So, I broke down last week and bought a burrito from the hospital cafeteria for lunch. It was SO good, but at $5.50 for the least expensive option, I knew I could do better.
I just finished tallying my cost for this recipe and I have to say, I’m sure I could have done much better. To be fair, I didn’t do any comparison shopping, I just ran in, got what I needed, and ran out. So, you might be able to make these for far less than I did. I did, however, make my own black beans instead of buying cans. That saved me a dollar or two. Oh, and I lucked out with the red bell peppers – on sale 10/$10! That’s a SUPER good price.
I seasoned up some regular old white rice, added my black beans (you can season those too, if you’d like), and then topped those with some amazing roasted vegetables. Roasting vegetables intensifies their flavor, and when you add herbs like I did, they become even more amazing. I suggest using whatever vegetables you can get for a good price (I was a bad example here), but the mushrooms really did make this special. So, get the mushrooms if at all possible!
Now I have 8 awesome burritos in my freezer just waiting to be grabbed for lunch in the morning. The recipe is enough for 10, but I already ate one burrito and I had previously used one of the tortillas for something else. To reaheat just place in a microwavable dish and nuke until hot.
Roasted Vegetable Burritos
Roasted Vegetable Burritos
Servings 10Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked long grain white rice ($0.75)
- 1 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1/2 Tbsp chili powder ($0.07)
- 1 zucchini ($1.65)
- 1 red onion ($1.93)
- 1 red bell pepper ($1.00)
- 8 oz. mushrooms ($1.49)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.03)
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano ($0.03)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
- 10 large flour tortillas ($2.99)
- 2 15oz. cans black beans ($0.75)
- 2 1/2 cups shredded cheese ($2.31)
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro ($0.75)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Chop the zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Toss the vegetables with 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp cumin, and 1/2 tsp oregano. Spread the vegetables out over a large sheet pan and roast for 40 minutes, stirring once half way through.
- Combine the rice in a medium pot with 1 tsp of salt and 1/2 Tbsp of chili powder. Add 3 cups of water, place a lid on top, and bring up to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a full boil, turn the heat down to the lowest setting and allow it to simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit undisturbed until you’re ready to assemble the burritos. Fluff the rice just before using.
- When you’re ready to make the burritos, stack a few tortillas on a large plate, place a damp paper towel over top, and microwave for 30 seconds. This will make the tortillas more pliable as you wrap the burritos.
- Place 1/4-1/3 cup of rice on a tortilla, add 1/4 cup of black beans, 1/3 cup of the roasted vegetables, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese, and a handful of fresh cilantro leaves. Roll the burrito tightly and wrap in plastic until ready to eat.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
Step By Step Photos
Since the vegetables take the longest to cook, get them going first. You can use any mix of vegetables, but I like to make sure that I have an onion, some type of pepper, and some mushrooms. The mushrooms get ULTRA delicious when roasted.
Cut the vegetables into bite-sized chunks and then toss with olive oil, salt, cumin, and oregano.
Spread the seasoned vegetables out over a large baking sheet (cover with foil for easy clean up). Roast the vegetables in a preheated oven for 40 minutes, stirring once half way through.
Now the vegetables are all roasted and totally delicious. Try not to snack on them :)
While the vegetables are roasting, you can cook the rice. Combine the dry rice in a medium pot along with salt and chili powder. Add 3 cups of water, put a lid on top, and bring up to a boil over high heat. As soon as it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and let it simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn the heat off and let it sit, undisturbed, until you’re ready to make the burritos. Fluff the rice just before using.
When you’re ready to assemble, you can make the tortillas more pliable by microwaving them with a damp paper towel over top. I do a few at a time as I’m making the burritos.
It’s really easy to accidentally over fill the burritos to the point that you can’t roll them up. So, you might have to play around with the quantities. I used about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of rice and 1/4 cup of beans per burrito.
…and about 1/3 cup of roasted vegeatbles.
And lastly, 1/4 cup of shredded cheese and a small handfull of fresh cilantro.
Roll the burritos up and wrap each one in plastic. To freeze, place them in a heavy duty freezer bag.
Hahah, okay, I had to document this… this is the first and last time my freezer will ever be so clean, neat, and tidy! See what a hurricane can do for you? :D
I just made these this past weekend and had my first frozen one for lunch. They turned out wonderful! I love that I now I have a bunch of easy lunch options! Great recipe.
I just made these and froze them just like you did! I’m so excited about all the lunches I’ll have. I also ended up with a lot of extra rice though.
LOVE THESE!!!!! WOnderful!
Just like all of your recipes, these are great! Portion size is perfect. Ended up with a ton of extra rice, so I’d probably just use 3/4 C dry next time. But no worries, it will all get eaten. Can’t wait to dive into the leftovers.
This is the best burrito of all time, and I’ve eaten a LOT of burritos in my day!!!
Make your own tortillas! Sure it takes a little effort, but so so SO much more nutritious and delicious!
These are great! Made them with brown rice and multigrain tortillas to bulk up the fiber even more. I was a bit skeptical about how well the multigrain tortilla would hold up, texturally, after freezing, so here’s what I did: I unwrapped the frozen burrito and re-wrapped in a paper towel, then nuked on high for 90 seconds, turning over halfway through. Then I crisped it up in a skillet sprayed with cooking spray under a weight over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes per side until golden brown. So yummy!
This is the perfect solution for feeding my hungry hubby before his night shift on evenings when I just can’t get dinner on the table before he has to leave.
Om nom nom, this is the second time I’ve made this recipe and it just keeps getting better. I used eggplant instead of the peppers and put the chili powder in the vegetables instead of cumin. And instead of using the seasoned rice, I used your lime-cilantro rice. I think the lime-cilantro rice works even better with the vegetables this way.
I had a bit of the rice and veggies left over after making the burritos, and that ended up being dinner. It’s a good thing, because those burritos were really tempting and they need to be my lunch during a very busy week coming up!
I just made these with a batch of your Red Enchilada Sauce. I baked them in the oven together at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. It isn’t the quickest way, but I’ve made these burritos a few times and this was by FAR the best way. They were so delicious! Definitely found a new favorite recipe! Thanks!
OMG! These are wonderful. Used more vegies and made 12 huge wraps. Plan to let defrost in lunch tote and nuke in the microwave for lunch atwork. The skillet at home works nicely to crisp. Thank you so much for this super recipe!
Ooooh, these sound like a great idea for a quick lunch or lazy dinner. I am definitely one of those people though who is notorious for overstuffing my burritos though, so it looks like I’m going to have to work on that.
wow simply wow!!Looks bright, delicious and so very easy to make. Thanks you for the recipe.It’s lovely!!
I”ve been on a freezer burrito kick for the last few weeks, and now that my roommate has gone vegetarian, this recipe will come in handy since I have to replenish the stash! those are the exact same brand of wraps that I use, and they work so well and are surprisingly healthy!
for those wondering about reheating, I find that throwing them in the oven cooks them evenly and browns them in a way that you can’t get with the microwave. if you do have a little bit of time on your hands, just pop em in a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes and you’ll be good to go! cooked all the way through – which I always had a hard time doing before I came upon this technique, and nice and crispy. the timing may have to be adjusted depending on the size of the burrito, so check often!
Very nice explained recipe! Food looks good on the photos.
wow, I NEED to make these and freeze them as well! awesome idea
<3