Freezer Beef and Bean Burritos -- When the Back-to-School Machine Needs a Head Start

First full week of school and the machine is running again. Alarm at six. Lunches packed by six-thirty. Kids dressed and fed and out the door by seven-fifteen. I am back on the road by eight, hauling frozen beef to wherever it needs to go, and the house is empty and quiet and clean, and I miss the chaos already, which is the most irrational thing about being a mother: you desperately want the quiet and then the quiet arrives and you want it gone.

Amber is settling into eighth grade. She came home Monday and said it was fine, which is the most information any eighth-grader has ever voluntarily provided about their school day. Fine means no disasters. Fine means she ate lunch. Fine means she survived, and for Amber, surviving is still an achievement, even if she does not know that yet.

Justin has a new teacher who does not know his history, and I debated whether to tell her. The school has a file. The counselor knows. But sometimes a kid needs to be just a kid, not a file, not a history, not a story that adults tell each other in quiet voices. I decided to let it play out. If she needs to know, she will know. For now, Justin is just another fifth-grader who fidgets and talks too much and runs at recess like his life depends on it.

I made a big batch of sloppy joes this week, which is peak back-to-school food. Ground beef, onion, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, simmered until it is thick and sloppy and served on hamburger buns. The kids eat it over the sink because sloppy joes are biologically incapable of staying on a bun, and the kitchen floor is a crime scene afterward, and I do not care because they are eating and they are home and the floor can be mopped.

The sloppy joe meat also works in the slow cooker on the road, which I discovered by accident last year. Make the mixture at home, spoon it into a container, and heat it in the slow cooker while driving. By lunch, you have sloppy joes at a rest stop and you feel like a genius. A messy genius, but a genius.

Gayle called Thursday to ask how the first week went. I said fine. She said fine usually means you are tired. She was right. Fine always means I am tired. But tired and grateful are not mutually exclusive, and I am both, every single day.

The sloppy joes were the star of the week, but the real unsung hero of back-to-school season is whatever I can make on Sunday and pull from the freezer by Wednesday when the tired hits hard. That’s where these freezer beef and bean burritos earn their place—same spirit as a big batch of sloppy joe meat, same ground beef base, just rolled up tight and stashed away for the nights when I walk in the door and have nothing left. Amber and Justin will eat them without complaint, which in this house is the highest culinary honor.

Freezer Beef and Bean Burritos

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 10 burritos

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (15 oz) pinto beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (10 oz) diced tomatoes with green chiles (such as Ro-Tel), drained
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
• 10 large (10-inch) flour tortillas
• Sour cream, salsa, and guacamole for serving (optional)

Instructions

1. Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the ground beef and diced onion together, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon, until the beef is browned and the onion is softened, about 8—10 minutes. Drain excess grease.
2. Season the filling. Add the minced garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic salt, and black pepper to the skillet. Stir and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
3. Add beans and vegetables. Stir in the pinto beans, black beans, drained diced tomatoes with green chiles, and frozen corn. Cook over medium heat for 5—6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until heated through and the mixture is slightly thickened. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes.
4. Assemble the burritos. Lay a flour tortilla flat on a clean surface. Spoon about 1/2 cup of the beef and bean filling down the center. Top with 2—3 tablespoons of shredded cheese. Fold in the sides of the tortilla, then roll from the bottom up, pulling the filling in tightly as you go. Place seam-side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
5. Freeze. Wrap each burrito individually in aluminum foil or plastic wrap, then place in a zip-top freezer bag. Label with the date. Freeze for up to 3 months.
6. Reheat from frozen. To reheat in the microwave, remove foil, wrap in a damp paper towel, and microwave on high for 2—3 minutes, flipping halfway through. To reheat in the oven, leave in foil and bake at 350°F for 30—35 minutes. To reheat in a slow cooker on the road, place wrapped burritos in the slow cooker on low for 2—3 hours.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16g | Carbs: 45g | Fiber: 6g | Sodium: 680mg