About
Marta's Smothered Burritos are one of Marta's best culinary inventions; the perfect middle ground between enchiladas and burritos. Plump, fully-loaded burritos, almost bursting with savory taco meat, refried beans, and melty cheese, are draped with a creamy chili gravy and even more cheese before being baked until hot and melty! Topped with all of the favorite Tex-Mex fixings, Marta's Smothered Burritos will change how you see Taco Tuesday (despite not being tacos at all)!
Ingredients
- For the beef:
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- For the chili gravy:
- 1/4 cup butter or shortening
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 2 cups beef broth or water
- For the burritos:
- 1 (8-count) package burrito-sized tortillas
- 2 (16-ounce) cans refried beans
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- Optional toppings:
- lettuce, to taste, shredded
- fresh tomato, to taste, chopped or diced
- guacamole, to taste, homemade or store-bought
- sour cream, to taste
Directions
Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 -In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef and cook, while crumbling, until it is no longer pink, about 5-8 minutes.
Step 3 -Drain the excess fat from the skillet.
Step 4 -Place the skillet over low heat.
Step 5 -Add the tomato sauce, 1 tablespoon of the chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 3/4 teaspoon of the cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of the dried oregano, 1/4 teaspoon of the garlic powder, and 1/4 teaspoon of the onion powder to the beef and stir to combine.
Step 6 -Cook the beef mixture over low heat until the flavors meld together, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 7 -Transfer the skillet from the heat and set the beef mixture aside.
Step 8 -In a separate large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter.
Step 9 -Add the flour and cook, while whisking, until it is golden and the raw flour smell has disappeared, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 10 -Add the black pepper, the remaining salt, the remaining garlic powder, the remaining cumin, the remaining oregano, and the remaining chili powder and stir to combine.
Step 11 -While stirring, slowly add the beef broth to the flour mixture and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 12 -To one side of each of the tortillas, add 1/4 cup of the refried beans and spread it out evenly. Make sure to leave a 1-inch border from the edge of the tortillas.
Step 13 -Top the refried beans on each of the tortillas with 1/4 cup of the beef mixture.
Step 14 -Using 1 cup of the cheese, evenly sprinkle the cheese over the ground beef layer on each of the tortillas.
Step 15 -Roll the tortillas up and fold in the edges.
Step 16 -In a 9x13-inch baking dish, place the burritos in a single layer.
Step 17 -Spoon the chili gravy over the burritos.
Step 18 -Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the burritos.
Step 19 -Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted, about 15-20 minutes.
Step 20 -Serve with your favorite toppings.
