This recipe was inspired by veggie-filled burritos I've had at Mexican or Southwestern-style eateries. Serve with garlicky greens, chips and salsa, and a big salad for a truly hearty meal. Refried beans help hold everything together so that it doesn't fall apart. They also make these burritos more filling and substantial. Feel free to substitute vegetables other than the ones suggested here. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.
Yield: 4 servings of 2 burritos (or 8 lighter single servings)
- 8 burrito-sized (10-inch) flour tortillas or 10-inch wraps
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
- 2 cups small broccoli florets
- 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 2-inch strips
- 1 medium-small zucchini, diced
- 1 large tomato, finely diced
- 1 fresh hot chili, seeded and minced, or one
4-ounce can chopped mild or hot green chilies - 15- to 16-ounce can fat-free refried beans
- 1 teaspoon each: chili powder, ground cumin
- 1 cup grated Jack or cheddar-style non-dairy cheese, optional
- Salsa or picante sauce
Bring the tortillas or wraps to room temperature. If you don't have time to do this, wrap them in foil and place in the 200-degree F. oven until needed — or for a really quick fix, zap them in the microwave for a few seconds.
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Layer the broccoli florets and red pepper strips over the onion and without stirring, cover and cook for 5 minutes more.
Add the zucchini, optional mushrooms, tomato, and chilies, and stir well. Cover and cook 5 to 8 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are just tender. Drain off any liquid that has formed.
Meanwhile, spoon the refried beans into a small saucepan. Loosen the consistency with ¼ cup water and stir in the chili powder and cumin. Cook over medium-low heat until just heated through.
To assemble, spoon a small amount of the refried beans down the center of each warmed tortilla, followed by some of the vegetable mixture and a bit of cheese, if desired. Fold one end over, then roll up snugly and place one or two on individual serving plates.
Serve at once, passing around salsa to be used as desired. These moist burritos are can be eaten with knife and fork, or eat them out of hand with plenty of napkins.
- Find more of VegKitchen’s Vegan Dinner Recipes and more Burritos, Enchiladas, And Tortilla Dishes.
- Find lots more tortilla recipes in A Southwestern Supper.
Linda Haney says
Nava, I'm a newly converted vegetarian and a big fan. But, I'm really disappointed that you don't include a nutritional analysis with your recipes. Please add them.
Linda
Nava says
Hi Linda-- first of all, how great that you've gone veg. I wish I could provide nutritional analyses. I don't know how to do them and it's prohibitively expensive to hire someone elseto do so. Many of my books include analyses, which are as a result of having financial support to do the books! Some of the recipes on this site are adapted from my books, but when there is a tweak here or there, it can affect the statistics.
If you like my style of recipes, you can readily find my books in libraries—Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet, Vegetarian Family Cookbook, Vegan Soups and Hearty Stews for All Seasons, and Vegan Express all include nutritional data with each recipe. Hope this helps!
Liz says
Hi Nava - Just wanted to say thanks for bringing a recipe a week to lazy veg cooks like me! As soon as I saw this one, I knew I wanted it for dinner - tonight! Looks yummy. You make being a veg much easier.
Nava says
Liz, love your comment! Despite the fact that I run this site and have written a million cookbooks, I'm also a lazy veg cook. Or I should say busy; I have 3 concurrent careers and not much time to spend in the kitchen. But like you, I want to eat well, and have always wanted my family to, as well. Though I must say I thoroughly enjoy the 45 minutes or so I devote to making dinner ... very relaxing. Thanks so much for your kind comment and enjoy the burritos!
Monique says
Nava, thanks for providing these recipes. I, too, like to keep it simple and this recipe is very easy to make. I'm a newbie at vegan eating and haven't converted completely to vegan meals but working towards that goal.
Nava says
Thank you os much, Monique. By providing recipes that are do-able even after a long day of work, I hope to help people like you achieve their goals of eating veg more often.
Chris Anderson says
Nava,
About 4 months ago I made the decision to move to a plant based diet. With the change the #1 thing I have missed is cheese. I have had little luck with Vegan cheeses... can you recommend one?
Many thanks,
Chris
Nava says
Chris, the vegan cheese of the moment is Daiya. It comes in mozzarella and cheddar-style shreds and melts extremely well. It's made of cassava root (AKA tapioca), and I personally think it's amazing. It's neither healthy nor unhealthy, it's more for the flavor and the really cheesy melt. It's soy-free as well.
Before I switched to Daiya, I used Vegan Gourmet, which comes in small blocks and is pretty good. I've heard good things about Teese, though I've never tried it. Hope these ideas help!