My work schedule is nothing if not erratic. Consequently, I tend to have a fairly large stash of leftovers in my freezer so even on those days when I can't cook and might not have leftovers in the refrigerator, I can still serve something decent for dinner. But one thing I miss is breakfast.
A couple of years ago I was putting a pan of enchiladas in the freezer and it hit me: I could make breakfast burritos and freeze them! I don't know why I didn't think of it before.
For this batch, I decided to do sausage. Sometimes I do bacon, sometimes I do a mixture, and sometimes I do no meat at all. But this one was sausage (Tennessee Pride sage flavour, to be exact). Eggs, potatoes, onion, green pepper, cheese (I chose Mexican taco blend this time), and of course tortillas, and we're off!
I tend to cook each item individually, mostly because I don't have a good enough attention span to have four separate frying pans going with any success. So I started with the green pepper and onion, sauteed in some bacon grease (because I can, although you could use oil or butter if you'd rather).
Then shredded potatoes, also fried in bacon grease. I just use a cheese grater to shred my potatoes, but you can do it however you'd prefer. I cook the potatoes until they're done but not browned, mostly because I don't like crispy hash browns.
The sausage goes into another pan (I always use cast iron for the meats, it seems like the thing to do). You'll want to break it up as it cooks so you have sausage crumbles instead of huge chunks of meat. Not only will it work better in the burritos, but it takes less time to cook.
And then the eggs, whisked with a little bit of milk and into a nonstick pan. I always do a nonstick pan for scrambled eggs, because for some reason I am incapable of cooking them in a regular pan without then requiring a power washer to get the stuck-on egg out of the bottom.
Yes, I am aware that everything in the above pictures is raw. I took the pictures shortly after adding things to the pans.
Eventually, you end up with a stove full of cooked components for breakfast burritos!
This is when I typically take a break. The stuff in the pans isn't going anywhere, and since I'm not planning on eating any of them immediately it doesn't really matter if it gets cold. By this point, I've been chopping and cooking and stirring for the better part of an hour, and even with the anti-fatigue mat in my kitchen I'm done standing for a while.
When I'm ready to start again, I move everything to my dining room table and set it up like an assembly line. I prefer to put the potatoes in first, then the meat, then the green pepper/onions, then egg, and top it off with cheese. It is completely irrelevant what order you choose, just set your tortillas, pans of fillings, and cheese out in a way that's easy to grab them as you need them.
This is the first one. I always overfill the first one. Every single time. But what you should do is a couple of tablespoons of each item, spread out in a line, leaving the edges clear so they can be tucked in as you roll. It helps to microwave the tortillas (or steam them if you'd rather) before you start, because if they're too cold they'll be hard to roll and may tear or split.
See that one at the top? Last one I made, and the tortilla was too cold. The world won't end, of course, but it's infinitely easier to eat them if you keep the tortilla all in one piece.
I got 15 breakfast burritos out of this batch. Sometimes I get more, sometimes less, but 15 is usually the number I aim for. Sometimes I run out of one filling or another, sometimes I purposely make less of a filling (usually potatoes) so I can make different kinds.
Once they're all rolled, I wrap them in a piece of plastic wrap (it's red because the only time I ever need to buy plastic wrap is at Christmas, and the only kind I can ever find is red or green for the holiday). Then I put them in gallon Ziploc freezer bags, usually five to a bag, and pop them in the freezer.
When I want one, I take it out and unwrap it. If I'm using a real plate I remove the plastic wrap entirely, if I'm using a paper plate I leave the burrito sitting on the plastic so it won't stick to the plate. Then microwave on high for 1 minute, turn, and microwave another 30-60 seconds until hot. Breakfast, done!
Sausage Breakfast Burritos
Serves 15
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil (I used bacon grease)
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (again, I used bacon grease)
6 large Russet potatoes, scrubbed and shredded
1 pound fresh pork sausage
12 large eggs, beaten with
1/4 cup milk
16 ounces shredded cheddar cheese (I used Mexican taco blend)
15 medium flour tortillas
In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and onion and cook, stirring frequently, 5 minutes or until onion is translucent and peppers are tender.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add shredded potato and cook, stirring occasionally, 10-15 minutes or until potatoes are tender but not crispy.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking apart with the spoon, 10 minutes or until no longer pink. Drain any excess fat.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add eggs and cook, stirring occasionally, until no liquid remains and eggs appear slightly dry. Break up any large chunks with a spatula as they cook.
Place tortillas, pans of filling ingredients, and cheese in a row on a table or countertop, leaving yourself room to work with one tortilla at a time. If tortillas are cold, microwave them a few at a time for 15 seconds until they are pliable.
Place one tortilla in front of you. Spread 2 tablespoons of each filling in a line about 2 inches wide, leaving at least an inch of empty tortilla at each end. Tuck ends in and roll tortilla to enclose filling. Wrap each burrito in plastic wrap, then place in a large zip-top plastic bag. When each bag is full, remove excess air, seal, and place flat in freezer.
To serve, unwrap a burrito and place it on a plate. Microwave on high 1 minute, then flip and microwave an additional 30-60 seconds until heated through.
*Can use 1 pound bacon (diced) instead of sausage, or a combination of the two. Can use different kinds of cheese, or add mushrooms to the green pepper and onion mix, or use egg whites instead of whole eggs.
Serving Size: 297g (1 burrito)
Calories: 468
Calories from Fat: 237
Total Fat: 26.3g
Saturated Fat: 11.0g
Trans Fat: 0.1g
Cholesterol: 206mg
Total Carbohydrates: 36.2g
Dietary Fiber: 5.4g
Sugars: 3.3g
Protein: 22.6g
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