Robin Miller| Special for Arizona Republic
Few things are better that a well-stocked freezer. It’s like having money in the bankor a full tank of gas. An icebox full of soups, stews, sauces, casseroles, meat, poultry, fruits, and vegetables indicates you’re ready for anything –culinarily speaking.
Learn to be freezer savvy, and you can maximize the use of the refrigerator’s sidekick.
Keep a stash of frozen pancakes, waffles, bagels, sweet rolls, egg sandwichesand breakfast burritos (like the ones below) and you can enjoy a nourishing breakfast in (about) the same amount of time it takes to pour a bowl of cereal with milk. And, let’s be honest, a hot breakfast can be appreciably more pleasing.
The freezer is also an excellent vessel for leftovers, whether it’s a batch of tonight’s Sloppy Joe’sor extra marinara from pasta night. In fact, make extra marinara – and any other sauce you worked hard to prepare – and store leftovers in freezer bags or airtight containers for up to 3 months. At any given time, you can pull your sauce from the freezer, throw it in a saucepanand enjoy it in minutes.
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You can also make casseroles specifically for the freezer – meaning, plan and prepare dinner for your future self. On nights when you’ve diced, sliced, cookedand assembled casserole-style meals, make two of the same dish and pop one in the freezer. The ingredients are already out and ready, so put them to good use. It’s just as easy to prepare two oven-ready meals as it is one. Prep once, eat twice!
Sure, you can stuff that cold space with bulk items, but consider freezing foods in individual portions so you can enjoy single meals with ease. Smaller servings heat up more quickly and prevent food waste.
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Be clever with your frozen foods and you can enjoy them faster, too. Thawing overnight in the refrigerator is always a great idea,but it’s also incredibly convenient when you can transfer a meal from the freezer to the stovetop and/or oven and nosh in less than an hour.
Breakfast Burritos with Avocado Salsa
Servings: 4
You can enjoy these burritos right away (whether it’s the breakfast or dinner version) or freeze them for up to 3 months. Thaw one or two – whatever you need – and you’ll be dining with little to no effort.
See instructions below for freezing and reheating the burritos.
Ingredients:
For avocado salsa:
- 1 large avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
- ⅓ cup diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
For burritos:
- 6 large eggs
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ pound sausage of choice, such as chorizo, sweet Italianor hot Italian, casings removed
- 4 (10-inch) burrito-size flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
- Cooking spray
Instructions:
To make the avocado salsa, combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
To make the burritos, in a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, smoked paprika and salt. Set aside.
Brown the sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Transfer the sausage to a plate, leaving the drippings in the pan.
Reduce the heat to low, add the eggs to the pan and cook until cooked through and still moist. Transfer the eggs to a plate and wipe out the pan (we’ll need it again to cook the burritos).
Arrange the tortillas on a flat surface. Spoon the avocado salsa onto the center of each tortilla. Top the salsa with the sausage, eggs, and cheese. Fold over the sides of the tortillas to cover the filling and roll up tightly.
Lightly coat the skillet with the cooking spray and set the pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the burritos, seam side down. Cover with foil or a lid and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the burritos, cover the pan with foil or a lid and cook until the second side is golden, about 2 to 3 more minutes.
Variation: Beef and Bean Burritos
Replace the 6 eggs and ½ pound of sausage with 1 pound of lean ground beef. Add one 15 ounce can seasoned black beans. Follow the rest of the instructions below.
To make the avocado salsa, combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl and mix to combine. Set aside.
To make the burritos, brown the beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat as it cooks. Add the beans, smoked paprika, and salt and stir to coat.
Arrange the tortillas on a flat surface. Spoon the avocado salsa onto the center of each tortilla. Top the salsa with the beef mixture and then the cheese. Fold over the sides of the tortillas to cover the filling and roll up tightly.
Lightly coat the skillet with oil and set the pan over medium heat. When the pan is hot, add the burritos, seam side down. Cover with foil or a lid and cook until the bottoms are golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the burritos, cover the pan with foil or a lid and cook until the second side is golden, about 2 to 3 more minutes.
How to freeze and reheat burritos
Cool the burritos completely. Individually wrap the burritos in plastic wrap or press-n-seal and transfer them to a large freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.
How to cook thawed burritos
Microwave method: Remove the plastic wrap and wrap each burrito in a damp paper towel. Place on a microwave-safe plate and cook on HIGH for 1 minute, until hot in the middle, flipping halfway through cooking.
Oven method: Remove the plastic wrap and wrap each burrito in foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 to 15 minutes, until hot in the middle.
How to cookfrozen burritos
Microwave method: Remove the plastic wrap and wrap each burrito in a damp paper towel. Place on a microwave-safe plate and cook on 50% power for 3 minutes, until hot in the middle.
Oven method: Remove the plastic wrap and wrap each burrito in foil. Place on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until hot in the middle
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