Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Freezer Breakfast Burritos


In keeping with our theme of great vacation food, here is a great breakfast recipe!  These burritos are prepared ahead and frozen, and then warmed up in the microwave when it's time for breakfast.  Unless, of course, you're roughing it and you don't have a microwave.  In that case, you can try freezing just the filling, then warming it up in a skillet and stuffing the burritos on-site.  Whether you take these on your next camping trip, or just enjoy them in the comfort of your own home, these make-ahead burritos are tasty...and it's sure convenient to have homemade fast food in the house!  Our kids love having these in the freezer because it's a breakfast that they can "make" themselves.  

Ingredients:
3 cups mixed fresh vegetables, diced (I used 2 cups mushrooms, and 1/3 cup each of onion, red pepper, and green pepper)
18 eggs, lightly beaten
splash of milk
2 cups cooked breakfast meat (chopped ham, chopped "smokee links", or cooked sausage)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
flour tortillas (approx 24 - 6 inch, or 16 - 8 inch)

Directions: 
Saute the vegetables in a minimal amount of butter or oil.  Remove to a separate bowl.  (If you're planning to serve the burritos right away, cover the vegetables to keep them warm.  If you're planning to freeze the burritos or the filling, don't worry about keeping the veggies hot.)  In the same pan (no need to clean it out!), scramble and cook the eggs and milk until cooked through.  Remove from heat.  Mix together the cooked eggs, sauteed vegetables, breakfast meat, and shredded cheese.  Divide mixture evenly between tortillas (1/3 cup of filling fits into a 6 inch tortilla, and 1/2 cup into an 8 inch tortilla) and roll up as instructed below.  Wrap each burrito tightly in a paper towel, and then in foil.  Place in a ziploc freezer bag and freeze.  To thaw/cook a frozen burrito, remove the foil layer but leave the paper towel intact.  Microwave on high 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. The smaller burritos only need about 1 minute 15 seconds in my microwave, especially if the burrito is for a hungry child who can't wait for it to cool down!  Serve with salsa and/or sour cream if desired.

Options and Tips:
  • Don't overcook your scrambled eggs, particularly if you are going to freeze the burritos.  They dry out easily in the microwave if overcooked.
  • This recipe is completely customizable.  You can pick your veggies, breakfast meat, and cheese, or leave out one of them if you prefer.  I cook up only half the veggies and then add them to only half of the egg/cheese/meat mixture.  I stuff 6 inch tortillas with a veggie-less mixture for the kids, and then fill 8 inch tortillas with the good stuff :)
  • I write the microwave instructions on the outside of the freezer bag. 
  • When I explained how I did this to someone, they said they had tried it one time and thought that the burritos tasted like paper towels.  I have not had that experience, but it might depend on what brand of paper towels you use.  If you're worried about it, just wrap the burritos in foil.  When it's time to warm them up, remove the foil and cover the burrito loosely with a napkin.  It won't stay together quite as well, but it will still taste good!
  • Here are step-by-step instructions for wrapping up your burritos envelope-style so that they STAY wrapped:  
Put desired amount of filling on the tortilla...not directly in the center, but slightly closer to the "bottom" edge (the side closer to you).  Fold up the bottom edge as shown:

Next, fold in both sides.  Now you can see the envelope.

Fold over the top edge.

Finally, flip over the folded burrito onto a paper towel, so that the folded sides are underneath.  Wrap the paper towel around the burrito, then wrap the whole thing with foil. 

This is a somewhat original recipe, although it's definitely not an original idea...you can find many similar recipes and instructions on other cooking blogs. 

3 comments:

  1. Great idea, especially for when school is back in session and my kiddos need a hearty breakfast, but I'm to lazy at O dark 100 do fix them one!

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  2. These are delicious! My husband loves grabbing one on his way to work, and I love a quick hearty breakfast for me, too :)

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  3. yum sounds great! can't wait to get some in the freezer! My hubby would love these on his way to work!

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