Make Ahead Burritos

Yields: 14-16 burritos

1 lb. cooked beef, pork, or chicken (I have used 2-3 chicken breasts)
1 (16 oz) jar of salsa
1 (16 oz) can of refried beans
taco seasoning mix, optional
16 (8 inch) tortillas
16 oz Monterey jack or cheddar cheese cut into sticks

Shred meat (should have about 3 cups). In large skillet, combine meat, salsa, beans, and seasoning mix. Cook and stir over medium heat until heated through. Heat tortillas. For each burrito, place spoonful of meat mixture on tortilla near one edge. Top with a cheese stick. Fold in sides, and roll up starting with the meat/cheese end. Eat what you want and freeze the rest.

To freeze: Wrap frozen burritos individually in foil. (In our house, they tend not to last all that long, so I’ve just thrown them into a gallon size Ziploc bag, and they’ve been eaten prior to getting freezer burned.)

To cook: Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes (if serving right after preparing or taking them from the refrigerator.) They’ll need a lot more time if they’re taken from the freezer (probably about 45 minutes … unless you tried micro-defrost to speed the process … haven’t tried that, but you might.) Also, if you’re in a hurry, they can be microwaved … they won’t end up crispy like the baked ones, they’re still good.
Frying option: If you prefer “chimichangas” instead of burritos, you can fry these. Just cook in oil over medium heat turning often for about 10-15 minutes.

A few additional notes: I thought the taco seasoning made the burritos a little too spicy, so you can tinker with it and cut back on the seasoning or omit it entirely. The beans and salsa are seasoned enough without all of the extra spice.
Also, you can cook the meat anyway you like. My friend, Wendy, who gave me the recipe usually grills the chicken and that gives the meat a nice flavor. The last two times I’ve made these, I have just thrown chicken in the crockpot in the morning with salsa and shredded it right before assembling the burritos. You can also use leftover roast beef or pork. This recipe is super flexible.
Lastly, the recipe called for 8” tortillas. Well, good luck finding that stated on any package. I could have guestimated, but I just ended up using the yummy uncooked Costco tortillas instead. Since the tortillas were bigger, I ended up getting only 14 burritos instead of the 16 the recipe should yield, but seriously, what’s 2 more burritos? J So, I just cooked the Costco tortillas as usual (although I was careful not to let these get too dark) and then assembled the burritos.