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Nutrition Snapshot
- About 23 grams of protein and 508 milligrams of sodium in one burrito, about half of what a typical store-bought frozen burrito carries.
- Pinto beans and the whole-wheat tortilla bring about 6 grams of fiber, and the beef brings iron and zinc.
- The trade-off: the tortilla is now the saltiest thing in the burrito, and cheddar adds saturated fat. The card shows the figures, and the notes show how to lower both.
Lean ground beef browned with onion and frozen peppers, then two cans of pinto beans, cumin, chili powder, and a small can of tomatoes, cooked down until thick. The filling is divided among eight whole-wheat tortillas with a little cheddar, rolled tight, wrapped in foil or parchment, and frozen.
One comes out of the freezer, unwraps, and goes into the microwave for three minutes, which is exactly what the box of burritos did, at half the salt.
Why These Burritos Are Great for Cutting Sodium Without Giving Anything Up
Most of the sodium in an American day comes from convenience food rather than the salt shaker. Frozen meals, canned soup, deli meat, bread, sauces, and restaurant food all carry salt added at every stage for shelf life and flavor.
A store-bought frozen burrito carries about 700 to 1,100 milligrams of sodium, a third to half of a whole day’s limit, in something eaten standing at the counter.
The homemade version of almost any convenience food cuts the sodium by half or more, because the cook controls the salt and the ingredients are chosen for it.
Same Burrito, Half the Salt
This burrito is the same food as the boxed one: beef, beans, cheese, tortilla, three minutes in the microwave. It carries about 508 milligrams of sodium, because the beans are low-sodium, the tomatoes are no-salt-added, the beef is seasoned with spices instead of a salt-heavy packet, and the cheese is measured. Nothing about it tastes like a compromise.
Where sodium hides in a kitchen, which swaps cut the most, and how to read a label for it, is in Sodium in the Kitchen: Where It Hides and How to Cut It.
Where the Salt Was Hiding
In the boxed burrito, the salt is in the seasoned beef, the canned beans, the cheese sauce, and the tortilla, and each one adds a few hundred milligrams. Here, the beans alone drop from about 400 milligrams a serving to about 100 by choosing the low-sodium can and rinsing, and the tomatoes drop to nearly zero with the no-salt-added can.
The tortilla is the one ingredient that is hard to fix, because bread products carry salt for the dough’s sake, and it is now the saltiest thing in the burrito. A lower-sodium tortilla, where one can be found, takes another 100 milligrams off.
Wrap, Freeze, Reheat
Burritos freeze well because everything in them is cooked and low in water. Wrap each one tightly in foil or parchment, then bag them, and they keep three months. To reheat, unwrap, wrap loosely in a paper towel, and microwave about three minutes from frozen, turning once; for a crisp shell, finish in a dry skillet for two minutes a side.
Which other dishes freeze without losing their texture is in Freezer Cooking That Keeps the Nutrition.
Freezer Burritos With Beef and Pinto Beans
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the beef, breaking it up, until no pink remains, about 6 minutes. Spoon off any pooled fat.
- Add the onion and peppers and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cumin, chili powder, and oregano for 1 minute.
- Add the beans and drained tomatoes. Cook, stirring and mashing some of the beans against the pan, until the filling is thick and holds together, about 8 minutes. Add the pepper. Cool 15 minutes; a hot filling tears the tortillas.
- Warm the tortillas 20 seconds in the microwave so they roll without cracking. Spoon about 3/4 cup of filling and 2 tablespoons of cheddar down the center of each, fold in the sides, and roll tightly.
- Wrap each burrito in foil or parchment, put them in a freezer bag, and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, unwrap, wrap loosely in a paper towel, and microwave 3 minutes from frozen, turning once; or thaw overnight and heat 90 seconds. For a crisp shell, finish 2 minutes a side in a dry skillet.
Nutrition
Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Gluten Free
These burritos use whole-wheat tortillas and are not gluten-free as written. Gluten-free tortillas, warmed well so they roll without cracking, make them so; beef, beans, peppers, onion, tomatoes, cheddar, and the spices are naturally free of gluten. For people with celiac disease, also check the chili powder and cumin for wheat flour used as a filler, the canned beans for wheat-based thickeners, and shredded cheddar for wheat-based anti-caking starch.
People who avoid gluten by preference can use any gluten-free tortilla.
Go deeper
- Sodium in the Kitchen: Where It Hides and How to Cut It (food.nutriscape.net)
- Freezer Cooking That Keeps the Nutrition (food.nutriscape.net)
- High Blood Pressure (nutriscape.net)
- Sodium (supplement-sciences)
