Fast and Easy Burritos

I decided to make burritos tonight using the tortillas and cheese I had bought at Dollar Tree (it's actually a cheese substitute, but for a buck, I can handle using it for cooking). I just haven't felt up to cooking these days, although I have cooked more this last week than I have in a while. Whether it's the heat or something else, I don't know.

Anyway, I was sure I had refried beans in the pantry, so I thawed the ground beef and went to get the ingredients out. Uh oh! The meat is browning, but there are no refried beans to be found. So, I took the two cans of pinto beans I also had and used them, mashing the beans with the potato masher I also use to break up the ground beef in the pan. I then poured a cup of salsa in and about a cup of Mexican cheese shreds. I use mild salsa, but you can up the ante with medium or hot if you prefer. You can also add leftover rice (Spanish rice would work well) if your family enjoys rice. I stick to the tried and true when I'm feeding my daughter. It's just easier that way.

I put the tortillas in the microwave and heated them for about 45 seconds, but it's probably best to put them on a flat griddle to heat. As soon as they start to puff, they're ready. Don't let them get crispy. You just want them soft.

Now, I didn't prepare anything else to go with this. My daughter likes shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes, but we didn't have lettuce and I don't like tomatoes, so she can dice her own tomato. I like them just as they are - hot, cheesy beans and meat slathered on a soft flour tortilla and rolled. It's a wonderful and filling dish.

You can also use this mix as a hot dip if you want - keep it in a small slow cooker to stay warm and soft. Adjust the ingredients to make it more "dippy", to your taste. In fact, that's how I discovered this burrito filling. I was at a party where it was served as a dip. I found out what was in it and tried my hand at home. It was a success with my kids and their friends (whenever I had it, I also had Court and Tara on hand, too.)

As I was saying, though, this is a very flexible recipe. Some add corn or rice or diced green chilis. Some have more meat than beans. Some use beans only. Others keep the beans separate from the meat. I might try corn one day since that's a family favorite, but I prefer the one pan concept, so I'll stick with the mixture rather than separate the ingredients.

A dip that looks very much like my burrito filling - found at Recipe Girl.

The Mexican Casserole Experiment

As I write, my first ever layered Mexican casserole is setting on the stove waiting for the asparagus to get hot so I can go try some. Of course, the asparagus was hot by the time I got done typing that sentence. So, I have returned, no longer hungry and VERY happy my foodie experiment turned out so well!!


It's not that I didn't go looking for ideas online. I knew you could make layered casseroles using tortillas and other assorted wet ingredients, but I had never done it and wasn't sure what I had on hand would work as well as all the recipes I was finding claimed theirs would. But, there is only one way to find out, right?


I took out my round glass baking dish. Almost the same diameter as the tortillas I had on hand. Then I got a bowl out and shredded Monterey Jack cheese and Extra Sharp White Cheddar into it (approximately 6 oz. total). I added a 4 oz. can of diced green chiles, a 12 oz. can of white chunk chicken, drained, that I had already shredded, a can of cream of celery soup and maybe a half cup of salsa. The recipes I had looked at called for a couple cans of cream of chicken or mushroom soup and maybe a cup of chicken broth, but I just mixed it all together the way I had it with no extra liquid. It's a good thing I did!!


I placed the first flour tortilla in the bottom of the bowl and spread a portion of the chicken mixture on top of that. I had pressed the tortilla down to be sure it was firmly planted. No, I didn't spray Pam first. Then I pressed in the next tortilla firmly on top of that followed by more chicken mix. I repeated this until there were no more tortillas (the bag wasn't full). The remaining chicken mix went on top. For appearance, I spread a bit of the salsa over the top (I'm guessing maybe 2-3 Tbsp) followed by a bit more grated cheese that I grated directly on top and then spread evenly by hand. I put the baking dish in the oven, turned it on 350 and came in to play online. Thirty minutes later, I put the asparagus on and turned off the oven. I put the casserole on top of the stove so it could set while the asparagus heated. And, that's where we were when I began this entry.


I went out and found our old RC Willey ice cream scoop out (it's a flat one that was given to me by a furniture store out in Utah) and used it as my spatula. I cut myself a wedge and scooped it out onto my plate. There was so much liquid in this and I didn't even put in the liquid most recipes called for! But, WOW! Is it ever good!!! I can't believe it took me this many years to try doing this! 


I am disappointed in the asparagus, though. Sure, the flavor is good. But, they filled the can with mostly woody stem pieces, so there was more chewing to get the flavor than there was actual eating of the asparagus. I've decided what's left will be used to make asparagus soup. I can blend it to mince it up after I've made the soup. I do like the veggie, but I've never been a fan of the woody stems. 


Anyway, I would definitely recommend trying this. In a way, it's like Mexican lasagna, but only in construction. You can do these with hamburger, but I had this can of chicken I'd hoped to use and decided to try it with that. I'm very happy with the results!!