Skillet Beef Burritos
Looking for a fun way to mix up weeknight dinners? Mix the tortillas right into the filling with these tasty Skillet Beef Burritos!
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Have you ever tried rolling a burrito? It’s not that hard, but it does take practice. On more than one occasion, I’ve rolled a burrito only to watch all of the delicious fillings fall right out of the back of the burrito when I pick it up. <Sad burrito face.> Those folks at Moe’s and Chipotle are wizards when it comes to rolling burritos. On a side note, I’ve watched them enough now that I can hold my own in a burrito-rolling contest. On another side note, let me know if you hear about a burrito-rolling contest!
Have you heard about skillet burritos? They’re a fun way to mix up dinner, and they don’t involve tucking, rolling, tucking, cursing, rerolling and retucking. Instead of rolling the fillings up in a burrito, skillet burritos just use sliced tortillas mixed straight into the skillet with the rest of the fillings. In that way, the flour tortillas are an ingredient in skillet burritos rather than just a vessel to hold it all together. The flavors are all still there, and I find skillet burritos to be a fun way to serve burritos on a busy weeknight.
Skillet Beef Burritos
For these Skillet Beef Burritos, I went with a classic ground beef + taco seasoning base. We actually buy bulk taco seasoning in a huge canister, but the 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning in this recipe are roughly equivalent to one packet of taco seasoning. I spend a lot of time in the kitchen, and as such my brain is stuffed with useless numbers like this. A packet of taco seasoning is ~2 tablespoons. A packet of instant yeast is ~ 2¼ teaspoons. A batch of these Skillet Beef Burritos will last ~5 minutes. Hah…I kid! (Sorta.)
As noted above, this recipe uses a classic combination of beef and taco seasoning. A cup of rice gets cooked and then mixed in near the end. Other than that, the sky is the limit. The beautiful thing about this recipe is you can tailor it to your own tastes. In fact, Laura noted that a handful of chopped pickled jalapenos would be a good addition. I agreed. Just think down the line of optional toppings from places like Moes, Chipotle and Qdoba. If it’s on the list of toppings there, then it would likely be a good addition to these Skillet Beef Burritos.
Cilantro Lime Rice? Yup. Methinks that would be delicious. Pinto beans? Sure. (I prefer black beans, but you do you!) Queso? Ummm, cheese makes everything better! Salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, grilled peppers and onions, guacamole, diced red onions? Yes, yes and more yes. The sky really is the limit here. Well, the sky and the size of your skillet! (The ingredients in this recipe filled an 11″ standard-depth skillet pretty much to the top. More ingredients would definitely require a deeper skillet…I suspect a cast iron skillet would be a good option.
No matter how you top these Skillet Beef Burritos, I can assure you that these will become a family favorite! Chopping up the flour tortillas and mixing them straight into the skillet is not only a fun twist, but it’s a heck of a lot easier than rolling up burritos. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do…and let me know what toppings you added to your version!
Did you make these Skillet Beef Burritos at home? Leave a comment, or snap a photo and tag me on Instagram (@Spicedblog). I’d love to see your version!
Skillet Beef Burritos
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry white rice
- ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup diced white onions
- 16 oz. lean ground beef
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning
- ½ cup water
- 1 10-oz. can red enchilada sauce
- 1 15-oz. can corn, drained and rinsed
- 1 14.5-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 6” flour tortillas, cut into 1” strips
- 1 cup shredded Mexican or Monterey Jack cheese
- 2 Roma tomatoes chopped
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Using a medium saucepan, cook rice according to package instructions. Set cooked rice aside.
- Place olive oil and onions in a large, deep skillet. Place over medium heat and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 2-3 minutes.
- Add ground beef and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 6-7 minutes, or until beef is fully cooked. Drain any excess liquid from the pan.
- Add garlic, taco seasoning, water, enchilada sauce, corn and black beans. Continue cooking 3-5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove skillet from heat and add cooked rice and tortilla strips; stir until well combined.
