For the past couple of months, we’ve been eating more vegetarian meals each week than I ever expected to see on my menus. And coincidentally, in the spirit of saving money on groceries when the new house budget is our first priority, these vegetarian meals oftentimes come in comparatively less expensive than non-veggie meals. I think this has helped get Kyle on board with eating less meat but honestly, he’s been really impressed with the meals I’ve been making, these spicy bean burritos being one of them.
We all know that beans are cheap but these burritos weren’t completely about eating on the cheap. They were about amping up the flavor of canned beans (pantry staples) with garlic, cumin, chile powder, and pickled jalapeños (more pantry staples) in a healthy way. I liken the bean mixture in these burritos to a cross between two of my favorite Tex-Mex side dishes, refried beans and Elly’s world famous black beans (but without the bacon)…which means that I totally loved these burritos. Actually, we both did and there was so much leftover filling that we each had lunches for the next few days covered. I certainly didn’t hear any complaints about this vegetarian meal, and in fact, Kyle commented how these burritos were almost exactly like the ones he orders from the Mexican food truck for lunch on Fridays. Sounds like a winner to me!
source: adapted from Cooking Light as seen on Pink Parsley and Annie’s EatsIngredients:
For the bean filling:
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp ancho chile powder
- 2 tsp minced pickled jalapeños
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup water or vegetable broth (or chicken broth if you choose)
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 15-ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp salsa
- Juice of one lime
For serving:
- 6 10-inch flour tortillas (burrito size), warmed in microwave for 10-15 seconds between 2 damp paper towels
- Shredded cheese (cheddar, pepper jack, monterey jack, or a mixture)
- Diced tomatoes
- Shredded lettue
- Chopped cilantro
- 2 scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
- Nonfat Greek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
Instructions:
- Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, chile powder, jalapeños, cumin, and salt, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and allow to simmer 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in salsa. Mash the bean mixture lightly with a slotted spoon or fork to desired consistency.
- Spoon about 1/3 cup of the bean mixture down the center of each tortilla. Top each serving with desired toppings and roll the burrito tightly. Slice each burrito in half and serve immediately.
{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }
Love hearty vegetarian meals… looks yummy!
I remember seeing these on Annie’s Eats. They looked awesome there and even awesomer here! And I just so happen to have most of the ingredients in my pantry already. Yessss!
Nice to see a yummy light meal on a blog! Thank you very much for this idea!:)
One of my favorite foods! Love it!
This is seriously my favorite go-to meal. Lunch or dinner. We have it at least once a week! Now after looking at yours I want one. Yum!
These look great, very tasty and I love that you used more than one type of bean! Great post!
These look amazing!
Made these last night for dinner and LOVED them!!! Absolutely delicious. I’m addding it to my list of quick and yummy go-to meals!
This looks so yummy…and super easy…and cheap! Win, win, win! Now I just have to convince my husband it is ok to not eat beef
.
Just made these…SO good!
These are amazing!!! I got the recipe from Annie’s Eats and made them yesterday for the first time. I was shocked at how delicious they are–and for someone feeling deprived on a diet, I could use delicious!
*I’m over here drooling on your pretzel bites and cheese sauce via pinterest.
Hi,
Made these tonight and loved them. At what step should I add the lime juice? With the broth and beans? Thanks!
Jenny: With the broth and beans is fine but you can also add it at the very end or just squeeze it over the burrito filling before you wrap them up.