This burrito bake is one of those dinners where I pulled out what I had in the kitchen and went with what looked good. Seasoned hamburger, peppers, onions, rice, black beans, and cheese all get wrapped in soft tortillas and baked until the cheese on top is golden and bubbly.

I didn’t measure the rice, beans, or cheese, so feel free to make this your own. I made enough to fill two casserole dishes!

Ingredients

• 1–2 pounds ground beef
• Onion, diced
• Red bell pepper, diced
• Any other vegetables you’d like to add
• McCormick taco seasoning, or your favorite taco seasoning
• ½ cup water
• Rotel tomatoes and green chiles
• Prepared rice
• Black beans
• Mission soft taco flour tortillas
• Kraft shredded Mexican cheese
• Pepper jack cheese, sliced from a block, or pepper jack slices
• Cooking spray

For serving: Sour cream, guacamole, and salsa

How to Make It

1. Cook the filling. Brown the ground beef in a large skillet, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain any excess grease. Add the onion, red bell pepper, and any other vegetables you like. Cook until the vegetables soften.
2. Season it. Add the taco seasoning and ½ cup of water. Stir and let everything simmer for about 6–8 minutes.
3. Add the rest. Stir in the Rotel and let it simmer briefly so the flavors mix together. Add the prepared rice and black beans. I didn’t measure these—I added what I had until the mixture looked good to me.
4. Fill the burritos. Heat the oven to 375°F and spray one or two casserole dishes with cooking spray. Place a soft tortilla in the dish, spoon in some of the meat, bean, and rice mixture, and sprinkle a little shredded Mexican cheese inside. Fold it like a burrito. Keep going until your dishes are full.
5. Make it cheesy. Lay slices of pepper jack cheese over the burritos, then sprinkle shredded Mexican cheese over the top.
6. Bake. Bake for 20–30 minutes, until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted and browned. Let the dishes rest for a few minutes before serving.

Fancy Nancy Tip

If the cheese needs a little more color, you can put the bake under the broiler for the last minute or two—but only if your casserole dish is rated broiler safe. Watch it closely because the cheese browns fast. For a glass dish that isn’t broiler safe, leave it in the oven a little longer instead.

Serve with sour cream, guacamole, and salsa on the side. It’s a hearty, cheesy dinner, and you can change the filling each time depending on what’s in your kitchen. That’s my kind of recipe!

What would you add to your burrito bake?