In Food

Easy 30-minute Burrito (Vegetarian for Newbies in the Kitchen)

Until recently I was what they call a wildly incompetent home cook. I was the guy who’d pour a bowl of cereal and call that cooking. What a catch I was!

But now I love cooking, so I want to start sharing a mix of recipes that are simple enough for anyone to try and recipes that that keep me interested in cooking.

I’m going to start with this burrito recipe, which is the recipe that got me off my ass and into the kitchen. My wife was making it 2-3 times a week. Eventually, I started chopping veggies, and then I wanted to learn how to just do it myself. Turns out, it’s pretty damn easy once you just try.

A quick note on burritos just to acknowledge where they come from… Nobody really knows for sure. But my favorite theory is that it was a street vendor named Juan Méndez in Chihuahua, Mexico who was wrapping up his food in a flour tortilla while traveling during the Mexican Revolution of the early 20th century. What was he traveling on? A little donkey. Or, a burrito.

Easy 30-minute Burritos

Joe Baur
This is an easy 30-minute burrito recipe for people who might not feel super confident in the kitchen. It's easily adaptable to your taste preferences. Throw in some guac at the end instead of the Greek Yogurt, pick your favorite spices, put it in your favorite veggies––it's a choose your own adventure for burritos. Before you know it, this will become second nature and you'll have the building blocks of cooking under your built.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 4 people

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup rice
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 whole onion
  • 1 large carrot
  • 1 large bell pepper
  • 1 large zucchini
  • 3-4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp taco seasoning
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 tsp fresh ground pepper
  • 1 400g can of black beans

Instructions
 

  • Drizzle the olive oil onto your skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, put your cup of water into the pot with two cups of water over high heat. Cover until it boils. Once it starts bubbling, lower heat to a simmer until the rice absorbs all the water.
  • Dice your onion and drop a couple of pieces onto the pan with olive oil. Listen and look for a sizzle. Once you get the sizzle, move your diced onion onto the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about seven minutes or until the onions are translucent.
  • Meanwhile, chop your other veggies––the carrots (peel first), garlic, zucchini, and bell pepper. Feel free to put in whatever veggies you want!
  • Once the onion is cooked, put your other veggies in. Season with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, cumin, taco seasoning––whatever you want.
  • While your skillet is simmering, rinse a can of black beans before dumping them into your skillet. Feel free to do another layer of seasoning. Mix it around and let it simmer for 5-10 minutes (depends on how impatient you are to eat).
  • Setup your tortillas with a spoon of Greek yogurt, a layer of rice, and a layer of your sauteed veggies. I like to put some pickled red cabbage on top. You could also do some guac. Then, add cheese and hot some sauce. Roll it up and eat your burrito.

You Might Also Like