Taco Burritos

If you can’t decide between tacos or burritos, why not combine the two and create a taco burrito? This recipe pulls out all of the traditional taco stops–ground meat, peppers, onions, taco seasoning, and optional toppings of your choice–and throws it into a soft burrito shell before popping it in the oven to crisp up. The result is something that tastes like a taco but has the convenience of a burrito. Smother it with cheese, salsa and a dollop of delicious homemade guac, and you’ll be swapping out your Taco Tuesday plans for Taco Burrito Night.

Ingredients for Taco Burritos

• Ground meat: Ground beef or pork work especially well in this recipe.
• Veggies: Green pepper, onion and garlic cloves all add to the hearty flavor of the taco burrito filling.
• Taco seasoning: You can use a premade packet, or consider making your own taco seasoning for an even more flavorful version.
• Flour tortillas: Use your favorite tortillas (or make your own!).
• Vegetable oil: This is used to brush on the tortillas, which creates a golden, crispy outer shell.
• Optional toppings: Chopped tomatoes, shredded cheese, sour cream, salsa or a few spoonfuls of Mexican street corn salad.

Directions

Step 1: Cook the meat and veggies

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In a large skillet, cook the meat, green pepper and onion over medium heat until the meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the garlic, taco seasoning and water. Simmer, uncovered, for two minutes.

Step 2: Warm and fill the tortillas

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Preheat oven to 450°F. Next, microwave the tortillas for 20 seconds on high or warm them on a pan until just flexible. Place 1/2 cup of the meat mixture on each, folding over the sides and ends to contain the filling. Place seam side down in a greased 13×9-in. baking dish. Repeat with all the tortillas until the filling is gone.

Step 3: Bake

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Brush the burritos with oil. Bake, uncovered, for 9 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned and slightly crisp. Serve with the toppings of your choice.

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Taco Burrito Variations

• Make it cheesy: Add shredded Mexican cheese mix to the top of the burritos before popping the pan in the oven.
• Swap out the meat: This recipe calls for beef or pork, but ground turkey and chicken also taste fantastic in this recipe.

How to Store Taco Burritos

Keep any leftovers in the dish that they were baked in, cover with aluminum foil once cooled and pop into the fridge. Reheat and eat the leftovers within four days.

How do you reheat taco burritos?

To reheat leftovers, you can put the entire pan back in the oven on low (350°) until the insides are warm, about 15 minutes. To keep the top from crisping more, we recommend leaving it covered with aluminum foil until the last five minutes. Another way to reheat is to individually warm a taco burrito in the microwave. Set it on a plate and warm it on high for 45 seconds to one minute. A cast iron pan, covered, also works well.

Taco Burrito Tips

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Can I make these vegetarian?

Yes, you can make taco burritos vegetarian-friendly (and even vegan, if you serve them with non-dairy products). To do so, simply swap out the meat for black beans, pinto beans or the meatless taco filling of your choice.

How do I keep tortilla shells from splitting?

We have a few tricks up our sleeves for keeping tortilla shells from splitting. Warm them until just pliable and then be careful not to overfill them. Gently tuck in the sides and then carefully roll the shell, keeping the sides tucked.

How do I keep leftovers from drying out?

The key to keeping taco burritos from drying out is to rewarm them covered. Pull the cover at the very end to crisp up the shells, but otherwise the moisture created during the covered warming process will keep the taco burritos from drying out too much.