This weekend I made my most recent batch of Shredded Beef For Burritos. It’s the best beef for burritos I have ever made and is now part of my regular rotation of recipes to make for dinner.Shredded beef for burritos is a simple but flavorful meal. Easy to put together and perfect for budgeting your ingredients.
Shredded Beef Burritos
Freezer standby meals don’t get any better than this – burritos filled with Mexican Shredded Beef in a rich, thick sauce, and stuffed with Mexican Red Rice and cheese. SO GOOD! You will love this Shredded Beef Burritos recipe.
Shredded Beef Burritos
Last week, I shared my Mexican Shredded Beef recipe. Beef slow cooked with classic Mexican flavours then shredded and tossed in the glorious sauce the beef was cooked in. The beef is really juicy, fall apart tender, and the sauce is really something else!
To be honest, it’s hard to go wrong with the braising liquid from anything slow cooked.
The recipe for my Mexican Shredded Beef makes a LOT of beef. When you shred meat, it always makes it seem like so much more which is a good thing because it goes further! Look at this mound of goodness…….
In that post, I made tacos out of the beef. And today I’m sharing burritos made with the same beef. Freezer friendly ones! I had a ridiculous amount of beef (from testing the recipe multiple times) so I made them freezer friendly so I didn’t have to worry about ensuring they were consumed within a couple of days.
I stuffed my burritos with the shredded beef, cheese and Mexican Red Rice. There is a bit of an art to rolling burritos. I must admit, I struggle. I blame my hands. Bay Hands (i.e. abnormally small hands) are NOT made for rolling up generously stuffed burritos! Here’s how I roll them. The little extra step I do is using a knife (blunt side down) to help keep the stuffing in place while I pull the bottom part of the tortilla over the filling. I’m pretty sure that people with larger hands will not need the knife!
I made these burritos freezer friendly but if you are making them to consume immediately or you want to do a “DIY Burrito Spread”, feel free to add other burrito fillings. I only use beef, rice and cheese because all the ingredients freeze perfectly. My other favourite fillings include pico de gallo or just plain sliced/diced tomatoes, cilantro/coriander, avocado, salsa, sour cream (yes, I love putting sour cream in the burrito!) and lettuce. But none of these freeze well which is why I haven’t included them in my freezer friendly burrito.
But here’s a photo of a non-freezer friendly burrito, in case that’s what you want to make! I’ve included some notes in the recipe too.
Time to get stuck into my lunch! I’m having this one!
Shredded Beef Burritos
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 25 mins
Freezer Friendly, Mains
Mexican
Servings8
Tap or hover to scale
Crispy burritos filled with juicy Mexican Shredded Beef with a rich sauce, Mexican red rice and cheese. These are MADE for freezing – perfect standby meal! This recipe is for 8 burritos. However, 1 batch of Mexican Shredded Beef makes enough for around 15 burritos. If you aren’t freezing the burritos, feel free to add other things inside such as avocado, fresh salsa, pico de gallo, lettuce and tomato! (These are not suitable for freezing which is why I don’t use them)
Ingredients
- ▢8 large extra soft flour tortillas (10″/26cm)
- ▢1 1/2 to 2 cups shredded cheese (I used Monterey Jack)
- ▢3 to 4 cups Mexican Shredded Beef plus sauce , tossed or separated (Note 1)
- ▢2 cups Mexican Red Rice
- ▢400g/14oz can corn kernels , drained
- ▢400g/14oz can black beans , drained
Instructions
- Microwave half the tortillas very briefly to warm them up (15 seconds or so). This ensures they don’t crack when you roll them.
- Place 1 tortilla on a workbench – cover the rest with a tea towel to keep them warm.
- Place cheese down the middle of the tortilla, then top with 1/3 cup of beef, some corn, beans, then 1/4 cup rice.
- Roll the burrito up. (Note 2) Wrap in foil to hold it together.
- If you are serving it immediately, heat a skillet over medium heat. Cook the burritos for around 4 to 5 minutes on each side to make the tortilla brown and heat the inside through.
- If freezing, place in the freezer. To reheat, you can either bake from frozen (with foil on) at 350F/180C for about 40 to 45 minutes, or thaw and cook in the skillet per above. You could microwave it (remove the foil) but I like my burritos a bit crispy!
Recipe Notes:
1. If I make the Mexican Shredded Beef ahead of time or a freeze it, I keep the sauce separate so the beef doesn’t get too soggy. To make the burritos, you can either toss the beef in the sauce or you can simply drizzle sauce on the beef when you place it on the tortilla.
2. I only use beef, rice and cheese in this freezer friendly burrito because they freeze perfectly. My other favourite fillings include pico de gallo or just plain sliced/diced tomatoes, cilantro/coriander, avocado, salsa, sour cream (yes, I love putting sour cream in the burrito!) and lettuce. But none of these freeze well which is why I haven’t included them in my freezer friendly burrito.
