Hearty Burritos

I wasn't sure I was going to tell you guys about this one.  I made these a while back and they turned out fine, but not really spectacular.  One the major factors that caught my eye about this recipe though was that I could make, assemble, and FREEZE these burritos to bake up later on.  So since I'd made up a bunch of the filling, I went ahead and froze a few.

Wow, I think these taste better for having sat in my freezer for a couple months!  And sooooo handy too.  Let me tell you that when you're starving, the baby's screaming and refusing to be put down, it's super nice to be able to grab one of these to toss into the oven for a while.

Hearty Burritos
Recipe adapted from my mother-in-law's recipe collection

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 pkg (16oz) frozen cubed hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 can (15oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5oz) Mexican diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 cup cooked rice [Great use of leftover rice!!]
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups shredded Cheddar
8 flour tortillas, BIG ones

1.  In large skillet, cook beef, green pepper, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add potatoes, beans, tomatoes, corn, salsa, rice, chili powder and salt. Stir to combine. 

Suggestion: stir in some chopped fresh cilantro just before wrapping

2.  Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese off-center on each tortilla; top with about 1 cup beef mixture. Fold sides and ends over filling. 

Prepare to be wrapped!

3.  Wrap burritos individually in foil and freeze up to 3 months.* Or place burritos seam side down on a baking dish. 

I had 4 to bake, plus 4 to freeze.  Not bad!

4.  Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until heated through. Serve with preferred condiments. 

Gooey, yummy deliciousness

*Now you really should thaw these overnight in the fridge and then bake as directed.  I'm terrible at the whole "thawing" thing though so if you're like me and grab one of these still frozen solid, let it sit out a while to take the frozen edge off.  Plan on baking it at least 40 minutes to fully heat through.  When you can smell it, it's probably ready to go.