Catfish Out of Water

I adore macaroni and cheese. It's simple enough to make from scratch and I absolutely make it far more than I probably should! But sometimes you do just want to consume your body weight in cheese and pasta. My biggest problem with this is that there is no good way to reheat it! It gets fridge burn. The oils in the cheese separate. You can't bake it. You can't microwave it. And, as much as I would like to hope that you can, you can't air fry it. The best way to reheat pasta is to either toast on top of bread to soak up the oil or to break it apart and reheat on the stove with additional sauce. Neither of which are great solutions! So, as my favorite way to reheat any leftover, we have the macaroni and cheese burrito.

Gallery

Variations of Macaroni and Cheese Burrito

I am quite fond of turning entire dishes into burritos. What else are you going to do with leftovers?? It makes a plethora of dishes new and interesting. Plus it's a great way to mix and match culinary genres. Plenty of things work perfectly well in burrito format. I would consider it one of the easiest ways to freshen up a meal. As with turning leftovers into salads and topping off scrambled eggs.

Burrito w/ Spinach & Blue Cheese Quiche

Calabaza Squash Curry & Sprouts Burrito

Burrito w/ Spinach Pie & Avocado Dip

Burrito w/ Squash Macaroni & Cheese

Macaroni and cheese inside of a burrito might not be the most typical of things ever. But it's almost reminiscent of deep fried mac & cheese. Only, with a lightly fried tortilla, instead of breaded and dunked in a deep fryer. Not that that wouldn't be another way to utilize leftovers. But breading things is kind of a pain and I don't personally have an at home deep fryer. More power to you if you do! (Although I highly don't recommend it. Not because at home fried food isn't great, but because having that much oil on the countertop is an accident waiting to happen!) Nevertheless, macaroni and cheese in a burrito is a surprisingly nostalgic flavor profile that goes incredibly well with avocado dip and hot sauce.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Servings 1 serving

Equipment

• Skillet w/ Lid (Preferably Cast Iron)
• Stovetop

Ingredients

  

Macaroni & Cheese

• 1 lbs. macaroni
• 1/4 c. butter
• 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. pepper
• 1 tsp. mustard
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 ½ c. Greek yogurt
• 1 c. ambercup squash purée
• 1/2 c. pasta water
• 2 c. cheddar cheese grated

Avocado Dip

• 6 avocados
• 6 cloves garlic
• 2 lemons
• 2 limes
• 1 ½ c. Greek yogurt
• 2 c. walnuts
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• dash salt
• dash pepper

Burrito

• 1/3 c. macaroni & cheese
• 1 tortilla shell
• splash water
• dollop avocado dip (optional, omit or substitute sour cream)
• dollop hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

 

Prepare Ingredients

• Roasting a typical Pie Pumpkin or Butternut Squash takes about 45-90 minutes, depending on the size. Ambercup squash are so much denser, though, that you're looking at about an hour and a half to two hours, plus another 20-30 minutes to let the squash cool before puréeing. Both the roasted squash and the quinoa are great components to make ahead of time!
• I used Macaroni & Cheese w/ Ambercup Squash in this recipe. It takes about 2 hours to roast the squash and another hour to make the macaroni. This is a great way to utilize leftovers that you already have, since I wouldn't necessarily start out by spending 3 hours making macaroni and cheese only to wrap it in a tortilla! Although it is absolutely delicious that way and a great way to reheat it without the oils in the cheese separating.
• I also topped this burrito with Potluck Avocado Dip w/ Lemons, Limes, & Walnuts. This is my new favorite sour cream substitute. It's kind of a mix between hummus and guacamole and works fantastically well in a wide range of burritos.

Cook Tortilla

• Preheat the pan on medium-high. If you aren't using cast iron, make sure to lightly oil the pan to prevent sticking.
• Wet both sides of the tortilla and add to the preheated pan. Cook for 4-6 minutes, or until the bottom begins to brown.
• Remove the tortilla from heat and turn the stove off. Add toppings and fold the burrito.
• Turn the stove back up to medium and add the tortilla to the skillet immediately, before it preheats. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the bottom begins to brown. Rotate until all sides are cooked.

  The first side will likely take longer to cook than the subsequent sides, which may toast in as little as 2 minutes. Adjust the temperature if it's cooking too quickly and burning or too slowly and cracking.
• Top with avocado dip and hot sauce of choice. I like to use Greek yogurt because it's oftentimes healthier than sour cream and this new avocado dip that I'm obsessed with is fantastic. Omit or substitute with a vegan alternative for an entirely animal-product free recipe.
• Serve immediately. You can reheat burritos by lightly wetting them and reheating, but they are never quite the same as they are fresh!

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

• For a more in-depth article on burritos, check out my article on The Fundamentals of Making Burritos. I highly suggest using cast iron and there is precise temperature that works best for cooking at that may vary slightly depending on your stovetop and type of skillet. If you're having trouble rolling the burrito without cracking, there are solutions for this as well!