(this recipe is for 2 9×13 pans)
1 1/2 lb. ground beef (I buy the 80/20 ground beef)
1 c. chopped onion (or 1 TBSP dehydrated chopped onion)
1 package taco seasoning (or some cumin, chili powder and garlic powder)
2 c. salsa (NON chunky salsa or you will need to blend it in the blender with some chicken bouillon)
6 c. refried beans (I made my own and seasoned them) or about 4 storebought cans
3 c. grated cheddar cheese
4 c. cooked rice
12 burrito sized tortillas (largest ones you can find)
Brown the hamburger with onion. When no longer pink, drain grease. Add taco seasoning. In a separate pan add canned refried beans to a little oil and cook long enough to get that ‘refried’ flavor/texture. Otherwise directly add your homemade refried beans.
I made my refried beans from scratch by soaking about 5-6 cups of pinto beans overnight in my crockpot. The next morning the beans had more than doubled in size and I transferred them to a large pot on my stove and boiled them for about 3 hours. I added some cumin, onion salt and garlic powder to the water as it boiled and it gave it such a delicious rich flavor. Then using a potato masher I mashed the beans and let them simmer about another 20 minutes. They were so yummy! You can use canned beans, but they sure don’t have the same yummy authentic flavor.
Spray 2 pans with Pam then spread a thin layer of NON-chunky mild salsa over bottom of entire pan. (If you only have chunky salsa or pico de gallo… pour about 2 cups of it into the blender and a couple teaspoons of chicken bouillon and blend for a few seconds. Now it’s ready to spread!) Next cut tortillas in half and layer on bottom of pan.
Spread half of the beans on top of tortillas.
Then cover with half the meat mixture into each pan, Spread around evenly.
Then top with half the rice mixture (in these demonstration photos I was making the beef and bean casserole without rice) and top with another layer of cut tortillas- see picture. I cut my tortillas into long strips. It helps with serving and because (as seen in picture) to add more moisture to it I cover with half a can of Old El Paso green enchilada sauce.
Finally top with shredded cheddar cheese.
Cover with foil.
****For our May 2012 meal swap I left the rice out of it. Rice would be a delicious side dish for this meal along with a sweet drink like Jamaica (hibiscus flower drink) or Crystal Light Kiwi Strawberry. For some reason when I eat Mexican food I feel like it needs a colorful ‘bebida’.
(Photo above of Beef and Bean burrito I made for the May swap)
Write on foil:
Giant Beef and Bean Burrito
Thaw 24 hours in advance of eating. Bake thawed covered at 350 for 1 hour and a half. Then take off foil and top with a little more cheese.(if desired) or just eat!
Serve with a dollop of sour cream and salsa on top or on the side. Eat with a side salad and chips and salsa.