The Fundamentals of Making Burritos
Making burritos is quick and easy. I could eat one every day. And almost do actually... But there are some tips and tricks to the trade. No matter what you fill burritos with, the basics still apply. My personal favorite of which is lightly toasting the burrito on sides, preferably on a cast iron skillet!
Equipment
- Skillet (preferably cast iron)
- Stovetop
Ingredients
- 1/4 c. rice, quinoa, lentils or filling of choice
- 1 egg optional
- 3-4 oz. tofu optional (~1/4 container per person)
- splash high heat oil (for egg or tofu)
- splash water
- dollop sour cream (optional, omit or substitute for vegan recipe)
- dollop hot sauce (optional)
Instructions
Prepare Ingredients
- Cook Rice, Quinoa, Lentils, or whatever you would like to fill the burrito with. This takes about an hour and requires a rice cooker or stove. I usually make recipes that consist of potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, shallots, onion, bell peppers, hot peppers, bay leaves, and freshly squeezed lime juice.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 tend to add anything that I have on hand! Which gets a little fun with things like Curry.
- I also tend to prepare Salsa and Enchilada Sauce for burritos. Fresh salsa can take about 15 minutes to mix together. More in-depth roasted and simmered sauces usually take less than an hour and require an air fryer and a large pot on the stove. Both types of recipes tend to utilize hot peppers, tomatoes, and onions.
Fry Tofu (Optional)
- Drain the tofu and cut in half if you're using a container. Wrap in paper towels to absorb the moisture.It's important to absorb as much water out of the tofu as you can. Oil is less dense than water, so the molecules repel one another. With cold ingredients, this causes separation. When you're frying, though, this can cause boiling hot oil to spray back at you.
- Meanwhile, preheat oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. On my stove this is about a 6.
- When the skillet has preheated and the majority of the water has absorbed into the paper towels, carefully add the tofu to the skillet.
- Fry until golden brown. This should take about 2-4 minutes. Rotate until all sides are evenly fried.
- Remove from heat and wrap again in paper towels to absorb the excess oil.
Cook Tortilla
- Preheat the pan on medium-high. On my stove, this is about a 6 with a cast iron pan.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.If you're adding an egg, wrap it slightly less tightly than you ordinarily would in order to leave room for the egg later on. We're intentionally holding off on the egg here! It will need to be cooked after the tortilla is prepared so that the egg doesn't completely set and remains runny.
- Turn the heat the stove down to medium-low. This is about a 2-4 on my stove. Cook for 4-6 minutes, or until the bottom begins to brown. Rotate until all sides are cooked.
- If you're adding an egg, remove from heat and set aside. It's best to cover so that it doesn't cool off to quickly. But this isn't entirely necessary.Otherwise, skip to topping the burrito at the end.
Fry Eggs (Optional)
- Leave the skillet on medium-high heat and add oil. On my stove, this is about a 6.I use a pretty well seasoned cast iron pan to cook eggs, so I don't add any more than a spritz of oil. You may need upwards of a teaspoon for other types of pans, though. Use just enough so that your eggs don't stick!
- Crack egg into the pan.It should be hot enough that the egg sizzles, but doesn't deep fry or brown immediately.
- Let cook until golden brown on the bottom and you can flip the egg with ease. The whites should be fairly set on both sides, but not completely cooked.You want to cook this relatively quickly so that the egg yolk doesn't set, though. It should take about a minute or two. Turn the heat up if the egg whites don't cook quickly enough or down if the egg yolk starts to cook. Also immediately flip if this happens!
- Flip and turn off the stove. Cook for another 30 seconds, or until the egg white is completely cooked. It should already be mostly set and this should take no time at all!
- Immediately remove the egg from heat.
- Carefully unwrap the burrito slightly and place the egg inside. Rewrap the burrito and squeeze slightly so that the egg begins to run.You don't have to break the yolk, but it will continue to cook inside of the warm burrito shell. So, if you don't, you might not get that runny egg! This will also be kind of messy and I recommend eating over a plate or wrapped in parchment paper or food storage wraps. I have a set of reusable beeswax wraps for this.
- Serve immediately. Before the egg cooks!
Top Burrito
- Top with sour cream and hot sauce of choice. I like to use Greek yogurt because it's oftentimes healthier than sour cream and pairs well with a lot of the same flavor profiles. 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 preparing tofu, check out my article on Frying Tofu.
- In some of the variations of this recipe, I’ve also added sweet potatoes, fresh tomatoes, lettuce, and anything else that I have readily available in my garden. This is a recipe where you should feel free to personalize it to your own style.
- For sautéed produce, cook ahead of time. Just like when you would prepare tofu.
- For fresh produce, add after cooking the burrito. Like when you would add the egg.