Spicy Bean Burritos

Growing up, we didn’t eat a lot of beans. Sometimes we’d have chili and they’d show up there, but other than that, they were limited.

Now that I have my own kitchen (and have had for some time!) beans are a frequent guest at our dinners. I am so lucky that CH will eat almost anything and he happens to love beans, so it’s a win-win. Nothing will beat the Tuscan white beans we had while traveling in Italy, but I will keep trying recipes until I get it right.

This meal however is one of my favourite go-to quick dinners, and it has even been made many upon many times – I was just lucky that I planned ahead a little and managed to take a photo this time around.  I even made these while living in France last year.  They are healthy, very budget-friendly and the bottom line – they are delicious.

Like I said above, this is an easy weeknight dinner that is ready in about half an hour and is absolutely delicious for lunch the next day (or two!). Feel free to fill them with whatever toppings you like – just be careful not to over-stuff them or you will have burrito explosion :)!  Oh, and if you don’t like spicy, kick back the amount of chili powder to your liking.  One final note – feel free to use whatever canned beans you have on hand – I’ve used only black beans, a mixture of white beans/black beans, and straight pinto beans – use what you like and they will be delicious.

Enjoy!

Spicy Bean Burritos

Yield: about 6 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes (prep while the beans cook!)
Cook Time:  20 minutes

Ingredients:

 For the bean filling:

• 2 tsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, grated or minced
• 1 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. minced chipotle in adobo sauce
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1 small pinch of cayenne pepper
• S&P to taste
• 1/3 cup water, vegetable broth or chicken broth
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (15 oz.) can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 6 TBSP of your favourite store-bought salsa

 For serving:

• 6 (9- or 10-inch) flour tortillas, warmed
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Diced cherry tomatoes
• Shredded romaine lettuce
• Diced red onion
• Diced cucumber
• Low-fat sour cream or Greek yogurt
• Diced cilantro

Directions:

To make the bean filling:

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and sauté until translucent and slightly brown. Add the garlic, chili powder, chipotle, cumin, salt and cayenne; stir, cooking just until fragrant, 30-60 seconds.

Add the beans and the water or broth to the skillet.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the mixture to simmer for 10 minutes.  Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the salsa.

Spoon about a third of a cup of the bean mixture down the center of each tortilla.  Top each serving with a pinch of shredded cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onion, cucumber cilantro and sour cream.  Roll the tortilla up tightly, burrito style, and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Recipe slightly adapted from Annie’s Eats, as seen on Pink Parsley Catering, originally from Cooking Light