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
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 want you to know that I have tried # of your recipes this week. All I can say is…you are the bomb! Every one of your recipes were delicious! Please keep them coming.
Recipes that I’ve made: Dragon Noodles, Roasted Vegetable Burritos and Black Bean Burritos. All were very good!
Thanks for sharing!
So I made this recipe and it was to die for! I made some changes because I’m trying to cut calories (grrr) and I like quinoa over rice. I just topped the quinoa with the veggies, black beans, and a smidge of cheese and sr. crm. The rest of the family had it on tortillas. It was soooooo good with the quinoa. I used the salt and chili powder, and then just followed the package directions for the quinoa. yum!!!! Thanks for another great recipe!
I added chipotle salsa and some shredded chicken to mine. Got 6 burritos total. I was skeptical that I wouldn’t have enough salsa or moisture in these, but they were excellent. Can’t wait to try a couple with enchilada sauce on top, too!
Love these! How long do they last in the freezer?
Probably about three months or so.
To that person who freezes flour tortillas, do you have any brands that you would recommend that don’t stick?
You mentioned seasoning the black beans and I know you cook your own. Would you do this the same way the not refried beans are seasoned by any chance?
Yep, that would be the perfect way to season the black beans as well.
These are fantastic!
I made these last night and they were a hit! Thanks, Beth!
This recipe is perfect for busy college students. What other recipes do you suggest for busy college students on the go?
Definitely check out the Hearty Black Bean Quesadillas, Dragon Noodles, and Oven Fajitas, all of which can be found in the lists on the side bar. Some of them take a little bit to cook, but then once it’s done they’re great to eat off of for the rest of the week!
I went to that “How to Wrap a Burrito” page, but you do it differently. He leaves one end open, but you don’t. Did you just fold both ends over and roll? I’m taking these camping so I probably can’t use the method in the link.
Yep, the only thing I did differently was fold in both sides before rolling.
These are wonderful! My husband and I just made and ate them for lunch for the first time. My taste buds and tummy are so happy! Thanks for the great recipe. Very happy to have found your blog.
these are SO AWESOME.
These look amazing! I’m just wondering what size tortillas you use; the ‘large’ ones we have here look a lot smaller than the ones you use! Could you give me the diameter pleas? :D
I’m not sure of the exact diameter, but they’re probably around 10-12 inches.
These are amazing. We add chicken with siracha and medium salsa and do 20 at a time. With a six month old, two minutes in the microwave and two minutes in the grill perfect for me. Any leftover fillings we throw into your recipe of chicken chili, and any leftover rice gets turned into stirfry. Perfect!!
i just want to thank you for this recipe! i love all of your recipes on this blog, but this one specifically has changed my life! i now make a huge batch of these every month, enough for my boyfriend & i to take one to work every day. it has saved us sooo much money and we have something easy and delicious to eat every day that is also healthy. yay for freezer burritos!