- Top with shredded cheese. Cover skillet and let sit for 3-4 minutes, or until cheese has melted.
- Garnish with chopped tomatoes and cilantro before serving.
Looking for more tasty taco and burrito recipes? Check out these other favorites, too:
Will be making this soon can i use mushrooms and vegan cheese as am a vegan i never had burritos and mexican food before perfect for my after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Yes! This recipe lends itself quite well to make whatever substitutions you’d like. Mushrooms and vegan cheese would be good here for sure – I hope you get a chance to make this recipe soon, Ramya. It’s quite tasty!
When G was younger, I felt she tested the burrito-rolling skills of the folks at our neighborhood Moe’s! She would get just about every filling item and then watch them try to roll it – I used to think they wouldn’t be able to manage but somehow they always did! Speaking of burrito rolling though, I personally, am no good at it! It’s a miracle I can even manage to roll a spring roll sometimes! So this skillet burrito is much more my style! Oooh and you have jammed in enchilada sauce + taco seasoning – YUMMMM – I think I can smell this from here in GA! 🙂
I hear ya, Shashi! That must be a pretty intense class at Moe’s – how to roll a burrito that physically shouldn’t be able to be rolled. 🙂 That’s why a good skillet burrito is the way to go! Plus, you can easily change up the ingredients here to meet your favorite flavors. Cheers!
Wonderful. Personally, I don’t need the rice, but everything else is pure deliciousness.
Thanks, Mimi! If rice isn’t your thing, you could use beans instead…or just skip both and go straight to the good stuff! 🙂
What a fun twist on burritos, David! This dish looks absolutely delicious!
Thanks so much, Marissa! I do love a good burrito, but skillet burritos are a fun twist…and much easier to make! 🙂
When it comes to stuffing and rolling, I often tend to put too much of the filling (Well it also happens with something you don’t need to roll such as pizza). It’s probably because my brain unconsciously pushing the idea “the more filling, the better”. And I can’t disagree with that – especially when it’s cheese. But I also must admit I often end up having the fall-apart or overload situation. Still delicious yet not too photogenic for the blog haha 🙂 So I love skillet versions of “deconstructed” recipes; they don’t let you down, and they always look stunning and delicious. Just like this skillet! Your next task David: sushi / roll skillet (bake). Why? Because I always struggle with rolling them up! (And because this sounds delicious. )
I’m the same way, Ben! I keep adding more and more good stuff until I can’t roll the burrito. (Or in the case of pizza, I can’t lift a slice without everything falling off.) The skillet burrito fixes that problem! (Up next…skillet pizza??) Also, sushi rolling has always been a challenge. I can do an ok job with it, but half of the rolls end up falling apart. Haha!
What a great idea, David! And I say that as a dismal burrito roller. I’m eager to give this a try.
No need to roll that burrito with this skillet version, Jeff! Plus, you can load as much filling in there as you can this way!
I always over stuff my burritos and then disaster happens. Everytime I tell myself, don’t put too much, don’t put too much. And then, I put too much! These skillet burritos are just what I need…no overstuffing! 🙂 Love them!!!
Me, too, Kathy! There are just so many delicious ingredients that I want in those burritos…but then I can never actually fit it all in. Problem solved! 🙂
This is just the kinda thing hubby and I would love any day of the week. You have so many delicious flavours packed in here. and it’s such a fun twist on burritos! Plus, I don’t have to roll them. 😉
The best part about these skillet burritos (aside from not having to actually roll a burrito) is the fact that you can add whatever toppings you want! This is such an easy recipe to customize. I’m thinking a buffalo chicken version could be kinda fun…are you in??
It does indeed needs a lot of practice, I never mastered rolling them and sometimes I make it too tight and burst the wrap in the process. Your solution here works well for me
That’s the exact problem, Raymund! I always end up splitting the tortilla when I try to roll up a burrito. Problem solved with this skillet version!