Total time: 40 minutes · Difficulty: medium · Cost: medium · Cuisine: Mexican · Serves: 4
A dish that wraps an entire journey into one bite
The burrito is the perfect choice when you want something complete, satisfying, and able to capture the spirit of Tex-Mex cooking in a single bite. Beneath its soft, golden surface lies a carefully balanced mix of textures — savoury meat, creamy beans, rice, warm spices — where every layer plays its part. Rolled with the right technique, the result stays compact and juicy without falling apart, just like the real thing from an authentic taqueria.
Origins: from Mexico to California
The burritos story begins in northern Mexico, in the state of Chihuahua, sometime between the late 19th and early 20th century. Its name literally means “little donkey,” and according to popular tradition it refers to the bundles of supplies these animals once carried on long journeys. The richer, more elaborate version we know today — filled with rice and a wide range of ingredients — took shape in the United States between the 1960s and 1970s, especially in California, where Tex-Mex cuisine turned it into a global culinary icon. Since then, the burrito has conquered kitchens everywhere, branching into traditional, vegetarian, vegan, and modern interpretations.
What you’ll need to Make Burritos
For the tortillas
- 250 g (about 2 cups) all-purpose flour
- 135 g (about ½ cup + 1 tbsp) warm water
- 25 g lard (or sunflower oil as an alternative)
- ½ tsp baking powder (optional)
- 4 g (about ¾ tsp) salt
For the filling
- 450 g (1 lb) ground beef
- About 400 g (1¾ cups) beef stock (or vegetable stock)
- 150 g red bell peppers
- 1 small red onion
- 300 g canned, pre-cooked red kidney beans
- 225 g tomato passata (strained tomatoes)
- 2 drizzles of extra virgin olive oil
- 1 garlic clove
- 1 hot chili pepper
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 pinches of ground coriander
- 2 pinches of salt, 1 pinch of pepper
- 150 g shreddable cheese (Edam-style or white scamorza)
- 180 g basmati rice (or sweet corn, optional)
- 1 ripe avocado (optional)
Step by step
Brown the meat. Heat a generous drizzle of oil in a nonstick pan and brown the ground beef for about 5 minutes. Deglaze with a ladle of stock, cook for another 5 minutes, season with salt, and set aside.
Build the base. In the same pan, add another drizzle of oil and sauté the crushed garlic, chili, and finely chopped onion for one minute, then stir in the diced peppers. Season with salt, pepper, sugar, cumin, and coriander, add a ladle of stock, and cook for 15 minutes, until the peppers soften.
Combine and simmer. Return the meat to the pan, cook together for 5 minutes, then stir in the tomato passata and the remaining stock. Let it simmer for about 50 minutes, until you have a thick, flavorful sauce.
Make the tortilla dough. Meanwhile, combine the flour and salt in a bowl, add the oil, and start mixing while gradually pouring in the warm water until you get a soft, elastic dough. Knead it on a work surface for a few minutes until smooth, cover, and let it rest for 20 minutes. Divide into equal portions, roll each one out into thin 20–22 cm (8–9 inch) rounds, and cook them in a hot, dry nonstick pan for about a minute per side, until you see the characteristic light bubbles and golden spots. Stack the cooked tortillas under a clean towel to keep them soft (if making ahead, wrap them tightly in plastic film as soon as they cool, so they don’t dry out).
Finish the filling. Once the meat mixture is thick and fragrant, stir in the beans and cook for another 15 minutes, adding a little stock if it looks too dry. Stir gently so the beans stay whole rather than breaking apart. You should end up with a rich, creamy chili. Let it cool slightly, then shred the cheese.
Assemble and seal. If using rice, cook it in salted boiling water until al dente, drain, and let it cool slightly. Fill each tortilla in the centre with a layer of the meat and beans, a layer of rice (if using), a layer of cheese, and a few pieces of avocado. Fold the two side edges in toward the middle, then fold the bottom edge up and over the filling, and finally bring the top edge down to close it. Roll tightly from the bottom up, keeping the folds firm, until you have a compact burrito, seam-side down.
Toast to finish. Heat a nonstick pan and place the sealed burritos in it for a few minutes, turning as needed, to get a lightly crisp exterior with a warm, gooey center.
Tips and variations
- Chicken version: swap the beef for 450 g of ground chicken (or chicken breast pulsed in a food processor); the method and timing stay the same.
- Quick version: use store-bought tortillas, fill, roll, and toast them following the same steps.
- Rustic twist: for a more robust flavor, swap the flour tortilla for a corn tortilla.
Storage
Burritos keep well in the fridge for up to a day; simply reheat them in a pan over low heat or in an air fryer at 160°C (320°F). The meat chili on its own keeps for 3 days refrigerated, or can be frozen for up to a month — thaw it in the fridge and use within 24 hours.
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