Friday Fiesta - Burritos

This is one of my favorite recipes. The dish blends together the flavors that I hold near and dear to my heart -garlic and cilantro. But, I'm not going to mislead you. This dish is a labor of love. The ingredients are simple; the process is simple. But, it can be a little time-consuming. Not to deter you, though. It is wonderful and well worth the time you put in it. It's definitely my idea of a weekend dish since it takes a little while to prepare. I like to cook it on special occasions like tonight, because it's Friday night, just an uneventful but glorious Friday night. And, since Friday is the most highly anticipated day of the work week, it deserves to be celebrated. It deserves a fiesta. Ole!

Burritos

1 1/2-2 lbs. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp. taco seasoning
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1-10.5 oz. can tomato soup
1-10.5 oz. can cream of mushroom soup
1-10.5 oz. can enchilada sauce
6 large flour tortillas

Black Beans and Yellow Rice
1 can black beans
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 tsp. chopped garlic
Salt and pepper to taste
1 pkg. yellow rice, prepared by package directions

Yes, I added garlic. I had to. And, the cloves were so pretty that I wanted to share them with you. I hope you like what you see. I know I do.

In a large skillet, saute the onion and garlic for a few minutes. Add the ground beef and brown. Once the beef starts to brown, I add the taco seasoning and garlic salt. I make my own taco seasoning but you could always use the packaged taco seasoning. When completely done, drain the beef and set aside.

I like to add a little freshly chopped cilantro when the beef is done.

While the beef is browning, I like to go ahead and get the beans cooking. I don't drain them, just put them in a small saucepot, add the garlic and red onions, and seasoning. I bring to a slow boil, then keep it on low while I finish the burritos.

I reserve some of the onions to sprinkle on top of the beans when they're done. The onions provide a wonderful crunch!

Keep the beans on a low heat. You don't want them to burst and become mushy.

While the beef is draining, I start on the sauce. This is a large can of enchilada sauce. I only used half of it and put the rest in the freezer to use another time. I actually prefer Food Lion brand sauce because it is really mild. I find the Ole El Paso and Great Value brands to be rather warm even though the can says "mild".

The tomato soup

Add the mushroom soup and blend well.

Add in the enchilada sauce and stir until blended.

Add the remaining cilantro. Yippy!

At this point, I add about 1/3 of the sauce mixture to the drained beef mixture, stirring well.

I put another 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom of a greased 9"x13" casserole dish.

I use six flour tortillas.

Now, here's where I get a little controlling. I divide the meat into six equal portions since I'm going to have six burritos. I hate to end up with a skinny burrito and a fat burrito just because I didn't plan well.

 Lay the beef mixture down the center of the tortilla.

Fold in both sides of the tortilla. Now, flip over swiftly and carefully and place in the prepared dish, seam side down...

...like this.

Continue until all six burritos are filled.

Add the remaining sauce.

And, spread evenly over the burritos. Now, at the point, some of you will want to add cheese. We're not cheese eaters in my house so we'll do without. Cook at 350 degrees until bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Serve with black beans and yellow rice on the side. Enjoy!