simmered with onion, pepper, smoked sausage, and a short spice list, served over rice. The stovetop pot is about 50 minutes. The slow cooker is 6 hours on low or 3 hours on high.
50 min · or 6 hr on low / 3 hr on high · Easy
View recipe
Rice and Beans
White rice cooks with black beans, onion, cumin, and a bay leaf in one pot. It is a plain, filling plate that costs very little and uses pantry cans.
35 min · Easy
View recipe
Loaded Taco Rice
Rice cooked in the same pot as a modest amount of seasoned beef, then finished with cheddar, tomato, and lettuce. Half the usual meat, because the rice and spices do the stretching.
35 min · Easy
View recipeStill hungry?
More in the same lane, not a random mix.
Baked Eggs in Beans
A skillet of seasoned canned beans gets four eggs cracked on top and bakes until the whites set.
30 min · Easy
View recipe
Egg Fried Rice
Cold cooked rice hits a hot skillet with egg, peas, and soy until the grains are separate and the egg is fully set. It is a cheap dinner that depends on leftover rice, not fresh.
22 min · Easy
View recipe
Egg Salad
Eggs are boiled until the yolks are fully firm, then chopped with celery, mayonnaise, and mustard. It is a cool, cheap salad you can eat from a bowl or on toast.
22 min · Easy
View recipe
Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup
A simple tomato soup simmers while cheddar grilled cheese toasts in butter. Both land on the table together, which is the whole point of the meal.
35 min · Easy
View recipeFind something else
From the kitchen
Kitchen tools we love
Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.
A heavy 12-inch skillet
Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.
An air fryer with a real basket
The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.
A half-sheet pan
Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.
A sharp chef’s knife
These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.
A large cutting board
Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.
Dry cups and a liquid cup
Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.
An instant-read thermometer
Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.
Read the affiliate disclosure.