Freezer Food: Burritos

Cooking for the freezer is one of my favorite ways to make life easier around here.  We have a whole posse of boys to feed around here, and sometimes, the food needs to be ready NOW.  Burritos are one of my favorite ways to make that happen.

I also love making these for the freezer because I can control what goes inside them.  I try not to make a big fuss about "additives," but sometimes enough is enough and I just want to know what's going into my kids' tummies.

So, let's get started, shall we? This is super simple.  Sorry in advance for the lighting--this was best done without children, which meant after they were all sleeping.

I just start by creating stations for each ingredient along an assembly line in the kitchen.  You can put whatever you want inside your burritos, but I'm doing cheese, rice and beans.  Simple and filling.

Begin with a layer of plastic wrap.  It will help catch any drips and also serves as a carrier as you slide the burrito across the work surface.  Throw your tortilla right in the middle.  You can do homemade, (click here for the recipe) or if you're feeling lazy like I was, just buy some from the store.  

You can order the ingredients however you like, but this is how I did it:  cheese first,

then plenty of rice (white or brown--I'm using white here), 

and then the beans! (recipe here)

Now for the crazy part:  rolling the burrito.  Watch this!  

Fold it over, 

all the way over!

Grab those fillings and squeeze 'em toward you a little!

(Ignore the fact that my fillings are falling out, and then) Fold over one side, 

then the other side.  It should be a cute little bean pocket now!

Then roll 'er over and you're all done.  

Use that plastic to help you keep it in place.  (Another reason why I love starting the assembly line with plastic.)

Just tuck & roll, man.

Line up the troops while you finish filling.

You can also do it this way, and line up several burritos at once.  I find it goes a little bit faster, but it's also messier.

Throw them into a freezer bag for easy labeling and storing, and to prevent freezer burn.

To reheat, take out of the plastic, wrap in a paper towel, and microwave for 1-2 minutes.  These also work really well packed in lunches--they're all thawed out by lunchtime!

How To:  Freeze Burritos

Burrito ingredients:

tortillas

rice

beans

cheese

meat

salsa

(or whatever you want)

Materials:

plastic wrap

freezer bags

permanent marker

Fill and roll burritos.  Wrap in plastic wrap.  Put wrapped burritos in freezer bags.  Label bags.  Freeze.  To reheat, take out of plastic, wrap in a paper towel, and warm in microwave for 1-2 minutes.