Healthy Make-Ahead Burritos

Healthy make ahead bean and rice burritos are perfect for easy packed lunches. Find out how meal prep and freeze burritos. These burritos are vegetarian, vegan, and easy to make gluten-free. They have a hearty plant-based complete protein base to which you can add any veggies you like. Just don’t forget to pack the guacamole! 

Homemade burritos are so easy and frequent our weekly dinner table. Burritos are one of those dinners I know my kids will happily eat. While I usually set out all the ingredients and let everyone make their own burritos DIY style, I recently realized that homemade burritos would be perfect for sending to school or work. Yummy Hubby and the girls absolutely loved this recipe, with the crisp tortilla exterior and warm flavorful fillings. The main ingredients for these particular super kid-friendly burritos is simply fat free refried beans, rice or quinoa, and salsa. I recommend fat-free beans because traditional refried beans are cooked in lard (no thanks). I add whatever extra veggies we have on hand and pack these with a side of guacamole. My personal favorite veggie additions are thin zucchini spears and fresh baby spinach. One of my girls likes corn and red bell pepper.

How To Roll Burritos

Rolling perfect burritos that don’t fall apart can be easy. There are a few tips and tricks that can make a big difference. Watch the video above to see how. First, start with warm, soft tortillas so that they are nice and flexible. Pile your fillings just off center, leaving a couple of inches on either side of the fillings to tuck in the sides. Don’t overfill your burritos or it will be very hard to roll up without spilling the fillings out.

How to Freeze Burritos

Giving burritos a little bake in the oven or frying pan will crisp up the tortilla and help the burrito keep its shape. I skip this step for our regular burrito dinners, but for meal prep make ahead burritos, I always bake. Let burritos cool completely, then gently transfer to a freezer bag or glass freezer container. You can make a few burritos for the week and store in the refrigerator, or make a large batch and freeze. To reheat, just microwave a burrito for a couple of minutes or heat in the oven. To pack for lunch, pack hot in insulated containers or at room temperature in your favorite packed lunch container. I normally pack these in LunchBots insulated containers but there are others available on Amazon here (affiliate link).

Make ahead burritos can help make healthy lunches easy. They’re a favorite in our house, and I hope you enjoy them too!

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Yield: 6 burritos

Make Ahead Bean and Rice Burritos

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Total Time 25 minutes

Healthy make ahead bean and rice burritos are perfect for easy vegetarian packed lunches. Find out how meal prep and freeze burritos.

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Ingredients

• 6 warm tortillas (gluten free if needed)
• 2 (16 oz.) cans fat free refried beans
• 2 cups cooked rice or quinoa
• 1/2 cup mild salsa
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• any veggies you would like to add
• guacamole for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Transfer beans to a saucepan and warm to soften.
2. Place tortillas on a work surface. Spoon beans into a "log" just off center closest to your body. Be sure to leave about two inches on either side of the log. Top with rice and salsa. Add any vegetables you would like. Don't add avocado or guacamole. Starting from the edge closest to you, tightly wrap the tortilla just over the fillings to seal. Tuck the sides in and continue rolling, as shown in the video. Place burrito on a cooking sheet. Continue until all the tortillas have been used. Brush the top and sides of burritos with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes, or until light golden.
3. To store burritos for later, allow them to cool completely. Then transfer to a freezer bag or container. Freeze or refrigerate until ready to pack or eat. Reheat in the oven at 375 degrees for about 25 minutes oven or microwave for about 1 1/2 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 421Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1113mgCarbohydrates: 70gFiber: 11gSugar: 3gProtein: 15g