Beef and Bean Chimichangas {or Freezer Burritos}
These beef and bean chimichangas are quick and easy to make for dinner or a great freezer meal. We love having them on hand frozen, ready to fry up in just a couple of minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef see note
- ¾ cup diced white or yellow onions
- 1 ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 16-ounce can refried beans see note
- 1 4-ounce can mild green chilies see note
- 1 cup mild salsa see note
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 3 to 4 cups shredded cheese
- 15 8-inch flour tortillas see note
- ½ cup canola oil for frying, optional
- additional toppings: sour cream, guacamole, salsa, chopped cilantro, lettuce, and diced fresh tomatoes for serving
Instructions
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In a large saucepan or cast iron pan, brown the ground beef and diced onion with the salt and pepper until cooked through, breaking the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain excess grease.
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Add the remaining ingredients (except for the cheese, tortillas, and oil) and mix to combine. Heat through, stirring often to prevent sticking. Taste and add additional salt and pepper, if needed.
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Let mixture cool for about 5 minutes. Spread about ⅓ cup of filling on flour tortilla. Sprinkle around ¼ cup of cheese over filling. Fold in the sides and roll the burrito closed (see pictures in post).
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Roll the burritos and place on a half sheet pan. At this point you can either serve as a burrito, fry for a chimichanga, or wrap in plastic wrap and freeze in gallon-size zipper bags for a freezer meal.
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To fry immediately: Heat canola oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, fry burritos on both sides for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve.
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To fry from frozen: Unwrap burrito from plastic wrap and microwave in 1 minute intervals until heated through. Eat as a burrito or fry for chimichangas as directed above.
Recipe Notes
Meat substitute: You can substitute ground turkey for the ground beef in this recipe.
Refried beans: You can also substitute an equal amount of homemade refried beans in this recipe.
Choose your spiciness level: This recipe is meant to be family friendly so it's very mild. If you prefer, you can use medium or hot green chilies and/or salsa to up the heat.
Flour tortillas: My favorite flour tortillas are these homemade or the refrigerated kind you cook up. If you use precooked flour tortillas you may want to microwave them for a few seconds until they are soft enough to roll easily.