Smothered Beef Burritos are stuffed full or all the flavorful ingredients and spices then all topped off with a red sauce and gooey melted cheese. The perfect weeknight dinner.
Move over tacos, these Smothered Beef Burritos are going to be the star of the show on the next Taco Tuesday dinner menu. Packed to the brim ,there is no shortage of flavor in these.
These are insanely gooooood! We’ve been making these massive burritos for years and they’re always highly requested by kids and adults alike and never get old.
They are way cheaper to make than restaurant Wet Burritos and taste even more amazing than the ones you can order for dinner at a restaurant or for takeout.
Although these contain a bunch of ingredients, everything is super simple to put together and the end result is absolutely worth it, you will want to keep taking bite after bite.
You probably already have all the ingredients on hand, especially if you are a taco person! These Smothered Beef Burritos will soon become one of your menu staple recipes.
Some of our other favorite Mexican inspired recipes we have on our site include: Mexican Rice Casserole, Mexican Street Corn, and Southwest Egg Rolls.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- These make a perfect freezer-friendly meal.
- Very flavorful and that red enchilada sauce on top is what really makes it and sets these beef burritos apart from any other ones you’ve ever made.
- This meal can be on your dinner table in an hour from start to finish.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE AT BOTTOM)
Unsalted butter
Cornstarch
Chili powder
Granulated sugar
Ground cumin
Dried oregano
Kosher salt
Unsalted chicken stock
Tomato sauce
Lean ground beef
Diced onion
Garlic
Taco seasoning
Water
Salsa
Refried beans
Fresh chopped cilantro
Shredded Monterey jack cheese
Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Burrito sized tortillas
HOW TO MAKE SMOTHERED BEEF BURRITOS, STEP BY STEP:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
- Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat and let it melt. Whisk in the cornstarch, chili powder, sugar, cumin, oregano, and salt, whisk constantly for 1 minute to bring out the flavor of the spices.
- Slowly pour in the chicken stock, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Add the tomato sauce and whisk it in. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Take off the heat and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and onion, breaking the meat into crumbles and cooking until there is no pink left and the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Next, add the taco seasoning, stir to coat the meat.
- Add the water and salsa, stir to combine.
- Add the refried beans, break it up and mix it in until combined.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped cilantro and stir it in, take off the heat.
- Mix the Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses together. Divide into two equal portions, set aside.
- Add ⅓ of the red sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish, spread it out to coat.
- On a clean work surface place a tortilla. Add 1/6th of the meat mixture in the middle of the tortilla. Taking one-half of the cheese mixture, take 1/6th of it and place it on top of the meat.
- Fold the two outer flaps of the tortilla over the filling. Tightly roll the tortilla into a little package. Place it seam-side down into the baking dish, repeat with the remaining tortillas, meat, and cheese.
- Pour the remaining red sauce on top, try and cover all the exposed tortillas. Top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes uncovered until bubbly. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
WHAT IS A SMOTHERED BURRITO?
Smothered Burritos can also be called Wet Burritos they’re both fun names to call this delicious dish. Soaked in a red sauce and covered with cheese you pretty much are “smothering” the burrito, hence the name.
WHAT TOPPINGS CAN I ADD?
Add your favorite taco toppings such as guacamole, sour cream, more cilantro, chopped tomatoes, olives, scallions, diced onion, etc.
You can pretty much top these with anything that you like, the flavor inside works with so many different things that no matter what you top these with it will just aid in the flavor.
CAN I USE ANOTHER MEAT?
Absolutely, if you are not a fan of ground beef no worries. You can also use ground chicken, shredded chicken, ground pork and ground turkey.
All of these meats work well with the ingredients in this recipe and we have tested all of them and we love them all, but the ground beef will always remain our favorite.
HOW TO STORE:
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container or covered in the baking dish in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or the microwave.
These can also be frozen, place cooled burritos in a freezer container or make them in a freezer safe pan and cover with plastic wrap and foil and they will keep for up to 3 months.
To defrost, remove from the freezer in to the refrigerator overnight. Once thawed you can reheat in the microwave or oven at 350F for 30 minutes, or until thoroughly warmed through.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- You’ll need a large skillet to make the beef mixture without everything overflowing.
- You can swap the beef out for ground chicken, turkey, or pork.
- If you don’t like refried beans, you can use whole pinto, black beans, or your favorite bean of choice. Keep in mind the filling may not be as thick but it will still work in this easy burrito recipe. You can also omit the beans entirely and use the same amount of cooked rice or corn in its place.
- These can be frozen, see info above.
- This recipe makes 6 burritos, which is a good amount.
- Easily double this recipe for a crowd or party or to save for a freezer meal.
- We like to make the sauce first so it is ready when you need it.
Been searching for a new burrito recipe that everyone will fall in love with? Then you need to make these amazing Smothered Beef Burritos ASAP!
IF YOU LIKE THIS RECIPE YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
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Smothered Beef Burritos
Ingredients
For the red sauce:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups unsalted chicken stock
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
For the filling:
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 ounce package taco seasoning
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup salsa
- 16 ounce can refried beans
- ¼ cup cilantro fresh chopped
For burrito assembly:
- 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 6 burrito sized tortillas 10-inch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray, set aside.
- Add the butter to a small saucepan over medium heat and let it melt. Whisk in the cornstarch, chili powder, sugar, cumin, oregano, and salt, whisk constantly for 1 minute to bring out the flavor of the spices.
- Slowly pour in the chicken stock, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Add the tomato sauce and whisk it in. Simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally until thickened. Take off the heat and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and onion, breaking the meat into crumbles and cooking until there is no pink left and the onions are translucent, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Drain any excess grease.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Next, add the taco seasoning, stir to coat the meat.
- Add the water and salsa, stir to combine.
- Add the refried beans, break it up and mix it in until combined.
- Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the chopped cilantro and stir it in, take off the heat.
- Mix the Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses together. Divide into two equal portions, set aside.
- Add ⅓ of the red sauce to the bottom of the prepared baking dish, spread it out to coat.
- On a clean work surface place a tortilla. Add 1/6th of the meat mixture in the middle of the tortilla. Taking one-half of the cheese mixture, take 1/6th of it and place it on top of the meat.
- Fold the two outer flaps of the tortilla over the filling. Tightly roll the tortilla into a little package. Place it seam-side down into the baking dish, repeat with the remaining tortillas, meat, and cheese.
- Pour the remaining red sauce on top, try and cover all the exposed tortillas. Top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes uncovered until bubbly. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- You'll need a large skillet to make the beef mixture without everything overflowing.
- You can swap the beef out for ground chicken, turkey, or pork.
- If you don’t like refried beans, you can use whole pinto, black beans, or your favorite bean of choice. Keep in mind the filling may not be as thick but it will still work in this easy burrito recipe. You can also omit the beans entirely and use the same amount of cooked rice or corn in its place.
- These can be frozen, see info above.
- This recipe makes 6 burritos, which is a good amount.
- Easily double this recipe for a crowd or party or to save for a freezer meal.
- We like to make the sauce first so it is ready when you need it.
Nutrition
Tornadough Alli is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value is important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and values can vary depending on which brands were used.
David Marriott
These were the best Mexican food I have had in 25years. Delicious. Will make again and again. Looking for other recipes on your site.
Thank you for this recipe thoughly, enjoyed it very much.
VICKI
Just the recipe I’ve been looking for…..I’ve been wanting to make burritos but wasn’t excited about the recipes I’d seen and these look like just the ticket.. Will be making them soon.