Catfish Out of Water

This quinoa burrito is light and refreshing. I sometimes go for burritos that are dense and overfilled and will absolutely put you into a food coma! Which definitely has its time and place. If you want to pack as much flavor into a single meal? Wrapping it in a tortilla is one or my favorite ways to go. But sometimes I want something a little bit springier. And this spinach burrito with quinoa and sweet potatoes really hits the spot. The spinach and acidity from the tamari and rice vinegar just give a nice, bright tone. It balances out the sweetness of the sweet potato and bitterness of the quinoa.

This particular burrito came about because for weeks I've been making Ethiopian-inspired lentils with sautéed spinach and Japanese-inspired quinoa. So, I finally decided to combine them together and make Quinoa w/ Sweet Potatoes & Spinach. Which inevitably ended up in a burrito, as everything quite rightly does in my life!

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Variations of Quinoa Burrito

Quinoa burritos are one of my favorites. I'm known to make my own rice and black beans, substitute lentils, and even throw some chickpeas in! Really, there probably aren't a lot of things that I wouldn't at least try in a burrito form... But there is something special about quinoa. And I almost always balance it out with sweet potato to get that sweet and savory combination. After that there are still so many directions that you can go in, from Latin American to Middle Eastern and Japanese to Ethiopian.

Really, the sky is the limit with burritos. Feel free to toss in whatever you have on hand from whatever culinary influence speaks to you at the time! Most of my burrito concoctions are just ways to utilize leftovers and use up whatever ingredients that I have on hand. There doesn't have to be a rhyme or reason as long as it's delicious!

Burrito w/ Sweet Potato & Spinach Quinoa

This quinoa burrito combines sweet potatoes, spinach, and tofu with Japanese-inspired tamari and rice vinegar for a delectable fusion of flavors. I am definitely taking quite a bit of varied influences here. I'm taking spinach, which likely originated in Persia, with Latin American quinoa and sweet potatoes, and Japanese tamari and roce vinegar, all wrapped up in a Teex-Mex-style fusion burrito. But you can't knock absoluutely delicious. And this is one of my favorite burritos of all time for a reason!

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Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Japanese, Mexican

Servings 1 serving

Equipment

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

Ingredients

  

Quinoa w/ Sweet Potatoes & Spinach

• 1 sweet potato diced
• 1 ½ c. spinach chopped
• 1 tsp. turmeric fresh, minced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 c. white quinoa
• 2 ½ c. water
• 8 oz. tofu (1/2 package)
• 1 tbsp. high heat oil
• 1/4 c. rice vinegar
• 1/4 c. tamari (or soy sauce of choice)
• dash salt
• dash pepper

Burrito

• 1/3 c. sweet potato & spinach quinoa
• 1 tortilla shell
• splash water
• dollop Greek yogurt (optional, omit or substitute for vegan recipe)
• dollop hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

 

Cook Quinoa

• Cook Quinoa w/ Sweet Potatoes & Spinach. This takes about an hour and requires a rice cooker or stove. You can also easily create a different flavor profile or utilize the produce that you have on hand. I almost always keep a batch of rice or quinoa in the fridge for exactly this purpose.
• I also used Fresh Turmeric in Olive Oil. You can easily substitute dried turmeric. But there is something particularly refreshing about fresh turmeric! And, if you can find it, mincing it and preserving in olive oil is the key to longevity.

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 Greek yogurt and hot sauce of choice. I like to use Greek yogurt because it's oftentimes healthier than sour cream and pairs well with the nutty flavor of the quinoa. 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!