Bean and Cheese Burritos With Refried Beans
These bean and cheese burritos recipe is the dinner fave on a long day, when we’re so tired, it’s a weeknight, but we want a home cooked meal. I start with a can of refried ranchero beans or refried pinto beans and end up tasting like they took a lot longer than thirty minutes. I love to add a bit of chopped up pickled jalapeno becasue it adds a hint of heat, without making it overpowering and it’s different from just a plain bean and cheese burrito.
They bake instead of fry, so all four go in the oven at once and I am not standing at the stove flipping them one at a time. But if you want a crispy bean and cheese burrito you can always take them from the oven to a pan for a quick crisp.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Four burritos bake at once, no flipping
Thirty minute recipe, perfect for busy days
Ranchero refried beans has all the flavor so you can skip the salsa
Easy pantry items
What You’ll Need
Canned refried ranchero beans. My favorite is Siete, these already have tomato and chile cooked into them, which is why this version needs so little help. Plain refried pintos work too, and if you go that route add the salsa below.
Mild roasted tomato salsa, optional. Ranchero beans are seasoned already, so this is only for loosening them or pushing the flavor further. If you are using plain refried beans instead, it is not optional.
Pickled jalapeno. Chopped fine. This is the ingredient that makes these worth making. It brings acid and heat at the same time, which plain beans and cheese never do on their own.
Sweet onion. Diced as finely as you can get it, so it disappears into the beans and softens in the oven. Yellow onion works if that is what is in the house.
Medium cheddar and Monterey Jack. Grate them yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is coated so it will not melt into the smooth layer you want here.
Onion powder, garlic powder and smoked paprika. Small amounts, and the smoked paprika is the one people ask about. Do not skip it.
Burrito-size flour tortillas. I use Vista Hermosa. You want the large ones, because a small tortilla will not close around this much filling.
How to Make These Bean and Cheese Bean Burritos
Season the beans. Stir the ranchero beans together with the diced onion, the chopped pickled jalapeno, the onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika and a pinch of salt. Add the salsa if you want them looser or you are working with plain refried beans. Taste it before it goes anywhere near a tortilla.
Beans, then cheese. Spoon the bean mix down the middle of the tortilla and top it with the shredded cheese. If you want it melting from both sides, put half the cheese down first, then the beans, then the rest of the cheese on top.
Fold and roll. Fold the sides in first, then fold the top over and roll it closed until it is tight. Set it seam side down so it stays shut.
Bake. 375 for 20 minutes, uncovered.
Crisp them if you want. Optional, and worth it. Give each one a minute or so in a hot dry pan after they come out. No butter, no oil. The tortilla browns and goes crackly on the outside while the inside stays soft.
What Cheese Goes in a Bean and Cheese Burrito
Medium cheddar and Monterey Jack together. Cheddar brings the flavor and Monterey Jack does the melting, and neither one is quite right on its own. Oaxaca is the other good answer if you can find it.
Grate it off the block. It matters more than people think. The anti-caking coating on pre-shredded cheese keeps it from melting smoothly and you end up with a grainy layer instead of a molten one.
What To Serve With Bean and Cheese Burritos
Salsa and sour cream or crema on the side, always. Past that I keep it simple, because the burrito is already doing plenty.
Cilantro Lime Rice if you want to stretch four burritos into a bigger plate.
Mexican Street Corn Potato Salad for something cold next to something hot.
Air Fryer Tortilla Chips and more salsa.
If You Like This You’ll Love These
Here are a few others I’ve made and loved:
20-Minute Canned Black Beans for the same trick with a different can.
Cheesy Elote Quesadilla for another fast cheese-and-tortilla dinner.
Taco Bell Crunchwrap Supreme Copycat if the drive-thru version is what you are actually after.
Puerto Rican Stewed Black Beans for beans as the whole meal.
If you make these bean and cheese burritos, leave a comment. I love reading your comments and will try to get back to every single one.
Bean and Cheese Burritos With Refried Beans
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 375.
- Stir the ranchero beans together with the diced onion, pickled jalapeno, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika and salt. Add the salsa if you want a looser mixture.
- Spoon the bean mixture down the middle of each tortilla and top with 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Or split the cheese, half under the beans and half on top.
- Fold the sides in, fold the top over, and roll closed. Place seam side down.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
- Crisp each burrito in a hot dry pan for about a minute per side. No butter or oil needed. This step is optional.
- Serve with salsa and sour cream or crema.
