You can’t beat this black bean burrito recipe for a fast, budget-friendly, and healthy dinner! Only 10-15 minutes of cooking is required, with a minimal 5 ingredients for the filling. Adding some cheese along with fresh lettuce, tomato, avocado and cilantro gives this dish a fresh taste you’ll love!
Any information in the post is for general information purposes only and is NOT medical advice. Please consult a healthcare professional for individual medical and nutrition advice.
When I’m extremely short on time but still want a homemade dinner, this is absolutely one of my go-to recipes. This black bean burrito recipe takes only a few minutes to make. It takes longer to set the table and get out all the fixings (lettuce, tomato, etc) than it does to make the actual burrito filling. Another reason to love this recipe is it takes only a single pan, meaning there’s very few dishes to wash at the end of the evening, saving even more time.
Although I personally think black beans are delicious, they are quite healthy, too. Being a legume, black beans are full of both protein and fiber. With about 8 grams of protein per 1/2 cup serving, they are a significant source of protein in this vegetarian dish. And the fiber? About 9 grams per 1/2 cup serving. In addition, black beans contain other vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants such as iron, folate, and magnesium.
This black beans burrito recipe is naturally a vegetarian dish, although it can be made vegan by omitting the cheese when serving. While this recipe already has a lot of flavor and does not need cheese for the taste, adding some certainly has some health benefits. Cheese is high in protein, adding about 6 grams per serving. That’s about one third of the protein in this dish, just from cheese! I also think just a little cheese adds a creaminess that will otherwise be missing. Furthermore, the cheese adds additional vitamins and minerals, like calcium, zinc, and Vitamin A.
And don’t forget the avocado! Yes, I realize it’s expensive and not everyone enjoys the fresh taste and creamy texture of some fresh sliced avocado. If you prefer, sour cream can easily be substituted to get the same creaminess. However, the avocado does have a health advantage over the sour cream. It is true that avocados are high in fat, but this is mostly monounsaturated fat. Moreover, avocados are high in fiber with about 13 grams of fiber in one whole avocado.
Can this dinner be made even faster? The short answer is yes. When I know I’m really short on time in the evening, I will combine all of the ingredients requiring cooking (beans, peppers and onion, garlic, cumin and oil) in the pan in the morning, then cover and put in the refrigerator. Once I’m ready to cook, I simply uncover and place the pan on the stove. While this can be done in a pinch, I’ve found that the garlic, pepper, and onions just don’t cook as nicely this way, and I try to avoid it when possible.
While I typically serve this black bean burrito recipe as an actual burrito, that is, inside a tortilla, it makes a great burrito bowl, as well. Just scoop some of the filling over a bowl of rice and add your toppings. Another option would be to use lettuce wraps in place of the tortilla. They add a nice crunch and the cool temperature is a nice contrast to the hot burrito filling, while cutting down on the carbohydrate content of your dinner.
Black Bean Burrito Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cans Black Beans, No Salt added (15.5 oz each)
- 1 bag frozen Diced Peppers and Onions (12 oz)
- 1 Tablespoon Canola Oil
- 1 teaspoon minced Garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon ground Cumin
For Serving
- 8 Whole Wheat Flour Tortillas, about 8″ in diameter
- 8 ounces Shredded Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
- 8 ounces Shredded Lettuce
- 1 whole Tomato, washed and sliced
- 1 whole Avocado, washed and sliced
- Fresh Cilantro
Directions
- In a medium frying pan, add the oil and bag of frozen peppers and onions. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until heated through, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook on medium for another 1 minute.
- Add the black beans and cumin and stir well. Cook over low to medium heat stirring occasionally until heated through, about 3-4 minutes.
- Serve on tortillas and top with cheese, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and cilantro. Enjoy!
*Nutrition Information (per serving, about 8 servings per recipe, includes ingredients for serving)
- 415 Calories
- 16.5 g Total Fat
- 7 g Saturated Fat
- 18.5 g Protein
- 592 mg Sodium
- 50 g Total Carbohydrate
- 15 g Fiber
*Nutrition information is approximate and based on the products that I buy in my home. Information will vary based on the products purchased in your home.