Homemade Chipotle Burrito

Chipotle Mexican Grill went from being a small Denver restaurant to one of the most popular fast food chains in America. The secret to their delicious burritos is to use high-quality ingredients that are carefully prepared in small batches several times a day. As much as I love their burritos, I've often wondered if I could make them at home and if they'd be even better.

Based on their published ingredients and nutritional information, this set of recipes produces a vegetarian burrito that's very close to Chipotle's signature flavors, and in my opinion, is even better. If you have an aversion to cilantro, substitute fresh parsley in every step that calls for cilantro. There are many sub-recipes here - the trick is to get the beans and rice cooking and then work on making the additional toppings while they cook.

Entrees

Prep: 1 hour
Cook: 1 hour
Total: 2 hours
Yields 8 to 10 burritos

Black Beans (Overnight + 90 min)
1 cup dried black beans
water
Rinse beans and place in a large saucepan. Cover with water 2 inches higher than beans and soak overnight.
Drain beans in a colander and rinse. Return to saucepan or stock pot.
3 cups of water
Add water and bring to a boil.
1 teaspoon canola oil
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt
1 bay leaf
Add oil, cumin and cilantro to pan with black beans. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are fully cooked and flavors have combined, about 90 minutes.
Remove from heat. Find and remove bay leaf and drain excess water. Set aside to serve.
Cilantro-Lime Rice (1 hour)
1 tablespoon canola oil
In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted.
1 cup white basmati rice
Add rice and lime juice to pot. Cook until rice is almost translucent.
2 cups water
Add water and salt to pot and bring to a hard boil.
Once water boils, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer and cook undisturbed until rice is tender and water is fully absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and leave pot covered for 30 minutes to allow rice to steam. Do not remove cover or stir rice.
Transfer rice to a medium bowl and fluff with a fork.
fresh squeezed juice from one lime (about 2 tablespoons)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
In a small bowl or ramekin, mix lime juice and salt together. Pour over rice and stir to combine.
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
Add cilantro to rice and stir to combine.
Fajita Vegetables (20 min)
2 green bell peppers, chopped into long, thin strands
1 red onion, chopped into long, thin strands
½ tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
Chop vegetables and oregano and toss together in a small bowl.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high until simmering.
Sauté vegetables until fragrant and starting to brown on edges slightly, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and reserve in bowl.
Mild Tomato Salsa (10 min)
2 large, ripe tomatoes
Core and seed tomatoes. Dice into small pieces and place in a medium bowl.
1 small green jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
Mince jalapeño and onion. Add to bowl with tomatoes.
½ tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
½ tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Add juices, cilantro, and salt to bowl with tomato mixture. Stir to combine.
Medium Roasted Chili-Corn Salsa (15 min)
2 cups frozen corn
water
Cook corn in a small saucepan. Drain and reserve in a medium bowl.
2 poblano chilis, finely minced
Mince poblano chilies and cook in now-empty sauce pan over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add to bowl with corn.
1 small green jalapeño, seeded and minced
2 tablespoons red onion, minced
Mince poblano chilies, jalapeño, and onion. Add to bowl with corn.
½ tablespoon fresh squeezed lime juice
½ tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh cilantro
½ teaspoon kosher salt
Add juices, cilantro, and salt to bowl with corn mixture. Stir to combine.
Guacamole (15 min)
4 ripe avocados
Using a knife, cut avocados in half and remove pits. Using spoon, scoop out green flesh into a medium sized non-reactive bowl. Using a potato masher (or a fork), mash the avacados.
1 cup red onion, minced (about one medium onion)
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lime juice
2 teaspoons coarse sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Add chopped onion, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Mix with a spatula until well combined.
1 ripe tomato, seeds and pulp removed, chopped
Chop tomato. If serving immediately, mix in with guacamole. Otherwise, store tomatoes in an air tight container and mix into guacamole right before serving.
Sour Cream (1 min)
sour cream
Place sour cream in a small bowl for serving on burritos.
Cheese (5 min)
8 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 ounces white cheddar cheese, shredded
Shredded cheese and mix together in a medium bowl.
Lettuce (5 min)
1 head of fresh romaine lettuce
Wash several pieces of fresh romaine lettuce. Dry each leaf.
Roll each left up tightly. Using a sharp knife, cut rolled up leaf into 1/4-inch pieces, creating long, thin strands of shredded lettuce. Reserve in a bowl.
Burrito Assembly
8 to 12 extra large soft tortillas
Top tortilla with your favorite mix of homemade Chipotle-style toppings. To roll, fold in sides of tortilla over rice, fold tortilla edge closest to you over toppings, and pull tortilla edge farthest from you down, tightening wrap as you go. It takes some practice, so have a fork handy for the first few burritos while you get the hang of it.

From MakeBetterFood.com. Aug 6, 2012. (makebetterfood.com/recipes/homemade-chipotle-burrito/).

MakeBetterFood.com

Rinse beans and place in a large saucepan. Cover with water 2 inches higher than beans and soak overnight.
Drain beans in a colander and rinse. Return to saucepan or stock pot.
Add water and bring to a boil.
Add oil, cumin and cilantro to pan with black beans. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until beans are fully cooked and flavors have combined, about 90 minutes.
Remove from heat. Find and remove bay leaf and drain excess water. Set aside to serve.
In a 2-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil over low heat, stirring occasionally until melted.
Add rice and lime juice to pot. Cook until rice is almost translucent.
Add water and salt to pot and bring to a hard boil.
Once water boils, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer and cook undisturbed until rice is tender and water is fully absorbed, about 15-20 minutes.
Turn off the heat and leave pot covered for 30 minutes to allow rice to steam. Do not remove cover or stir rice.
Transfer rice to a medium bowl and fluff with a fork.
In a small bowl or ramekin, mix lime juice and salt together. Pour over rice and stir to combine.
Add cilantro to rice and stir to combine.
Chop vegetables and oregano and toss together in a small bowl.
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high until simmering.
Sauté vegetables until fragrant and starting to brown on edges slightly, about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and reserve in bowl.
Core and seed tomatoes. Dice into small pieces and place in a medium bowl.
Mince jalapeño and onion. Add to bowl with tomatoes.
Add juices, cilantro, and salt to bowl with tomato mixture. Stir to combine.
Cook corn in a small saucepan. Drain and reserve in a medium bowl.
Mince poblano chilies and cook in now-empty sauce pan over medium-high heat until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat and add to bowl with corn.
Mince poblano chilies, jalapeño, and onion. Add to bowl with corn.
Add juices, cilantro, and salt to bowl with corn mixture. Stir to combine.
Using a knife, cut avocados in half and remove pits. Using spoon, scoop out green flesh into a medium sized non-reactive bowl. Using a potato masher (or a fork), mash the avacados.
Add chopped onion, lime juice, salt, and pepper. Mix with a spatula until well combined.
Chop tomato. If serving immediately, mix in with guacamole. Otherwise, store tomatoes in an air tight container and mix into guacamole right before serving.
Place sour cream in a small bowl for serving on burritos.
Shredded cheese and mix together in a medium bowl.
Wash several pieces of fresh romaine lettuce. Dry each leaf.
Roll each left up tightly. Using a sharp knife, cut rolled up leaf into 1/4-inch pieces, creating long, thin strands of shredded lettuce. Reserve in a bowl.
Top tortilla with your favorite mix of homemade Chipotle-style toppings. To roll, fold in sides of tortilla over rice, fold tortilla edge closest to you over toppings, and pull tortilla edge farthest from you down, tightening wrap as you go. It takes some practice, so have a fork handy for the first few burritos while you get the hang of it.