When I was a few weeks away from giving birth to Luca (one year ago!!) I made a big bag full of mini burritos to keep in my freezer. Turns out it was a brilliant idea. I have never felt a hunger like breastfeeding hunger. When the mood would strike I would pop 1 (or 3) of these burritos in the oven or microwave. Dipped in some salsa and sour cream, they are an amazing snack, nursing or not. They would be great warmed up then popped into a lunch box! I’m giving you the details on what I did. This is not a strict recipe, but rather a blueprint for your own burritos.
I made a big pan of roasted pork a.k.a Carnitas which went into these burritos plus was made into rice bowls for dinner that night. You could put literally any cooked meat in here. Ground beef seasoned up would be great.
Carnitas (slow roasted pork shoulder - recipe below)
Refried beans (out of a can - I like Trader Joe’s brand. Microwave them a little bit to loosen before assembling)
Cilantro
Baby Spinach (raw, just chopped up a little. )
Shredded cheese
Flour tortillas (mine were 7 inch, I adore Vista Hermosa brand. These make mini burritos. Feel free to use bigger. But the better quality the tortilla the more delicious the burrito will be)
Warm the tortilla in the microwave for a few seconds. Schmear some refried beans on the tortilla. Top with the other fillings. Don’t overload with filling or else it will be very hard to roll. Roll and tuck in the sides until you have a tight little burrito. This is tricky and don’t worry if they aren’t perfect. You’ll get the hang of it.
Optional step: I like to lightly toast these in a non-stick skillet warmed over medium heat. You can add a drop of oil if you wish and then lightly toast them on both sides. It helps seal them a bit and also adds a nice flavor.
See AlsoHow to Make Freezer Burritos
Freezer bags work great here. I used a gallon sized for 8 burritos. I lay them flat in one layer.
Lay them flat on a sheet pan after you bag them and let them freeze like that. This helps the burritos keep their shape. Once frozen you can ditch the sheet pan.
These will keep for 1-2 months in your freezer - if they last that long.
Reheat in the oven at 350° or the microwave. If using the oven, wrap the burrito in a piece of foil to keep it from drying out. The time will depend on how big yours are. In the oven it will be about 25 minutes and in the microwave about 5 minutes.
I hesitate to call this Carnitas because this is not really the authentic way to do it. But the result is delicious and will give you the same super tender, crisp on the outside pork you’ll find at your favorite taco shop. It may take a while (2.5 hours) in the oven but it’s all hands off time. And these reheat beautifully, making them very “make ahead friendly”. You’ll need 5-6 pounds of pork shoulder, cut into about 1.5 inch cubes. You can ask your butcher or the person behind the meat counter to do this for you. 5-6 pounds will serve about 6 people. It sounds like a lot but this cut shrinks down a lot. Here’s how:
In a large roasting pan: cubed pork shoulder, 4-5 garlic cloves minced, a few strips of orange zest, and 1 heaping tablespoon kosher salt. Mix this well. Some optional flavor additions: ground cumin, oregano, cinnamon, a minced onion or minced jalapeno.
Cover the roasting pan tightly with foil. Place on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake at 350° for 2.5 hours. You know the pork is done when it easily falls apart. At this point I like to uncover it and pop it back in the oven to crisp up the top-that will take about 20 minutes.
At this point you can use scissors or tongs to break the chunks up even more making it easier to stuff into tacos or burritos. Or you can serve it over rice and beans. It can be stored in the refrigerator for 2-3 days and reheated in the oven.
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