Brown bagging it - Homemade Frozen Burritos

One of my favorite blogs is Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.  On Lynn's blog she has a post and recipe for Brown Bag Burritos which she got from another blog called "The Finer Things in Life".  Amy's Brown Bag Burritos looked really yummy.  But, being the cheapo that I am, instead of cooking the ingredients for these burritos, I prefer to save my leftovers and then assemble them when I have the stuff to make them.  I regularly keep cooked pinto beans in my freezer in small containers and this weekend I had some leftover taco meat (which I just season with salsa and chili powder instead of using the little packets).  I combine those two things for my burrito filling.  But, you could omit the meat and use leftover fajita veges for a meat free burrito.  


I love having something for lunch that I can just grab and go.  I also have a long love affair with those cheap little burritos you get in the freezer section.  But, I know those things have to be bad for you.  Anything that cheap is usually always bad for you.  It had never occurred to me to make my own until I was led to Amy's post from Lynn's post.


The first time I made these I bagged each burrito in little sandwich baggies, sacking all the bagged burritos in a container or large gallon ziploc bag for keeping in the freezer.  I don't usually ever buy paper towels but I figure the burrito will warm up better in the microwave if its not in plastic.  Plus the baggies are then tossed in the trash and I would rather throw a paper towel away than a baggy so I decided on wrapping them in paper towels and then sacking the wrapped burritos in the original bag that the tortillas came in.  Also the paper towels work great for ... well.... for using as a napkin for lunches on the go.  Sometimes I do make homemade tortillas.  I just did not today.  I had a bunch left from making special holiday food and this made a speedy assembly.  


Here's how I made Homemade Freezer Burritos AT HOME MY WAY:


HOMEMADE FREEZER BURRITOS

• Leftover taco meat
• Leftover pinto beans or black beans, even a can of refried beans will work (with  some juice - my beans are cooked until thick because I like them that way)
• Flour tortillas
• Paper Towels
• Large bag/container to keep the burritos inside in your freezer

Re-heat the meat and beans.  Stir together.  Place a scoop down the center of a heated/soft tortilla.  Roll as for a burrito.  Roll in the paper towel the same way.  Bag them up.  Place them in the freezer.

To reheat, just heat in the microwave for a minute until hot.  

These would also be good in a casserole dish topped with salsa and cheese for a speedy weeknight supper.  (Heated in the oven until hot and melty, of course).

Getting the assembly line ready.

Folding the burritos.

Ready to fold with the paper towel and bag it up.