Behold! The most flavorful burrito that you will put in your mouth. A spicy black bean mixture with crunchy red pepper and sweet corn partnered with a zesty, fresh cilantro lime rice to cool it all down. Oh yeah. It´s happening.
Fact: Food tastes better when you eat with your hands.
Therefore, I like eating burritos, a lot. I have made them in many different ways and have recently found my favorite combination!
What I love most about this recipe is that it comes together super quick but has big flavors
- The spicy black bean mixture is cooked just enough to brown the veggies and combine all of the spicy flavors, but we avoid cooking it for too long to keep the nice crunchy texture of the red pepper and corn.
- The cilantro lime rice requires no chopping (heck yes)! We just let the blender do the work for us and stir the cilantro sauce in with some cooked brown rice.
I recently made a discovery. It is browning the burrito in a pan once it is rolled up to give it a toasted outside which also helps to hold it together. I love having a crispy tortilla with the warm burrito-y goodness on the inside!
On the other hand, I love simply warming the tortilla in a pan and then stuffing it with all of the goods, keeping the texture of the whole burrito a bit softer. I really don´t know which one I like more! I usually start with a burrito that is pan-toasted and then for round #2 I go for the soft tortilla. Which is your favorite? Let me know in the comments!
One thing is for sure. I am almost ALWAYS guilty of stuffing them WAY too full…resulting in a mess in one way or another. I just get overly excited and think my normal-sized tortilla can handle a massive amount of filling.
Black Bean Burritos with Cilantro Lime Rice
Ingredients
Spicy Black Bean MIxture
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flake can also use a fresh red chili pepper if you have it
- ½ red onion, diced
- ½ red bell pepper, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1,5 tsp chili powder see note 1
- 1 tsp cumin
- 140 g corn (small can)
- 400 g black beans
Cilantro Lime Rice
- 2 cups brown rice
- 2 cups cilantro packed, hard stems removed
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1 shallot
- 2 tbsp lime juice (juice from 1 lime)
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 garlic clove small
To Serve (optional but recommended!)
- Salsa
- Sliced avocado
Instructions
Cilantro Lime Rice
- Start with the cilantro lime rice. Cook brown rice according to package instructions in salted water.
- Add the cilantro, shallot, olive oil, lime juice, and salt into a high speed blender. Blend about 60 seconds or until smooth, it should be a smooth green sauce when finished. Add additional water if necessary to get the blender going.
- Mix the green sauce in with the rice. Add salt to taste.
Black Bean Mixture
- Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion, red bell pepper, and crushed red pepper flake (or fresh chili pepper if using), and sauté on high heat, for about two minutes.
- Add garlic and sauté with the vegetables until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the chili powder, cumin, tomato paste, and salt. Mix well.
- Add the black beans and corn and let it cook all together, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
- Taste the mixture. Season to taste with more salt, black pepper, and extra crushed red pepper or cayenne if it needs more heat.
- Remove from heat. Right before serving, squeeze with juice of 1 lime.
To Serve
- Heat a pan over low heat and warm the tortillas for about 10-15 seconds on each side
- In the center of the tortilla, layer the rice mixture first, then the beans, and top with sliced avocado and salsa. Fold in the sides then roll it up
- Optional: Preheat a skillet over medium-high heat, and toast the burrito over medium-high heat for about 1-2 minutes on each side, just enough for it to brown. Slice diagonally. If you do it this way, then there is no need to warm the tortillas beforehand.