Wet Burrito Recipe: How to Make a Wet Beef Burrito at Home
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: May 26, 2022 • 4 min read
A wet burrito recipe contains fillings like shredded beef, black beans, and rice, but there are many other possibilities depending on your personal tastes. Serve a wet burrito with your favorite Mexican side dishes to make it a complete meal.
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What Are Wet Burritos?
Wet burritos, also known as smothered burritos, contain the same ingredients and flavors as a traditional burrito but include chili sauce and melted cheese on top. The dish requires a fork and knife to eat it.
There are a few different versions of a wet burrito, with the most common using a red enchilada sauce. There is also a version that uses a green enchilada sauce. A “Christmas wet burrito” uses both red and green chili sauces.
Serve a wet burrito as a main dish with Mexican rice, cilantro-lime rice, refried beans, or other side dishes and Mexican foods. Fresh pico de gallo, sour cream, guacamole, green onions, green chilies, and pickled jalapeños are common toppings that also work well as burrito fillings.
3 Tips for Making Wet Burritos
Start with a classic burrito and enhance it with a red or green chile sauce for a wet burrito. Here are three additional tips for making Mexican restaurant-quality wet burritos:
- 1. Make homemade taco seasoning. Control the ratio of spices by using homemade taco seasoning. Depending on your personal tastes, go heavier on certain spices and lighter on others to create a custom taco seasoning that you can add to the ground beef mixture.
- 2. Toast the burrito before topping it with the sauce. The enchilada sauce will soak into the tortilla and soften it. To prevent the tortilla from becoming soggy, toast the tortilla in a pan with olive oil. Toasting the burrito creates a barrier for the sauce and seals the seam of the burrito, preventing the filling from falling out.
- 3. Use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. Considering the heft of the burrito filling and the wet sauce on top, the tortilla has a lot to hold. Compared to flour tortillas, corn tortillas tend to be more brittle and less flexible. Flour tortillas have a gluten structure that allows them to fold and stretch without breaking.
Wet Burrito Recipe
makes
4 burritosprep time
20 mintotal time
1 hr 5 mincook time
45 minIngredients
For the beef:
For the rice:
For the beans:
For assembly:
Make the ground beef:
- 1
In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- 2
Sauté the diced onions for 5 minutes.
- 3
Add the ground beef to the onions.
- 4
With a spatula, break the ground beef into small crumbles.
- 5
Add the paprika, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, Mexican oregano, 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of black pepper, and water.
- 6
Cook the seasoned beef and onions for 10 minutes.
Make the rice:
- 1
In a small saucepan on the stove over medium-high heat, add the rice to 1 cup of water.
- 2
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce it to a simmer.
- 3
Cook the rice for 15–20 minutes.
- 4
Add the lime zest and chopped cilantro.
- 5
With a fork, fluff the rice.
Make the pinto beans:
- 1
Drain a can of pinto beans.
- 2
In the bowl of a food processor, pureé the pinto beans with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of black pepper.
- 3
In a separate skillet, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil or bacon fat.
- 4
Add the pinto bean pureé to the pan.
- 5
Cook the beans for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Assemble the burritos:
- 1
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- 2
Warm the flour tortillas in the microwave until they become pliable.
- 3
Lay each tortilla flat on a clean countertop.
- 4
Spread a thin layer of refried beans on the lower third of the tortilla.
- 5
Spoon a small amount of cilantro-lime rice on top of the beans.
- 6
Spoon the beef mixture on top of the rice.
- 7
Sprinkle 2 ounces of shredded cheddar cheese on top of the beef.
- 8
Fold the part of the tortilla closest to you over the fillings.
- 9
Fold each of the sides in toward the center.
- 10
Continue to roll the burrito until all the fillings are secure.
Finish the burritos:
- 1
In a large skillet over medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil.
- 2
Cook each burrito, seam down, until it becomes crispy, 5–7 minutes.
- 3
Flip the burrito and cook it on the other side until it’s also golden brown and crispy.
- 4
Place the toasted burritos in a baking dish.
- 5
Top the burritos with the enchilada sauce and remaining cheese.
- 6
Bake the burritos in the oven to reheat the fillings and melt the cheese, about 5 minutes.
- 7
Serve the burritos hot with various side dishes and garnishes, such as cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, and pico de gallo.
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