What is an Enchirito? It’s a cross between an Enchilada and a Burrito! The funny thing about is that I created this recipe (and made up the word “Enchirito” long before Taco Bell ever had! I’ve had the Enchrito’s at Taco Bell, but they can’t hold a candle to mine. The difference is basically an Enchilada is a Corn Shell with meat and cheese inside and sauce on Top. A Burrito is a flour shell with typically meat, beans, and maybe cheese and some sauce (on the inside) with nothing on the outside. To make my Enchirito’s I make Burrito’s, and then put them in a 9×14 baking pan, cover with Green Enchilada Sauce and cheese, and then back for 20-25 minutes. This recipe can feed 8 or more grown adults and quite a few children. Oh- by the way, when I make it I use 2 – 9×14 baking pans.

Here’s the ingredients You will need for the Enchrito’s Recipe:

• Meat (about 2 lbs ground beef or chicken, or meat substitute)
• 1 Sweet Vidalia Onion
• 1 Medium sized Green Bell Pepper
• 1 bunch green onions
• 2 – 8oz packets shredded Colby Jack or Taco Cheese
• 1 – 16oz+ jar of Pace Con Queso Cheese Sauce
• 1/2 head lettuce
• 3 medium sized tomatoes
• 1 Anaheim Chili Pepper
• 1 large 48oz jar Randall’s Pinto or Mixed Beans
• 1 – 8oz+ container of light Sour cream
• about 6-8 tbsp minced garlic (from the jar or fresh)
• 2 packages of large flour burrito shells (usually 12″+ in size)
• 1 – 16oz can or 2 – 8 oz cans of Green Enchilada Sauce (we use mild)

First you need to get your beans cooking. For this recipe you are going to make homemade refried beans. Get out your your 4 quart pot and your doing to take 1/2 of that sweet vidalia onion and julienne (slice with the gran 1/8″ or less). Place the onions in the bottom of the pot. Wash, cut, and dice 1/2 of the green bell pepper and place in the pot with the onion. Wash, cut, seed, and dice 1/2 the Anaheim pepper and place it in the pot as well. On top of all these veggies add about 3 heaping tbsp of Cumin, 2 tbsp of garlic powder (not salt), 1tbsp salt, 1bsp pepper, and 1 and 1/2 tbsp chili powder. My recipe is very mildly spicy – you might go more or less heat if you like by using less chili powder, or maybe by adding a chopped jalepeno or two. Just be conscious of what the whole family would like. Open up the jar of Randall’s beans (do NOT rinse at all) and pour the entire jar of beans over the veggies and spice. Turn the heat up to high and let them cook taking care to NOT stir and do NOT MIX in any way. After you pour the beans over the the peppers and onion you will not touch the pot again until the entire mixture is violently boiling away (6-8 minutes).

Next, in a skillet start to cook your hamburger or boneless skinless chicken. I personally drizzle the skillet with extra virgin olive oil – even when cooking ground beef. Turn the heat on med-high, and while the meat and beans cook you’re going to quickly dice the remaining vidalia onion, green pepper, and Anaheim pepper and place in a small bowl. By this time (about 5-6 minutes) it’s time to “flip” the ground beef. Place the onion and peppers you just diced on top of the hamburger, “divide” the ground beef in 4 sections like a pie, and flip each section over with the veggies now face down to the pan. By the time you do this it will be time to stir the beans and turn them down to medium heat. Depending on what kind of pot you have – from this point forward you will probably have to repeatedly stop what you’re doing and stir the beans every 3-4 minutes to keep them from sticking to the bottom of the pan. In between stirring the beans, you’re going to take your spatula and chop the ground beef mixture. Now, I’m assuming you’re going to use ground beef, but if you use chicken (or a meat substitute) you cook it the exact same way. The meat will be done before the beans. When the meat is done, you will drain and rinse it (ground beef at least). The return it to the stove. If you’re doing chicken then do what I’m about to say about 3 minutes before it’s done. I sprinkle the meat with salt and pepper to taste, and about 2tbsp Cumin, 1 tbsp Chili Powder, and then 3 heaping tbsp of minced garlic. Chop the meat up a bit more mixing in the seasonings for about 3 more minutes on med-high heat, remove from burner and place in a medium sized mixing bowl to set aside.

Like I said earlier you will continue to stir the beans every 3-5 minutes, and you can probably turn them down to med-low heat by now. We started the beans first because they take the longest to cook (about 25-30 minutes). You’ll know when they’re done because the onions will literally begin to disintegrate and become part of the mixture and you won’t really see them anymore. Once the meat is done and off the stove, after I stir the beans once I usually begin to slice about half the bunch of green onions and place in a small bowl and set aside, and then the tomatoes (dice them), and last the 1/2 head of lettuce. Set all these aside for when we assemble the burritos. If you get this far, you can also get the other things arranged on the counter, like place the shredded cheese in a bowl, get out the sour cream, get spoons in everything – because once the beans are done we’re gonna create an “assembly line” to put these together.

So by the time all this is done the beans should be ready. Now, you could just turn off the heat and use the beans like this, but what I usually do is get out the potato masher and smash them up real good for about 5 minutes. Just before I smash them I add 3 heaping tbsp of minced garlic. Now you have created authentic refried beans from scratch (and they are so tasty you will probably never want canned refried beans again)! I think you will find that this refried beans recipe is tastier than any you can get in any Mexican restaurant anywhere. What makes them so tasty is how they are cooked. The reason you don’t mix the beans at first until they boil is because you want the flavors of the veggies in the bottom of the pan to sear and rise up into the beans. Believe me, it works well – and the taste of these beans is something that you’ll not soon forget!

Now – you’re going to open one of the packages of flour tortillas and microwave for about 50-60 seconds on high. When they’re done take them out and create a food assembly line on your counter. Put your 9×14 pan at the end of the counter. Put your tortillas at the opposite end. Then have your sour cream, beans, and con queso cheese all in a row. You’re going to take a heaping tablespoon of sour cream and wipe about a 2″ strip from top to botom of the flour tortilla shell. Then (with a new spoon of course) do the same with the cheese, and then the beans. Now you’re going to fold the burrito by carefully folding in the left and right sided about 2″ each, and then fold the bottom over towards the top about 2/3 of the way. Next take the bottom fold and literally begin to “roll” it up to the top and you have a burrito! You should be able to fit 9 in your 9×14 pan – if you get a tenth in you probably aren’t putting enough filling in the burritos.

Once you get all the burritos made and in the pans pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Then slowly spoon the green enchilada sauce over the burritos in the pan. And no – in case you were wondering you don’t grease the pans in any way, it makes the flour tortillas a bit crispy around the edges. Next, sprinkle the shredded cheese over the green sauce, and place both pans in the oven and the timer on for 20 minutes. Usually they are done in 20 minutes, but you’ll plainly know if they aren’t. When the cheese is completely melted and the green sauce is bubbling in the pan – they are ready to come out. If you need to leave them in the pan another 3-5+ minutes that’s ok.

Plate 2 burritos per adult or 1 (cut in 2 pieces) for kids. Place shredded lettuce and tomato on top with green onions sprinkled over that! Now they are ready to serve! Anything left over (if there is any) we each the next day for lunch (if they last). We hope you like to eat these as much as we do!

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John Pratt writes on his blog JTPratt’s Blogging Mistakes, but his love of cooking keeps him writing for Free Online Recipes by Kieli! Catch him texting on his latest used cell phone!

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