
I have a confession. I eat at Taco Bell about once a month. And I love it. More than love it. Look forward to it even. I know, I know. You hypocrite, you say. Well, let me explain.
You see, the reason I eat at Taco Bell is because when I meet a dear friend for lunch every month, our dining options are limited to El Pollo Loco, IHOP, Togo’s and Taco Bell.
And at Taco Bell I can order a bean and cheese burrito, two in fact, and I can pry open the steaming nearly transparent tortilla holding those beans and cheese from oozing out, and I can smother it with hot sauce. What a treat. Seriously, it’s the little things.
All I’m saying is that if you, like me, are picky about what meat you eat, know that at Taco Bell a delectable vegetarian option awaits you. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Incidentally, I was searching cooksillustrated.com for a taco recipe when I stumbled upon the results of a refried bean taste test. Which brand do you suppose prevailed on top? That’s right, Taco Bell Home Originals Refried Beans. Despite these results, however, I like to use Trader Joe’s refried pinto beans “salsa style.” They are tasty and made with just a handful of ingredients (… you may recall Michael Pollan’s eating algorithms.)
So what could be better than a Taco Bell burrito? Why one made in your own home, of course, with homemade flour tortillas. I know, homemade tortillas, “come on” you are saying. “What’s wrong with store-bought flour tortillas?” Indeed, store-bought tortillas are a perfectly fine product, one I undoubtedly will purchase again. That said, if you have the time and the curiosity, I think you’ll find the value in making them from scratch — these homemade tortillas are light and lovely with just a hint of butter taste, and truthfully, not too tricky to make. The dough requires minimal kneading and a short 30-minute rest before being rolled. And while a tortilla press is nice to get the rolling process going, it is an unnecessary tool in this process. A rolling pin does the job.
While nothing makes me happier than a couple of refried bean-and-cheddar burritos for dinner, I am conscious of my husband’s preferences, too, which lean toward meat-based entrees. Fortunately, I always have some of J&J’s grass-fed ground beef in the freezer and thanks to Cook’s Illustrated, I now have a favorite beef taco recipe. The filling, a mixture of sautéed onions, tomato sauce, a little vinegar, a pinch of brown sugar and a homemade spice mix — cumin, coriander, chili powder and oregano — is a snap to make. We’ve been eating tacos once a week here. They are awesome.
And as you can imagine, this beef mix makes a nice burrito filling as well.
Tortilla Dough. Note: A tortilla press is unnecessary. I mostly use my rolling pin.

When making homemade tortillas, you don’t really want them to brown too much, especially if you are making burritos. You want them to be cooked, but still pliable, capable of being filled and rolled.


See that pan in the lower left corner of the above montage? It’s filled with beef taco filling. We’ve been eating tacos once a week here. I found the recipe (included below) on CooksIllustrated.com. It’s fantastic.

Bean and Cheese Burritos
Yield = However many you’d like
refried beans, I like Trader Joe’s brand
cheddar cheese
large flour tortillas, homemade if you are feeling ambitious, recipe below
salsa and sour cream, optional
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread flour tortillas with beans and cheese. Wrap burrito style. Wrap in foil. Place in oven until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes. I’m not totally sure how long these take, but if you have a whole bunch wrapped and heating in the oven, just pull out one to check and adjust time accordingly.
Note: I ended up placing the beans in a small frying pan to heat before I spread them onto a tortilla. This is mostly because it was hard to stir the beans up while they were still in the can. Also, a little beans and cheese go a long way — think “less is more” while assembling.
Homemade Flour Tortillas
Yield = 8 to 9 taco-sized tortillas or 4 to 5 burrito-sized tortillas
9 oz. (about 2 scant cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. table salt (not kosher) I used sea salt, fine
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 c. unsalted butter
1. Whisk flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl. With a knife cut little pieces of the butter into the flour. Then with two knives cut the butter into the flour until mealy, smaller little bits of butter than in a pie dough.
2. Stir in 2/3 c. warm (not from tap, preferably) water with a fork until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead 3-4 minutes until smooth, soft, and not sticky.
