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Chipotle Beef Burritos

Chipotle beef burritos with tightly wrapped flour tortillas filled with browned ground beef, chipotle in adobo, beans, rice, and melty Monterey Jack. The beef simmers to blend smoky heat, then you assemble and warm the tortillas for easy handheld eating.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Main
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 930
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Chipotle beef filling
  • 1 lb ground beef Use ground beef or diced steak.
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion Diced.
  • 3 cloves garlic Minced.
  • 2 chipotle peppers in adobo Minced; use 2-3 for your heat level.
  • 2 tbsp adobo sauce
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 cup black beans Cooked.
  • 1 cup rice Cooked.
  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1 cup salsa roja
  • 4 flour tortillas Large.
  • 0.5 tsp salt To taste.
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper To taste.
Toppings
  • 0.25 cup sour cream For serving.
  • 0.5 cup jalapeños For serving.
  • 0.25 cup cilantro For serving.

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook chipotle beef filling
  1. Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes, until it looks translucent at the edges.
  2. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more, stirring so it smells fragrant but doesn’t brown.
  3. Add ground beef (or diced steak) to the skillet and cook until browned, breaking apart as it cooks, until no pink remains.
  4. Stir in minced chipotle peppers in adobo, adobo sauce, and cumin. Simmer for 5 minutes to blend flavors, until the mixture looks glossy and thickens slightly.
  5. Add cooked black beans and cooked rice, stirring to combine. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, then keep warm.
Warm tortillas and assemble burritos
  1. Warm the flour tortillas in a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat until pliable, about 30-60 seconds per side.
  2. Fill each tortilla with about 1 cup of the beef mixture, keeping a straight line across the center so it rolls tightly.
  3. Top each filled tortilla with shredded Monterey Jack cheese, letting it spread so it melts during rolling and standing.
  4. Roll tightly, tucking in the sides, so the burrito holds together and looks sealed on the seam.
  5. Serve immediately with additional salsa roja, sour cream, jalapeños, and cilantro for a dripping, handheld finish.

Notes

Pro tip: simmering the beef mixture for the full 5 minutes helps the chipotle adobo flavor cling to the meat. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days; reheat in a skillet until hot. Freezing is OK for the beef filling (up to 2 months), but assemble with fresh tortillas for best texture. For a lower-fat option, use lean ground beef (90% lean or higher) and slightly reduce the cheese.