Easy Black Bean Burrito

This easy and delicious black bean burrito recipe is a crowd pleaser and perfect to make ahead for those times you don't feel like cooking! Using widely available and store-cupboard ingredients, this is a healthy, hearty burrito that can be easily adapted for GF using GF wraps or Vegan/DF - omit the cheese or use a dairy-free substitute. Perfect for lunch at the office; grab one from the freezer and it will be defrosted and ready for the microwave by the time lunch rolls around. Or pop one in the oven when you get home for a no-fuss dinner. 

This recipe is perfect for chefs new to the chopping board. You won't need any special skills or equipment, you probably already have a lot of the tools and ingredients in your kitchen! Easy black bean burrito is meal prep that won't take all day, break the bank, or leave you with a sink full of dishes. Nom nom.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 can of black beans (541ml)
• 1 cup of cooked rice (250ml) - you can use white, brown, minute, microwave-ready, or canned rice
• 1 jar of salsa sauce (418ml) - you can use your favourite sauce in mild, medium, or hot, smooth or chunky
• 1 can of corn (199ml)
• 1 medium red bell pepper
• 1 medium jalapeño
• 1 small onion - red or white
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 cup shredded cheese (250ml) - Mexican or Taco pre-shredded cheese works well for this recipe. TIP omit the cheese or substitute a DF option for vegan burritos
• 1 package of wraps - these can be 8in or 10in, wheat, whole wheat, or GF
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Splash of water

TOOLS

• Chopping board
• Chopping knife
• Can opener
• Measuring cup
• Strainer/colander
• Large pot or pan
• Wooden or silicon stirring spoon
• Foil, plastic or waxed paper for packaging
• Optional: plastic/disposable gloves

TIMING

• Preparing ingredients - 10 minutes (not including making rice if needed)
• Cooking - 10 minutes
• Assembling burritos - 10 minutes

MAKES

• 6-10 generous burritos depending on the size of your wraps

Gather your ingredients and tools together in your work area. Ensure you have enough space, and a solid, even surface for working.

You can use white, brown, minute, microwave-ready, or canned rice. Make the rice according to the package directions. You will need one cup of cooked rice. It doesn't matter if it's hot or cold when you add it to the mix.

Open and drain the black beans. It's a good idea to drain the liquid from the beans or your mixture will be too soggy.

Cut the pepper by slicing from the top of the core, down the side and back up the other side. Pull the two sides apart.

Remove the core and seeds. Trim out the white from inside the pepper; it can be bitter, and has a spongey texture.

Slice the pepper into 1/2cm or 1/4in strips. Cut across the strips so you end up with an even dice. You should have around 1 cup of diced red bell peppers.

Cut the onion in half through the bottom so that both halves have part of the core holding the onion together. Place the flat side of the onion down on the chopping board and slice 1/2 cm or 1/4in strips through the onion making sure to not slice through the core. The onion should just be holding together. Slice across the strips creating a neat dice. Discard the core. You should have around 1 cup of diced onions.

Jalapeños aren't as hot as you might think, and they add a nice zing to this recipe. They can, however, burn the skin when raw so be very careful if you touch the flesh - you won't want to rub your eye after that! It might be an idea to wear plastic disposable gloves if you have them available. To avoid touching the jalapeño flesh, you can also use tongs, a fork, or even a dishcloth to hold the pepper in place to dice. Follow the same instructions for dicing red pepper but make the dice as small as you can. You want the jalapeño to be evenly distributed through the mix so you won't have any spicy surprises!

Pour about 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan and turn the heat to medium. When the pan is hot, add the onion, red bell pepper and jalapeño - the vegetables should start to sizzle slightly when they hit the pan. Begin to sweat the vegetables gently stirring for 3-4 minutes. If you notice the mixture beginning to brown, turn the heat down, you just want to start cooking through.

When the mix starts to look a bit translucent, add your spices and stir well. Add the black beans, corn, and rice to the pan and mix well.

Add the salsa sauce to the pan. Add a splash or two of water to the salsa jar, put the lid on and shake, you want to get all that salsa goodness from the jar. Add to the pan and stir.

Now is a good time to check the seasonings by tasting your mix. I added another teaspoon of chili powder to bring more heat, you may feel it's perfect the way it is! When everything is combined and you are happy with the seasoning, turn off the heat.

It's a good idea to mash or puree some of the mix to improve the texture, but it's not essential so you can skip this step if you like. I used a potato masher and mashed the mix for about 1 minute, you will see the mix become smoother and more combined. You could also use a hand whisk to blitz some of the mix in the pan, or remove up to 1/2 of the mix and put in a chopper or blender. A large fork would also work. You want to keep some chunks in the mix so don't mash too much - up to half is more than enough!

Set up your area with shredded cheese or DF substitute, your burrito wraps, and foil, plastic or waxed paper to package your burrito.

Place a wrap on a firm surface and put a good portion of burrito mix in the middle. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of cheese or DF cheese substitute all over the burrito making sure some of it is on the wrap. Fold the bottom of the wrap into the middle, fold the two sides into the middle, and flip the burrito over the top flap to create a pocket. Wrap your burrito snugly in foil, plastic, or waxed paper.

Keep going until you've used all your ingredients. My burrito wrap package had six wraps, I used them all and had some of the mix left over.

Your packaged burritos are now ready for the fridge or freezer.

Store the leftover mix in a container in the fridge or freezer. It's great heated up on its own with some crusty bread and a salad. Add a few dollops to canned tomato soup for a heartier lunch. Heap some on an omelet or scrambled eggs for improv Huevos Rancheros. Puree and chill for a delicious dip perfect with tortilla chips.

Reheat your burrito before serving. These are guidelines only - ovens, toaster ovens, and microwaves vary.

I defrosted the burrito in the photo and popped it in a 350F oven for 12 minutes. I then sprinkled some cheese across the top and heated for a further 3 minutes. I sprinkled a few scallions across the top but it wasn't necessary, the burrito was piping hot and delicious!!

Defrost a burrito

• Remove the packaging, and place on a microwave-safe dish - heat on high for 1 minute. Check your burrito and add another 30 seconds or minute if needed, or...
• Pre-heat oven or toaster oven to 350F. Remove packaging and place on an oven-safe dish. Heat for 12 minutes. Check for doneness.

Frozen burrito

• Remove the packaging from a frozen burrito, place it on a microwave-safe dish and heat it on high for 1 minute. Turn and heat on high for 1 minute. Check and add another 30 seconds if needed. Let stand for 1 minute, or...
• Pre-heat oven or toaster oven to 350F. Remove packaging and place on an oven-safe dish. Heat for 20 minutes. Check for doneness.

There is no end to the list of adaptations you might make to tweak the flavour of these burritos. For example, add cumin, lime juice, cilantro, ground coriander seeds, bbq sauce, hot sauce, substitute quinoa for rice, kidney beans for black beans, add mushrooms, smoked poblano, garlic, salsa verde, pineapple! Just remember that if you add a lot of wet ingredients, you will need to balance them out with dryer ingredients like rice.