Over the years of being a bachelor, I’ve found some really great recipes that are very hardy and - most importantly - easy to make. The following recipe is a delicious burrito casserole that you can spoon into tortilla shells. I hope to put up pictures at some point, but here it is:

Tools Required (I’m a guy – they’re tools, ok!):

1. One Deep Dish Baking Bowl - something you can put the refried beans in, please in the oven and combine everything.


2. Large Spoon


3. Small Spoon


4. One Deep Sauce Pan – This will also need to be able brown the meat and to hold all of the refried beans. You are free to use more than one sauce pan, but I don’t like to do dishes and combine them later, but this is easier.

Ingredients:

Recommended Servings: 20 Burritos

1. 2 Cans of Refried beans (~$1.00 each) – Either large or small cans will work; the key is to get enough to fill the sauce pan and the bowl.


2. 1 Package of Cream Cheese (~$2.00) – I use Neufchatel cheese because it has less fat. You can also go with fat free cream cheese, but who wants to do that?


3. 1 Package of Mexican Shredded Cheese (~$2.00) – Generic cheese from the grocery store is the way to go here.


4. 1 Pound of Ground Turkey or Beef (~$3.00) – I prefer turkey, but that is up to you on your taste preference. Plus turkey is leaner than most beef.


5. 1 Package of Taco Seasoning (~$0.50 each) – these are the little packages of seasoning for making taco meat.


6. 2 Package of 10 Burrito Shells (~$2.00 each)


7. 1 Can of Corn (~$1.00) – you can substitute this with green beans or any other type vegetable that goes well with Mexican food.


8. (Optional) Salsa, Shredded Lettuce and Sour Cream – if you like any of these in your burritos, then get them. Otherwise, omit them.

Directions:

1. Put the burritos to the side and line the bottom of the deep dish baking bowl (something you can put in the oven that has sides on it is fine) with all of the cream cheese. This is where you can use the small spoon is that will help you spread the cream cheese around the bottom of the bowl. IMPORANT: Only line the bottom of the bowl – not the walls of the bowl. You should use the entire package of cream cheese.


2. Place the deep sauce pan on the stove and the deep baking bowl on the counter next to the deep sauce pan. Turn on the stove and brown the ground meat in the deep sauce pan. The deep bowl will go into the stove later on. Keep this next to the sauce pan.


3. After browning the meat, drain an excess fat from the sauce pan. If you used ground turkey, you probably will not have to worry about doing this because it is already pretty lean.


4. Add the taco seasoning and add twice as much water as the package recommends. Adding twice as much water is important!


5. Pre-heat the oven for 350 degrees now.


6. Stir the meat and the taco seasoning until it is well mixes – approximately 60 seconds is good. It will be a little runny with extra water. This is perfect.


7. Add in the refried beans to the meat and taco seasoning in the deep sauce pan and stir the meat and the refried beans together. You’ll see why we needed the extra water now. The extra water helps to thin out the refried beans. Stir for approximately 60 seconds or until mixed well.


8. Next, pour half of the contents of the meat and refried beans mixture into the deep bowl that is lined with the cream cheese. Pour only half!


9. Open the can of corn with a can opener. Drain the excess water from the corn and pour the entire can on top of the deep bowl that has the cream cheese and the first half of the meat and refried beans mixture. If you really want to get fancy, you could even sauté up some onions in a separate pan and put it in this layer. The choice is yours!


10. After pouring in the can of corn, pour the rest of the meat and refried beans mixture into the deep bowl completely covering the corn. Set the sauce pan to the side in the sink now because we are done with it. The deep bowl should be 90% filled with refried beans.


11. Make sure that the top of the refried beans and meat is flat; otherwise, it may settle and over flow out of the bowl – this has happened to me once before. Basically, do not let the meat go higher than the top of the bowl. Open the package of Mexican shredded cheese, and cover the top of the refried beans and meat concoction.


12. The oven should now be warmed up. Place the deep bowl with all the refried bean and meet “goodness” on the top rack of the oven and let it cook for approximately 10 minutes. You may want to broil it for about 60 seconds to crisp up the cheese some towards the end too, but that is optional.


13. Carefully remove the deep bowl from the oven and place on a hot pad.


14. Let the bowl cool for a few minutes. While you’re doing that, gently spray one side of each of the burrito shells with some water and stack them on top of each other on a plate. Wet a paper towel and place it on top of the burrito shells. This will keep them moist. Microwave all of them for approximately 20 to 30 seconds. More or less depending on how soft and hot you want your burrito shells.


15. Set the plate of burrito shells next to the bowl of refried bean “goodness” and with large spoon take one scoop of the refried beans (making sure to dig deep enough to get some of the cream cheese. Scoop this into the burrito and top with salsa, lettuce and sour cream as desired.