Beef burritos
Juicy spiced minced beef, black beans and melted cheddar wrapped in warm flour tortillas — quick, filling and perfect for a midweek feast.
These beef burritos are a proper crowd-pleaser — spiced minced beef and black beans wrapped in warm, soft flour tortillas with plenty of cheddar and a hit of lime. They’re brilliant for feeding a family, batch-cooking for the week or turning into an informal feast when mates pop round.
The filling comes together on the hob in under an hour and keeps well in the fridge. Heat and assemble fresh, or crisp in a pan for a toasted finish.
Ingredients
- 500 g minced beef
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 brown onion — medium, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves — finely chopped
- 1 red pepper — deseeded and diced
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 15 ml smoked paprika
- 5 ml dried oregano
- 10 ml chilli powder — reduce for less heat
- 15 ml tomato purée
- 400 g tinned chopped tomatoes
- 400 g tinned black beans — drained and rinsed
- sea salt — to taste
- freshly ground black pepper — to taste
- 8 large flour tortillas
- 150 g mature cheddar — grated
- 100 ml soured cream
- 1 lime — halved
- 30 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped
- 1 ripe avocado — sliced
Equipment
- grater
- tin opener
- foil
Instructions
Prepare the veg: finely chop the brown onion and garlic cloves, dice the red pepper. Grate the mature cheddar and roughly chop the fresh coriander; set aside.
Place the minced beef in a bowl with ground cumin, smoked paprika, dried oregano, chilli powder, a pinch of sea salt and a grind of black pepper. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, mix well and leave to rest in the fridge to let the spices mellow.
Heat a large frying pan over a medium-high hob and add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the brown onion and red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to colour, about 6–8 minutes.
Stir in the garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the spiced minced beef to the pan and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook until well browned and no pink remains, about 8 minutes. If there is lots of fat, spoon off most of it — too much liquid makes the burritos soggy.
Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1–2 minutes, then add the tinned chopped tomatoes. Bring to a gentle simmer.
Add the tinned black beans, season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, and simmer gently until the sauce thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Heat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C conventional. Wrap the large flour tortillas in foil and warm in the oven for 8–10 minutes so they become pliable.
Assemble the burritos: place a warmed tortilla on a board, spoon a generous portion of the beef and bean mixture down the centre, add a handful of grated mature cheddar, a few slices of ripe avocado, a spoonful of soured cream, a squeeze of lime and scatter with fresh coriander. Fold the sides in, then roll up tightly from the bottom.
Serve immediately while warm. If you prefer, place assembled burritos seam-side down in a hot frying pan for 1–2 minutes each side to crisp the outside and melt the cheese.
Tips
- If you don’t have time to marinate, mix the spices into the pan with the vegetables and add the beef raw — you’ll still get good flavour.
- Drain excess fat after browning the beef to prevent a soggy filling and to let the spices sing.
- Warm tortillas wrapped in foil in the oven (or one at a time in a dry frying pan) so they’re pliable and less likely to split when folding.
- Make ahead: keep filling and tortillas separate in the fridge for up to 2 days; reheat the filling gently on the hob and assemble just before serving.
- Freeze assembled burritos (un-toasted) on a baking tray, then transfer to a freezer bag. Reheat from frozen in the oven at 180°C fan/200°C conventional for 25–30 minutes, turning once.
Substitutions
minced beef → minced pork or turkey, same quantity
Stays closetinned black beans → tinned kidney beans, same quantity
Stays closelarge flour tortillas → large wholemeal tortillas, same quantity
Noticeably differentmature cheddar → monterey jack or mature mozzarella, same quantity
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 1058
- Calories
- 61 g
- Protein
- 65 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 7 g
- Sugar
- 1200 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make the filling ahead of time?
Yes — cool completely, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 48 hours. Reheat gently on the hob before assembling.
How do I stop tortillas splitting when I roll them?
Warm them first (oven or a dry frying pan) so they’re flexible, and avoid overfilling. Fold the sides in before rolling to create a tight seam.
Can I freeze these?
Freeze un-toasted assembled burritos individually on a baking tray, then bag them. Reheat from frozen in a 180°C fan/200°C conventional oven for 25–30 minutes.
Can I make this milder or hotter?
Yes — reduce the chilli powder for milder flavour or add extra or a pinch of cayenne for more heat. Fresh chopped chillies also work for a brighter kick.
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