4. Cut the dough into 2-oz. pieces for taco-sized tortillas or 3-oz pieces for burrito-sized tortillas. You will have 8 to 9 small pieces or 4 to 5 larger pieces. Shape pieces into a ball.
5. Cover with a very light kitchen towel or plastic wrap. Be careful that your room isn’t too hot. Let the dough rest 30 minutes and up to two hours.
6. Roll out each ball to about 9 to 10 inches (taco) or 11 to 12 inches (burrito) in diameter, or till you can see the counter start to come through. Note: A tortilla press is nice to flatten the ball into a disk to get things going, but ultimately a rolling pin works best. The tortilla press is unnecessary if you don’t have one.
7. Heat a 12 inch non-stick or cast-iron pan (do not add any oil) on medium-high. Lay the tortilla in the pan and cook until it puffs and little brown spots on the underside appear. Turn with tongs and cook. Each tortilla takes about 45-60 seconds. You don’t really want the tortilla to brown at all. The tortilla in the above picture was actually cooked a little too long.
Notes: When making tortillas for burritos, it’s best if the tortillas are cooked just before you plan on filling them, wrapping them and placing them in the oven. This way they’ll stay pliable.
Beef Tacos
Source: Cook’s Illustrated, Published May 1, 2002
Yield = 8 tacos, serves 4
Beef Filling:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil or corn oil
1 small onion , chopped small (about 2/3 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin*
1 teaspoon ground coriander*
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Salt
1 pound 90% lean ground beef, I used J&J grass-fed beef
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons vinegar (preferably cider vinegar)
Ground black pepper
* I like to toast whole cumin and coriander seeds and then grind them in my spice grinder with all of the other spices listed above. Just a thought, if you have the time.
Shells and Toppings:
8 taco shells or small tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (4 ounces), or Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
2 small tomatoes , chopped small
1/2 cup sour cream
1 avocado, diced medium
1 small onion, chopped small
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
Tabasco sauce , or another brand of hot sauce
1. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot and shimmering but not smoking, about 2 minutes; add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, spices, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add ground beef and cook, breaking meat up with wooden spoon and scraping pan bottom to prevent scorching, until beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, chicken broth, brown sugar, and vinegar; bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, stirring frequently and breaking meat up so that no chunks remain, until liquid has reduced and thickened (mixture should not be completely dry), about 10 minutes. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
2. Using wide, shallow spoon, divide filling evenly among taco shells; place two tacos on individual plates. Serve immediately, passing toppings separately.

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Comments ( 25 )
Karen added these pithy words on Jan 29 10 at 9:57 amI love bean & cheese burritos. Your tortillas look really good. I never can seem to get mine rolled thin enough!
grace added these pithy words on Jan 29 10 at 1:55 pmtacos once a week sounds good to me. more frequently would be even better, but that might be overkill. however, there are so many ways to change them up, i think i could get away with it, don’t you?
lovely tortillas, awesome fillings. taco bell can’t hold a candle to ya, alexandra.![]()
Pat Hilferty added these pithy words on Jan 29 10 at 6:57 pmHey Ali,
The new site looks great. I love reading your posts. I hope you and Ben and that bun in the oven are doing well. Love and miss you guys!
Foodycat added these pithy words on Jan 30 10 at 2:58 amYour tortillas are so perfect! Mmmm once a week tacos.
Manggy added these pithy words on Jan 30 10 at 10:04 amYaah! Confession: I actually like a lot of fast food chains, but I HATE taco bell. I’ve only eaten at their Philippine franchise, but their products strike me as overpriced and bland. I’d MUCH rather eat these burritos, they look heavenly! And I believe that is the first time heavenly has been used to describe a burrito!
