Growing up I remember every time my mom and dad went on a date, my three sisters and I were left home to fend for ourselves and find something to eat for dinner. Nine out of ten times we ended up microwaving a gross freezer-burnt Lynn Wilson Burrito. I have nothing against Lynn Wilson, but there just isn’t anything extraordinary or good about a .39 small, dry, tasteless frozen burrito. Not to mention my mom was not the best about rotating through her freezer (nor am I!), so our burritos were always a decade old and covered in ice crystals-ugh! Fresh or not however, these left me thinking there must be a healthier and homemade way to have a quick meal on hand for your family, without being forced to go with a processed, high in fat, option.
So…I am excited to share with you one of my favorite freezer meal ideas that I hope you will love. My sister taught me this trick and I have been using it ever since. The great thing about these burritos is you can adjust them to your family’s taste buds. Pretty much you can fill them with any concoction you would like: beans, shredded meat, rice, etc.
All you have to do, is make up a large batch filling, I like to use our Southwestern Egg Roll Chicken mixture, or some of this bean enchilada filling. Both of these recipes work great with this method, but you can really add whatever you want in your burritos.
To make your own frozen burritos all you do is place about 1/3 c. of your filling mixture in the middle of your flour tortilla (soften your tortillas in the microwave for a few seconds until they are soft and pliable). Fold the sides over into the middle about an inch. From one of the sides, roll slowly, keeping the edges lined up and straight, as tight as you can until you reach the other side of the tortilla. The more tightly you can roll the burrito, the better it will work in the freezer. If you find your burritos are hard to roll, try adding a little less filling and they should work better.
Once your burritos are rolled, lay them out flat on a large cookie sheet. Cover the burritos with saran wrap and place in the freezer for several hours, or until they are completely frozen solid.
Once they are frozen you can place them into a large freezer bag and keep them in your freezer until you need them. When you are ready to cook the burritos, just throw them on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray and bake them at 350 for 30-35 minutes, or until the the centers of burritos are warmed through and the tops are golden brown. Serve the burritos with sour cream, guacamole, salsa, shredded lettuce, etc. Try these burritos for a quick and healthy meal, your whole family will love!
Interesting. I've been toying around with the idea of homemade frozen burittos for awhile. Have you tried microwaving them? Do they have an okay texture in the microwave? I bet my husband would love these for work lunch.
Yes, I have tried them microwaved and they work great. Of course baked is better, but it will work either way 🙂
This is an awesome idea! Thank you!
Ooohh! So now I know what you think about my freezer habits! Ha, ha–Diana thinks we are two of a kind–I'm proud to know that I'm like you, Shan! Love, Mom
Would this work for making breakfast burritos as well (like with scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, sausage & cheese etc)? I'm 7 months pregnant and that has been the number 1 thing I've been craving :p, but can't find them premade anywhere.
Yes! In fact they work perfectly! I have done those before and taken up camping and they work great. You just heat them through and away you go. A great idea for a quick breakfast for your kids. Thank you for reminding me of that great trick I had forgotten about.
Totally going to do this. Thanks!
do you know how much money you could be saving by doing this?
Depending what you put in your burritos will depend how expensive they are. Meat will obviously increase the price of your burritos. Either way, they are much healthier, have less preservatives and are made from items you have in your food storage/freezer. Not to mention they will taste better 🙂
HI Shandra – First of all thank you so much for this fabulous website and blog…. I refer to it weekly and it is a wonderful gift you provide. It has helped me in my food storage, emergency preparedness and well cooking…
I was wondering if you would explain your recipe for your Shredded pork and bean burritos. The filling looks fabulous and I have tried to make my own up but nothing awesome has come out as a result. I always try your recipes out and they are a hit with my family so I'm hoping this will be a hit to! Thanks so much Michele
Michele,
Thank you! I am glad you enjoy our blog 🙂 The pork filling is just when I make Cafe Rio Pork or any shredded pork loin I just keep the extras, add some black beans, a can of green chilies, some salsa, cheese, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, etc. Just spice them up the way you like and then throw the pork mixture in the burritos. You can really use ANY meat…ground beef, shredded chicken, pork, etc. I always add lots of beans because it helps the meat stretch and go farther.
Good luck to you!