We love Mexican food and I make at least once a week. I always keep both flour and corn tortillas in stock to make a quick wrap or a burrito. Today’s recipe is definitely not quick to make because of the various components it has. But it is not difficult to make since all you are making is rice, beans and a cheese sauce. Taco Bell happens to be our favorite fast food restaurant and before you start judging me let me tell you that is the only place where we get a decent choice of vegetarian options. Also they keep adding new items on to their menu unlike other fast food chains where we usually exhaust the dishes to try the first time we visit.
Ingredients:
The list of ingredients seem to be very long but almost all of them are pantry and refrigerator staples. Here’s what you need to make this cheesy rice and beans burrito:
For the Rice layer: any variety of rice (long or medium grain) that you have on hand will work hereveggies - spinach, corn, onion, garlic and jalapenoFor the Beans layer:to cook dried pinto beans - soak the beans overnight in lots of water. Pressure cook them for 12~15 minutes or until tender. If cooking on stove, cook for about 45~60 minutes.or simply open a 15 oz. can of pinto beans - drain and rinse thoroughlyveggies - onion, garlic, jalapeno, tomato pureespices - ground cumin and chili powderFor the Queso sauce:dairy - butter, milk, cream cheese and grated cheeseveggies - shallot, garlic, jalapenocorn starch Other ingredients to make this extra special:fresh avocado or store bought guacamole store bought or homemade salsasour cream (optional, but highly recommended)
Instructions:
This vegetarian burrito has quite a few components to make. It has spinach & corn rice layer, topped with spicy pinto beans and a creamy queso sauce. Here are brief instructions on how to make this dish:
First make the rice. While the rice is cooking, make the spicy beans. Then make the queso sauce.Assemble and enjoy!!
Top Tips:
Here are a few tips on substitutions and how to make this dish if you short on time:
Spinach & Corn rice and the beans can be made up to 2 days in advance.Queso sauce can be made 3~4 days in advance.Use leftover plain rice and jazz it up with some sauteed corn. Or just use plain rice.Use canned refried beans instead of making the beans layer.Store bought salsa and guacamole will spice up any homemade recipe.Omit queso sauce to make this dish vegan. Skip making queso sauce and add some grated cheese. Or use store bought cheese sauce - we love Trader Joe’s queso dip.
If you are a Mexican food fan like us, you should give this recipe a try, I’m sure you’ll love it. Here are a few more Sandwiches and Wraps recipes that you might want to try:
Vegetarian Sandwich wrapsGreek Mushroom Pita SandwichMexican Style Grilled Cheese Sandwich