BobB added these pithy words on Jan 30 10 at 12:22 pmOnce in a while I go to Taco Bell too, usually for a bean/cheese burrito and a seven-layer burrito, another good vegetarian option. Your burrito and taco recipes look scrumptious and I can’t wait to try them! Thanks for all your wonderful recipes and lovely photographs.
sally added these pithy words on Jan 30 10 at 1:23 pmYum! These burritos look great! I used to eat Taco Bell bean burritos all the time in college. Like you, I’d order two and cover them with hot sauce. It has been way too long since I’ve had one!
mindy added these pithy words on Jan 30 10 at 3:57 pmHi - I’m a new reader, and have tried a few recipes. My tortillas are resting right now and I can’t wait to taste them! Thanks for sharing your love of good food with us!
bellini valli added these pithy words on Jan 30 10 at 5:05 pmThese probably blow anything from TB out of the water in taste. Certainly not as convenient but pretty darn tasty.
Sophie added these pithy words on Jan 31 10 at 3:23 amGeorgous, …ooh so tasty & inviting filled taco’s & home made flour tortiulla’s, Alexandra!!!
Wow!!! You have done an excellent job!!! MMMMMMMMM,…..lovely food!
gammypie added these pithy words on Feb 01 10 at 4:58 amIt’s T Bell and Taco Bueno for me. Either one nips my burrito fix right in the bud.
Ivy Manning added these pithy words on Feb 01 10 at 12:59 pmUm, I can’t say I’m with you on the taco bell stuff. It makes me feel very unwell. But I get your drift, I love fried chicken and I’m paralyzed with fear that one of my readers will see me in there one of these days.
That said, your delightful photos of homemade tacos makes me crave a nice b and c burrito. Thanks for the inspired work!
Kate added these pithy words on Feb 08 10 at 2:47 pmI’m going to make these for dinner (the b & c veggie version), yum! I also am a huge lover of the Trader Joes refried beans salsa style. When I go home to Utah (where there are no TJ’s) I always have to smuggle in a few cans for my sister, we can’t go a week without having some of those tasty beans.
Thanks for a great post!
eliza added these pithy words on Feb 14 10 at 12:43 amlooks and sounds delicious. I’d go to Taco Bell over McDonald’s for fast food anytime!
michaela added these pithy words on Feb 16 10 at 10:15 ammade your tortillas last night. great recipe. served with refried black beans (black bean recipe from blue eggs and yellow tomatoes we refried) red cabbage slaw with red onion, ciltantro and a blue cheese dressing and sauteed chicken. yum!! thank you!
michaela added these pithy words on Feb 16 10 at 10:16 amoh, and we made them little. a little more than 1 oz each.
Michelle added these pithy words on Feb 18 10 at 10:31 amThis looks amazing! I will be visiting your site more often and will try this!
Maria added these pithy words on Feb 18 10 at 5:10 pmYou have definitely got me craving these right about now. I will have to make an impromptu trip to the market tomorrow!
Natalie added these pithy words on Feb 19 10 at 10:17 amThe beef tacos were amazing! I made them last night and really enjoyed them (and so did my husband!). Thanks for another great recipe! This SO beats out those taco seasoning packets that are always so salty!
SMITH BITES added these pithy words on Feb 23 10 at 7:15 pmI must confess that when I saw this post, I headed to the kitchen and made a burrito pronto! Although I didn’t make my own tortillas, they did manage to hit the spot - thanks for the inspiration!
Amy (Sing For Your Supper) added these pithy words on Feb 24 10 at 7:51 pmHoly COW!! These look awesome!! I confess, I too, love me some Taco Bell…
These look waaay better than Taco Bell, though - I love that first picture; you had both me and my hubby drooling!
Blond Duck added these pithy words on Feb 25 10 at 1:47 pmMy dad used to always eat the bean and cheese burritos at Taco Bell. Now I’m totally craving them.
Tim added these pithy words on Feb 25 10 at 3:01 pmI am a new reader. I stumbled over here from Gardenfork.tv.
I must say the photography is outstanding and I just printed the recipe out to try at home.
I look forward to pouring through the archives and seeing what you have in store for us.
Take care.
rosemarie added these pithy words on Mar 02 10 at 10:38 amThere is NOTHING better than a good bean burrito and these look amazing - thanks for sharing. (Although I used to eat the Taco bell variety, I haven’t in a long while - they are still good??)
Grace added these pithy words on Mar 17 10 at 8:40 amwow those tortillas look incredible! I love your blog!












