Frozen Burritos

[iheartcooking]

I'd like to make some make-ahead burritos to have in the freezer on hand. I'm the QUEEN of having frozen stuff to quickly throw together dinner or so my fam has options when i work late.

I read once online that if you assemble the burritos (with freezer-friendly fillings of course) then dampen the tortilla before wrapping than they will nuke up nicely. I also think the key is making them slim, because normally when i microwave store bought burritos they are overcooked on the outside and still frozen inside.

Has anyone tried this?

Also, besides bean burritos does anyone have any ideas that would freeze well?

[Cherylptw]

Steak & potato; pieces of steak chopped or shredded, par-cooked potato (this works well with hash browns also), sauteed & well drained onions, celery & garlic, seasoning of your choice and cheese, optional

Chicken & Pineapple; quick seared chicken or any leftover chicken, sauteed onions & peppers, drained canned pineapple, seasonings

Spicy Peanut Noodles & Chicken (or seafood, pork, etc) Boil & drain the noodles; make a peanut sauce (plenty of recipes online); add juilenne or chopped & lightly sauteed onions, carrots, scallions, etc.

[chef chicklet]

My sons loved the breakfast burritos I'd make for them, and still to this day, peek in the freezer to see if there are any in there.

large flour tortillas - warmed and soft
Add - soft scrambled eggs with bacon, sausage, or ham.
sometimes potato hash browns with onions
and cheeses/ monterey and cheddar
Cook scrambled eggs, add the meats of your choice, spoon into the tortila, All goes Into a soft flour tortilla; the eggs and meats, scallions, then add the cheeses and drizzle pico pica sauce.
Rewrap the burrito in foil. To heat., take off the foil, and rewrap in wax papper.Once heated, drop in the brown paper sack to eat on the run.

[darklyglimmer]

+1 on Krislady's sweet potato, black bean and jack combination. Yum. Love those with sour cream and salsa.

My dad used to keep homemade frozen burritos on hand, although with more traditional fillings - bean & cheese, machaca. He kept them individually wrapped in ziplocs; sometimes we wrapped in damp paper towels, others we didn't. I usually end up cutting my frozen burritos in half to make sure the filling heats, but I'm also normally eating them with a fork, which might be heresy.

[mollygirl]

I make breakfast burritos and freeze them to take to work. I use the soft taco size of the flour tortilla, so they are smaller, slim and heat up really well in the micro in about 1 1/2 mins. I fill them with scrambled egg, cubed potatoes, crumbled sausage, cheese and a drizzle of salsa. Individually wrap in foil and toss in the freezer. I wrap them in a damp paper towel and put them on a paper plate to nuke.

I've also make and frozen bean, beef and cheese burritos.

[Krislady]

I've made and frozen burritos a couple of times in recent months (though we usually use them for quick lunches rather than dinners). if I nuke them directly from the freezer, I sometimes have the same problem of their being cold in the middle - I haven't tried dampening the tortilla before wrapping.

What I do is wrap them individually in plastic wrap, then I shove a bunch (8, I think) into a gallon freezer bag. We just grab one or two individually when we want them. Usually, I loosen the plastic wrap, microwave for a couple of minutes, then make sure to let them rest in the micro for a couple of minutes.

I usually include beans in my burritos - if nothing else, it makes a great filler! I cook the beans myself and mash them (not quite as smooth as refried beans, but that general idea). Off the top of my head, here are some of the fillings I've used:

Diced smoked beef rib meat + cheddar cheese + pinto beans
BBQ'ed pork + monterey jack cheese + pinto beans
Black beans + jack cheese + sweet potatoes
Smoked turkey with BBQ sauce + rice + cheddar + beans
Black beans + marinara sauce + pepperoni + mozzarella (this was a little runny - but it was good!)

[John E.]

If it were me, I'd just freeze the filling and thaw it, heat it up and then assemble with fresh flour tortillas. You will likely have the same reheating problem with reheating homemade burritos in a microwave as you do with store-bought burritos.