Bean and Cheese Burritos Recipe (2024)

Instead of green bell pepper, use a poblano or seeded jalapeno peppers. If those are not available, try canned diced green chiles.

One of the greatest pleasures of this wonderful site is reading people's suggestions/substitutions. That doesn't prevent others from following the recipes as is.

Stirring in a tablespoon of ghee at the end of cooking makes the beans rich and savory, like taqueria beans cooked with lard. Cumin, added at sauté, a bay leaf and oregano are good seasoning options too.

Thank you, Kay Chun. We had the ingredients for bean and cheese burritos (our version) laid out this afternoon when we noticed your version featured in today's Times. We switched gears. Frying them lightly at the end, as your version recommends, made them great. We have no problem with canned, non-vegetarian refried beans, and they were already open, making the bean side of things simple. Nor did the scallions and cilantro, which we had already chopped, detract.

These were fantastic. Made the full recipe of the bean mix, but only 3 burritos (will use bean mix for 3 more later in the week…though will heat the mix first). I used a poblano pepper and homemade pico (with plenty of extra to serve alongside). Used the juices from the tomatoes rather than add 1/2c water to the beans.Strongly recommend heating each tortilla in a dry skillet for a minute on each side to make them more pliable…have a tendency to tear when folding/rolling (depending on brand).

As a New Mexican, I'll weigh in. The vegetarian chorizo (Soyrizo or Trader Joe's brand) works beautifully for these burritos, scrambles, chilequiles etc. and I can't tell it apart from regular chorizo.

This was yummy! I received a 20 pound box of beans from Rancho Gordo and there was a bag of pintos so I dumped them in the pressure cooker and 30 mins later had delicious creamy beans. So much better than canned. I made a few substitutions. Used anaheims and jalapenos instead of green peppers. Used chicken broth in lieu of water. Added a tablespoon of blended Chipotles in adobo because I had some in the fridge and I felt it needed some omph. Steamed the tortillas in microwave before rolling.

Growing up with a working single mom in a vegetarian household, my kids ate bean and cheese burritos weekly. Thankfully it was their favorite meal. I will admit, I used canned re-fried beans, but thank you so much for validating this as "cooking"!!

just put them in a ziploc bag and freeze. I've done this with the sweet potato-black bean-cheese burritos many times. You can wrap in foil first also if you like before the ziploc bag, I've done it both ways.

For a more pared-down approach, developed over a decade married to an Arizonan who can’t find bean burritos like home in NYC, here’s my technique - cook dried pinto beans in salted water with a hunk of salt pork and half a red onion until very soft, approx 4 hours depending on the age of the beans. Remove onion and salt pork. Purée beans with some of the cooking liquid until slightly looser than desired. Sauté diced red onion in bacon fat and add beans, cook stirring until desired texture.

To make even tastier, look fancier and have them all ready at the same time, place the lightly grilled burritos on a parchment lined pan, top with your favorite salsa, I like half green and half red, and sprinkle with cheese, Mexicana mix, Monterey Jack, or your favorite. Broil or bake to melt the cheese. Delicious!

For those who work in places with radiators: I make a version of these burritos all the time, wrap in foil, and freeze. I set the frozen burrito on my office radiator for an hour or two, and voilà—perfectly heated, cheese beautifully melted.

RE: Jalapeno - agree, It complements beans nicely. I'd probably avoid the seeding (too lazy) and simply use less chili (i.e., to taste, 1-2 chilies). Pickled jalapeno slices are another option.

It’s not hard to make a pot of beans, and they are far superior to canned. If you have the time, I highly recommend doing so. You can put onion, garlic, peppers, tomato, etc in the pot; blend the final cooked beans lightly in batches and cook down to the consistency you like ((“refry” without oil). Growing up in El Paso in a part-Mexican family, we had a pot of beans going at least once a week. My Lita used lard, but it’s not so common now.

Perfect recipe for this snowy day lunch! I love the smokey kick of Penzy's chipotle powder. We always add in leftover veg like roasted winter squash. Having this today!

delicious! i added roasted/skinned poblanos instead of the green pepper. they add flavor w/o much heat. i also put each tortilla on my gas burner for 5 sec./side to soften and add more flavor. i also used more cheese. 2 oz./burrito (12 oz. total)

Had at A&D Doubled onion and no pepper

These are so comforting! I recommend adding some lime and cilantro to the beans for some extra flavor.

Use a spicier pepper. Add some garlic powder or adobo seasoning.

Made with Anasazi beans from the Santa Fe NM Farmers Market. Soaked overnight and cooked til tender. Made the top-rated NYT pico recipe for this (and snacking); no changes; solid recipe. I’ve made this twice - good stuff!

I forgot to get the supplies to make the pico, so i substituted it for store bought salsa. This was a great week night recipe!

If you have a panini press, it works great for this

I love the technique of toasting the burritos in a frying pan. I probably make this about once a week, with different fillings.

Great base recipe. 1tsp of dried oregano and cumin will make the beans better but they’re still great without.Add one jalapeño unseeded along with a red pepper. Add a can of diced green chilis with pico. I highly recommend adding freshly chopped cilantro as you go while reducing.Skip mincing garlic and just crush, it’ll break down when you’re smashing beans.Skip a masher, spoons and forks work fine, no need to add something else to clean afterwards.

So good. Made with a 19 oz fan of black beans. Used stated amounts of onion, pepper, and 2/3 of the rest of the ingredients (6 Tbsp instead of 1/2 cup)

I only made the beans twice- but they are the best part! Very flavorful and easy. I will never buy canned refried beans again.The first time I made as directed. The second time I made it with half pinto and half black beans, substituted a pasilla pepper for the green pepper. The black beans resulted in a toothier texture as the skins are thicker, and the pasilla added a touch of deeper earthiness. Both were great and so quick and easy!

So good for meal prep. Cool the beans before wrapping burritos. I individually wrap mine with wax paper before freezing them. Then to reheat, I can just microwave for 2-2.5 mins (in the wrap) and pan fry

Made 5 burritos

What a fantastic idea to fry the burritos before serving. Thank you! I had already planned to make veggie burritos with Mexican style rice, which I added into these burritos, reducing the beans and cheese a little. Making our own semi-homemade refried beans was just the ticket to an elevated weeknight meal for our “particular” vegetarian teenager!!

I recommend adding zero extra water to avoid refried soup.