Carnitas Burrito

This easy to make Carnitas Burrito is stuffed with crispy bits of slow cooked pork, cilantro lime rice, black beans, and all your favorite toppings. Packed with rich and complex flavors, these burritos are impossible to resist!

 

All about this Carnitas Burrito

If you’re a fan of Mexican cuisine then you’ve likely heard of carnitas, the tender, juicy, and savory pork that’s a staple of Mexican cuisine. Carnitas are traditionally slow-cooked in lard until it becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender with a crisp outside.

We have recipes for a slow cooker carnitas, and a non-traditional method of Smoked Carnitas.

And when you wrap it up in a warm tortilla, along with some rice, beans, salsa, and guacamole, you’ve got yourself a dinner that the entire family will love.

Ingredients Needed

• Carnitas: this recipe is a great way to use leftover carnitas.
• Flour Tortillas: be sure to use the large, 10 inch size tortillas to make it easier to fold into burritos.
• Cilantro Lime Rice: can substitute with traditional Mexican rice, or green rice.
• Black Beans: canned beans save time, but you can always make your own beans like these Slow Cooker Charro beans.
• Salsa: store bought or a homemade salsa will work, use your favorite!
• Sour Cream: can substitute with Mexican sour cream or crema.
• Cheese: use a nice melting cheese or you can sub with cotija or queso fresco.

How to Make

1. Preparing the Tortilla: use a large flour tortilla and heat it briefly on a skillet or comal. This gets the tortilla warm and pliable and easier to work with.
2. Add the Filling: Add a line of filling to the tortilla, layer rice, beans and meat.
3. Add Flavorful Extras: this is where you add your favorite salsa, sour cream, guacamole and whatever else you want to add.
4. Folding the Burrito: Fold the sides of the tortilla in towards the filling, making sure to keep the filling tightly packed. Roll the burrito up from the bottom, tucking the sides in as you go. Keep rolling until you reach the top of the tortilla. Serve seam side down to help hold in place.

Substitutions & Variations

• Carnitas Bowl: Looking for a low carb alternative, simply ditch the tortilla and add all the fillings to a bowl for a burrito bowl option.
• Breakfast Burrito: Add Eggs and Mexican Roasted Potatoes to make this a filling breakfast option.
• Vegetarian and Vegan Options: instead of pork, make your burrito using some Mushroom Carnitas and extra roasted fajita veggies.

Serving Ideas

• Drink Pairings: enjoy a refreshing Classic Margarita or a frosty Frozen Margarita. For a non-alcoholic option some Agua Fresca or Homemade Horchata are great choices\
• Side Dishes: pair these burritos with some Grilled Mexican Street Corn, homemade refried beans, tortilla chips with your favorite salsa, or a Mexican Side Salad.
• More Filling Ideas: switch up the fillings and make this with your favorites. Some ideas include: different beans (refried beans, charro beans, refried black beans), salsas (roasted corn salsa, salsa verde, mango salsa, pineapple salsa), cheeses (cotija, queso fresco, hot queso dip)

Storage & Reheating

• Storage: store the burritos wrapped individually in parchment paper or foil. This makes it easier to reheat.
• Freezing: store wrapped in foil and in a freezer safe bag or container. Remove to refrigerator to thaw overnight.
• Reheating: keeping each burrito wrapped in foil, bake in an oven at 350 degrees F for approximately 30 minutes. If you are able to remove the sour cream or guacamole or any other “cold” ingredients before heating do so.

More Tex Mex Recipes

• Wet Burritos
• Bean and Cheese Burritos
• Crunchwrap Supreme
• Ground Beef Tacos

Photography by KJandCompany.co