Quick & Easy Meal - Beef Burritos

Growing up, I always liked to eat Tina's Red Hot Burritos. I loved the spicy beef filling on the inside and the crunchy tortilla on the outside. As an adult, I decided that frozen burritos just aren't as good as I remembered. So, I decided to make my own burritos - better for you AND better tasting. These are quick and easy to put together, but do take about 20 minutes to bake in the oven, so plan accordingly. You can always assemble the burritos earlier in the day, store in the fridge on the baking sheet, and bake when it is dinner time. My Dad and Mom came over for dinner the night I made these and we all agreed they were awesome. Making burritos is pretty easy, and I have step-by-step pictures to show you how.

Beef Burritos

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 bell pepper, diced
1 lb lean ground beef (93/7)
salt
pepper
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp chili powder
1 cup salsa
2 cups grated cheese - cheddar, colby jack
non-stick cooking spray
8 flour tortillas

Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
Add onion and pepper and cook for about 3-4 minutes, until softened.

Add ground beef to skillet and cook until no longer pink. Drain any excess grease.

Season beef with salt and pepper. Add cumin, onion powder, chili powder and salsa. Stir until thoroughly combined and remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and lightly spray a large baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Grate cheese on largest side of box grater. You can use pre-shredded cheese to save time, but I prefer to grate my own. I used half white cheddar and half colby jack. Now it is time to assemble the burritos.

Place a generous 1/3 cup of the beef mixture in center of tortilla. Add two tablespoons of grated cheese over the beef.

Fold the sides toward the center.

Fold up the bottom and roll to the top.

Keep going...
And there you have it, a perfectly shaped burrito. Place on baking sheet, seam side down.
Continue with remaining tortillas and beef mixture. Spray tops of burritos with non-stick cooking spray and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 400 degrees, until the outside of the burritos are crisp and lightly browned.
Serve with salad of your choice.
Doesn't that look great? I cannot wait to make these again. Next time, I am making a double batch because these are GREAT leftover too. Wrap burritos in a paper towel and then in a small plastic bag or wrap in plastic wrap. Freeze, and then re-heat each burrito in microwave in paper towel (remove plastic) for 2 minutes. You can also keep in fridge (if you will be eating in a day or two) and re-heat in microwave for 1 minute.

I used very lean beef, but you can substitute ground turkey or chicken if you would like. Just make sure you use an extra tablespoon of olive oil when browning in skillet.

Enjoy!