Mini Baked Beef Burritos

Life is changing quite a bit for me these days with the restaurant opening in less than a month. As a result, cooking and baking at home tends to lean towards quick and easy… and definitely not anything Asian. In a mad rush, I made these Mini Baked Beef Burritos because I couldn’t decide between a burrito and soft tacos. I figured baking these up would be a compromise. Much to my surprise, my husband raved about them and is now requesting we eat these instead of burritos and soft tacos going forward…

I’m standing in the kitchen with all the makings of your usual beef soft tacos. I just wasn’t feeling it though. What I really wanted was a big fat burrito… which is a challenge to make if you only have 6 inch flour tortillas to work with. So I started to play around with my soft tacos and rolled them up into mini burritos. Then the idea of baking them came to mind and off the mini burritos went to bake. After they lightly toasted up, I served them and who knew they would be so well received?! My husband loved that they were easier to eat than your usual soft taco. I loved that they were baked instead of fried like the traditional chimichanga. And of course, you could fill these with whatever you’d like. Another bonus is that they make perfect appetizers for parties and get togethers!

1 pound lean ground beef (80/10)
1/4 cup water
10 flour tortillas (6 inch diameter)
shredded iceberg lettuce
sour cream + more for serving
cheddar cheese
diced tomatoes
salsa for serving
guacamole for serving

Combine the spices above in a small bowl and mix together. Store in an airtight container.

Brown ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat and drain off fat. Add water and 2 tablespoons of the spice mixture. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20-25 minutes. If mixture gets too thick before cooking is complete, add a small amount of water to thin.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

Spread a little sour cream on one side of each flour tortilla. On the bottom third of the tortilla, leaving a flap at the bottom, fill each tortilla with a tablespoon of seasoned, cooked ground beef and remaining fillings as desired. Fold the bottom edge up over the filling and fold the sides of the tortilla in towards the middle. Beginning at the bottom, roll the tortilla up. Place the burritos seam side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Repeat with all remaining flour tortillas.

Lightly spray the tops of the burrito with cooking spray and place burritos in the preheated oven to bake for 5-10 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned. Remove from oven and serve hot with your choice of condiments (salsa, sour cream, guacamole, etc).