3. This is how I roll a burrito – I am not very good and I put that down to having small hands! If you are stuffing the burritos with a lot of filling, like I usually do, I find it handy to use a knife to help hold the filling in place as I fold up the bottom.
Shredded Beef Burritos
These incredibly good shredded beef burritos are filled with cilantro rice, (slightly) spicy beans, and fall-apart tender beef.
A couple months ago I shared my favorite freezer burritos with you, and today I have a spinoff version of that recipe, shredded beef burritos.
These burritos still use the same cilantro rice and slightly spicy bean base but are stuffed with tangy homemade barbacoa shredded beef that is *so good*. This recipe makes 8 burritos so it’ll feed a family or freeze the burritos and have a whole bunch of lunches and dinners ready to go.
Ingredients
- Cilantro rice: You’ll need just 4 ingredients for the rice, long-grain rice, chicken broth, cilantro, and lime juice.
- Shredded beef: This shredded beef is a smaller version of my favorite barbacoa recipe. It can be made in the slow cooker or on the stovetop.
- Spicy beans: A can of beans (pinto or black beans both work) cooked with onion, tomato paste, garlic, and a handful of spices make the perfect slightly spicy base for these burritos.
- 10-inch flour tortillas: 10-inch tortillas are the ideal size for these burritos. If you’re having trouble finding them at your local grocery store, you can buy the extra-large 12-inch tortillas and cut them down to size.
More Filling/Topping Ideas
Feel free to truly make these burritos your own and add your favorite toppings and fillings. To get you started, you might try:
- Cheese
- Fajita vegetables
- Olives
- Sour cream
- Guacamole
- Pico de gallo
- Enchilada sauce (for a wet burrito)
FAQ
Can I freeze these burritos?
Yes! These burritos freeze fantastically. However, if adding additional fillings, be careful not to add things that don’t freeze and reheat well like sour cream, guacamole, and vegetables with high water content (like tomatoes).
To freeze: Wrap each burrito individually in plastic wrap and then store all together in a freezer bag (you should be able to fit 6 per gallon bag. Burritos are best when eaten within 1 month, but I frequently keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months.
To reheat: Remove plastic wrap and wrap burrito in a paper towel. Microwave for 4 to 5 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Immediately remove paper towel (it will stick to the tortilla if left on too long), and enjoy.
Can I use shredded chicken or different type of meat in these burritos?
Yes! If you want to use shredded chicken, you can replace the beef with 2 cups of cooked shredded chicken. If you want to use a different type of meat, go check out my original freezer burritos post which has instructions for making these burritos with any type of meat.
SLOW COOKER MEXICAN SHREDDED BEEF
This all purpose Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef is great for tacos, burritos and more! Quick and easy prep work and the crock pot does the rest.
Is there anything better than knowing your fridge is stocked with food and you won’t need to cook dinner for a few days? That was how I felt after I finished a batch of this easy Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded beef. This may seem odd coming from a food blogger – and don’t get me wrong, I do love cooking. But sometimes, especially when cooking is part of your job, you need the occasional night off.
Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef
This all purpose Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef is great for tacos, burritos and more! Quick and easy prep work and the crock pot does the rest.
Course: Dinners, Sandwiches/Burgers/Tacos
Cuisine: Mexican
Keyword: Crockpot/Slow Cooker, Easy Recipes, Game Day, Low Carb, Make Ahead, Weeknight Dinners
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 9 hours
Total Time: 9 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 10 Servings
Calories: 258kcal
Ingredients
- 3 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1-2 tablespoons juice of one lime
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes
Instructions
- Mix together the chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, oregano and red chili flakes, set aside.
- Add the chopped onion and garlic to the slow cooker with the tomato paste, lime juice, and just 1-2 teaspoons of the spice mixture. Stir everything together until fully mixed.
- Sprinkle the rest of the spices all over the chuck roast, patting to help it stick to the meat.
- Place the meat on top of the onion mixture and set cook on low for 7-8 hours. Total cooking time will vary for different roasts.
- After meat has cooked, use two forks to shred the meat, removing any large pieces of fat or gristle as you find them. (If the meat is still too tough to shred, it needs to be cooked a little longer. Cook for an additional 30-60 minutes and check it again.) Stir to mix well with the sauce. Cover and continue to cook on low for another 30-60 minutes.
- Before serving stir well again to mix the meat with the sauce. Taste meat and season with more salt to taste.
Notes
This type of meat will get tender buy cooking low and slow. If it seems too tough when you think it is done, try cooking for another 30-60 minutes, then check again. The longer you cook it, the more tender it will get.
Nutrition
Calories: 258kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 383mg | Potassium: 529mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 2.3mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 3.3mg