Low sodium burrito filling

Here’s a burrito filling that can be used for tacos, burritos, taquitos, or a number of similar dishes. It’s also something that works well for pot lucks or get-togethers.

It also freezes well, which means you can have the convenience of frozen burritos without the unhealthy ingredients currently found in most.

Note that the recipe calls for specific ingredients and brands. If you have to substitute, be sure to verify the nutritional profile against your dietary needs.

Ingredients

• 1 10-oz packet Thrive Market organic refried pinto beans (320mg sodium per packet)
• 2 cans no salt added pinto beans (~35mg sodium, each can)
• 1 package (oz) plain brown, whole grain rice, cooked per instructions (0mg sodium)
• (Optional) 4-oz ground beef, browned (~75 mg sodium)
• Seasoning: Per taste and preference. I generally start with:
  • 1 tablespoon low sodium taco seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons onion powder
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

For best results, drain and rinse the canned beans.

Preparation

1. Cook & heat rice per directions.

2. If adding ground beef, brown and drain.

3. Drain and rinse canned beans.

4. Mix all ingredients in a oven-safe bowl until well blended.

5. Season to taste.

6. Blend until well-mixed.

Created 12-16 servings depending on the wrap.

Comments

• The beef adds enough texture to be tasted without much impact to the nutritional value of an individual serving.

  This amount of meat appears to be similar to the recipes used for most convenience store burritos.

• When serving, use wraps appropriate for your dietary needs. Here are a few suitable for low sodium diets:

  • Garden of Eatin’ taco shells, yellow & blue corn varieties (0mg sodium each)
  • La Banderita street taco tortillas (15 mg each)
  • Mr. Tortilla multigrain wraps (85mg sodium each)
  • Mission street tacos (20mg each)
  • Santo Corral Nopal (cactus) tortillas (15mg each)

  Note: this product segment changes quickly. In the last few years, I’ve had to find new wraps as manufacturers discontinue products with low sales.

  Occasionally, you can order directly from the vendor. Look for website details on the product wrapping.

• Unlike my other recipes, this depends on specific ingredients. Unfortunately, this means you need to rework the recipe if you can’t easily obtain the ingredients.

  Read nutrition labels carefully if you need to do this. (This is especially true for canned beans, which frequently claim that a 15oz can contains 3-1/2 servings. When each serving includes 220mg sodium, well, you can do the math.)

• As written, this creates a lot of filling. Fortunately, it freezes well.

  I’ve used this to create a batch of frozen burritos that I then work through over the course of the next several days.

  You can make a smaller batch by using one one additional can of pinto beans, but the resulting texture shows rice more readily. Experiment to find the right mix for you.

• When frozen, these travel very well and can help with short trips.

• When browning ground beef or other meats, use low temperatures to reduce the need for oil or non-stick sprays. This reduces the hidden nutritional impact that preparation can have on a dish. (It takes longer, but the time is well invested.)

• As with the bachelor stew, seasoning helps makes this work. If you find the existing too mild, consider adding cumin or other ingredients.

• Add salsa and other ingredients with care, as many commercial salsas include large amounts of salt.

Vital statistics

• 27 July 2025: Added list of wraps
• 15 March 2025: First post to this site