These Cheap and Easy Bean and Cheese Burritos cost about $2.20 per serving to make. Serve them with tortilla chips and your favorite toppings for a budget-friendly dinner. They’re great for meal prep and are freezer-friendly, too. The whole family will love this protein-packed vegetarian dinner!
There’s a lot going on in the world today, and to feel like I’m helping in some small way, I’ve decided to share as many budget-friendly recipes as possible. Groceries have been expensive for a while now, and unfortunately, it sounds like they’re about to go up even more in the next couple of weeks. These Easy Bean and Cheese Burritos cost about $2.20 per serving, making them a great budget-friendly meal that’s packed with protein, great for meal prep, and freezer-friendly, too.
Why You’ll Love These Bean and Cheese Burritos
- They’re budget-friendly – I did the math on these, and it costs roughly $2.20 to make each one of these bean and cheese burritos. They’re easy on the purse strings and on the dinner chef! This recipe is also great to have on hand for when you don’t have much food in the house but need a filling dinner.
- They’re easy to make – These bean burritos couldn’t be much easier to make! Mix a few seasonings into the refried beans, add the beans and cheese to a tortilla, roll it up, and then bake until nice and melty. You can make a big batch at a time, so you can have them in the refrigerator or freezer for easy eating.
- They’re great for a family meal – These bean and cheese burritos pack about 25 grams of protein per serving, making them a great choice for a family dinner that will fill everyone up. You can bake a bunch of them at once if you’re feeding a crowd and serve them with your favorite burrito toppings or chips and dip.
Why Your Body Will Love These Vegetarian Burritos
- Blood Sugar Regulation – Pinto beans are high in fiber and protein, giving them a low glycemic index. This means they digest slowly and don’t cause blood sugar levels to spike or rise too quickly. This makes refried pinto beans a healthy choice for people with diabetes who need to control their blood sugar levels more. And because they digest slowly, they keep you feeling full for a longer period of time.
- Digestive Health – A high-fiber diet is imperative for good digestive health, and pinto beans contain about 30 grams of fiber per cup of cooked beans. Beans have a mixture of soluble and insoluble fiber, which greatly benefits the digestive process. Soluble fiber absorbs water in the digestive tract, helping regulate the absorption of nutrients. It also binds to the bile in the digestive tract, carrying out toxins that would otherwise recirculate throughout the body. Insoluble fiber helps bulk up our stool, ensuring that things run smoothly.
- Bone Health – Colby jack cheese is a great source of calcium, which is important for many reasons, including bone health. Our bones are composed primarily of calcium, but they don’t produce their own calcium, so it’s important that we get as much as we can from our diets. Calcium helps maintain bone density, which reduces the risk of bone fractures and helps us maintain our body structure as we age.
Cheap and Easy Bean and Cheese Burrito Recipe Ingredients
- Refried Beans – I used one can of refried beans that were made with pinto beans, but black refried beans also work. You can use store-bought or homemade.
- Salsa – I recently discovered this canned Fire Roasted Tomato Salsa and it’s great for this recipe. It has added spices, herbs, garlic, and onion and tastes similar to other jarred salsas. It’s sold in the canned tomato section and is slightly cheaper and more versatile than regular salsa. You can use whatever salsa you like best, though.
- Spices – I like to add extra flavor to the canned refried beans by throwing in some cumin, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. This step is optional if you don’t already have the spices on hand.
- Cheese – I used a block of Colby jack cheese because I love that it feels like getting two different types of cheese in one. Pre-grated cheese tends to be more expensive than a block of cheese that you shred yourself, so if you’re on a budget, go for the block.
- Tortillas – I like to use burrito-sized flour tortillas for this recipe. You can use any kind of tortillas though. Medium-sized ones are great for kid-sized burritos. Gluten-free or corn tortillas may not fold like flour, but they should still work.
How To Make Easy Bean and Cheese Burritos
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a medium-sized baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the refried beans, tomato salsa, cumin, paprika, garlic, and onion powder. Mix everything together until completely combined, and add in any extra salt needed.
- Heat flour tortillas for a few seconds in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop, if desired, to make it easier to roll them up. Lay the tortilla on a flat surface and add 1/4 of the refried bean mixture (about 1/2 cup) to the center of the tortilla.
- Use a spoon to spread out the beans, while leaving a bit of a border. Top the beans with about 1/3 – 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese. Use your hands to carefully fold the sides of your burrito in and roll it up tightly.
- This step is totally optional, but I like to place a small sprinkle of extra shredded cheese down on top of the parchment paper, where each burrito will be. Place each burrito on top of the cheese, seam side down, and spray the top of each with a little cooking spray.
- Place burritos in the oven and bake until the cheese on the inside is melted and the cheese on the bottom is crispy. Allow the burritos to cool for a few minutes. Enjoy them with your favorite toppings.
Recipe Frequently Asked Questions
- Make this recipe gluten-free by using a gluten-free tortilla, or wrap. GF wraps aren’t always easy to fold without breaking, but it helps if you warm them up in the microwave or a pan before trying to roll them up.
- Make this recipe vegan by using your favorite meltable vegan cheese.
- How many servings does this recipe make? This recipe makes four good-sized bean and cheese burritos. You can use medium-sized tortillas and make about 8 smaller ones.
- Are these bean and cheese burritos freezer-friendly? Yes, I suggest assembling all of the burritos, wrapping them separately in plastic wrap, and then storing them all together in a freezer-friendly container. Burritos can be baked in the oven from frozen, or you can thaw them in the refrigerator and then bake them.
- How long do leftovers last? Leftovers should last about five days if stored in the refrigerator or in an air-tight container. Re-heat in the microwave, frying pan, or oven.
Have a question I didn’t answer? Ask me in the comment section below, and I will get back to you ASAP!
Looking For More Budget-Friendly Vegetarian Recipes?
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Cheap and Easy Bean and Cheese Burritos
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These Cheap and Easy Bean and Cheese Burritos only cost about $2.20 per serving, to make! These protein packed vegetarian burritos are a budget friendly dinner recipe that the whole family can enjoy. Serve with tortilla chips and your favorite burrito toppings. They’re great for meal prep and freezer friendly too.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 (16 oz) can refried beans, almost 2 cups
- 1/3 cup canned tomato salsa, or salsa of your choice
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
- 4 large burrito sized flour tortillas
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a medium sized baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- To a large mixing bowl, add the refried beans, tomato salsa, cumin, paprika, garlic and onion powder. Mix everything together until completely combined and add in any extra salt needed, to taste.
- Heat flour tortillas for a few seconds in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop, if desired, to make it easier to roll them up. Lay tortilla on a flat surface and add 1/4 of the refried bean mixture (about 1/2 cup) to the center of the tortilla.
- Use a spoon to spread out the beans a little bit, while still leaving a bare border. Top the beans with about 1/3 cup of the shredded cheese. Use your hands to carefully fold the sides of your burrito in and then roll up tightly.
- This step is totally optional, but I like to place a small sprinkle of extra shredded cheese down on top of the parchment paper, where each burrito will be. Place each burrito on top of the cheese, seam side down and spray the top of each with a little cooking spray.
- Place burritos in the oven and bake until the cheese on the inside is melted and cheese on the bottom is crispy. Allow burritos to cool for a few minutes. Enjoy with your favorite toppings.
Notes
You can put however much cheese as you like in each burrito. I like to put about 1/3 cup into the burrito and then sprinkle a few teaspoons on the baking sheet before putting the burrito down.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dinner, Vegetarian
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican Inspired
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