A good breakfast burrito is proof that it's what's on the inside that really counts. The classic combination of fluffy potatoes, seasoned sausage, creamy beans and eggs bathed in salsa and chiles will always get our attention, so let's remove the distractions and get straight to the filling. And better yet -- let's give ourselves every opportunity to enjoy a hearty breakfast without playing short-order cook.
Here's the plan: Scan this ingredient list before you head to the grocery store and find 30 minutes after dinner this week for a little prep. With some help from the slow cooker, you'll turn your dream of hot, homemade breakfast burrito bowls into a totally attainable reality.
A go-anywhere, do-anything breakfast burrito filling
The following recipe will teach you how to make the filling for breakfast burritos in your slow cooker. After all, it's the filling, with so many components, that's responsible for relegating a from-scratch breakfast burrito to weekends or drive-thru pick-up only. With the slow cooker, you can cook the browned sausage, potatoes, beans and salsa overnight and wake up to a ready-to-serve filling you can eat by the bowl with a sunny egg to top.
Key steps for slow cooker breakfast burrito
Brown the sausage. Browning the sausage before it goes in the slow cooker makes for a much tastier finished bowl. This is pretty much the most work you'll do in this recipe, so don't skip it.
Rely on some canned staples. Canned pinto beans, salsa and chiles make up the bulk of the bowls. If you have any cooked beans on hand -- pinto, black beans, or otherwise -- feel free to use them instead of the canned ones. Choose a salsa you love, because it's going to do the heavy lifting when it comes to seasoning this dish.
Use up odds and ends. As long as you have at least a cup of salsa, you can swap out any of the other ingredients for others so that you can make these bowls from odds and ends in the kitchen. Don't have Yukon Golds? Use peeled russets or sweet potatoes. Swap the pinto beans for black beans or kidney beans. This was made to be flexible, remember.
Cook the eggs as needed. Eggs cooked directly in the slow cooker have their place, but in order for this recipe to really have our back, it needed to have a generous cook time. For that reason we left the eggs out. When it's time to dish up breakfast, cook the eggs just how you like them.
Eating breakfast burrito bowls
This recipe is flexible because it wants you to live your best breakfast life. So if you're a person who lives by the tortilla, by all means, grab one and roll yourself a burrito. Nevertheless, there's a sort of magic that happens when tortilla chips are tucked under the saucy potato-sausage mixture. They soften a bit and you'll probably sigh with delight after each bite. Top the finished bowls with avocado, yogurt or queso fresco as desired; and keep the hot sauce close!
For your information
This recipe is cooked in a four-quart slow cooker and makes enough to feed six to eight with eggs. If you need to double the recipe, move up to a larger slow cooker.
The potato-sausage base of these breakfast burrito bowls cooks on low heat for six to eight hours but can cook for up to 10 hours if you need the extra time for important things like sleeping in.
Slow Cooker Breakfast Burrito Bowls
Serves 6 to 8
For the burrito bowls:
8 ounces uncooked breakfast sausage, casings removed
2 large Yukon Gold potatoes, small dice
1 cup cooked pinto beans
1 cup tomato salsa
1 (4-ounce) can fire-roasted green chiles, drained
1 medium shallot or small red onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 to 8 large eggs
To serve (optional):
Tortilla chips
1 medium avocado, diced
Salsa or hot sauce
Chopped fresh cilantro
Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up any large clumps of sausage with a spatula, until cooked through and browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Transfer the sausage to a four-quart slow cooker. Add the potatoes, beans, salsa, chiles, shallot or onion, garlic and salt, and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on the low setting until the potatoes are tender, 6 to 8 hours.
When the potatoes are tender, scramble or fry as many eggs as desired in a nonstick skillet. Layer the sausage, potato, and bean mixture over tortilla chips if desired and top with the eggs. Top with diced avocado, hot sauce or salsa and cilantro, if desired.
Recipe notes: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. If doubling the recipe, use a five-quart or larger slow cooker.
This article is written by Meghan Splawn from The Kitchn and was legally licensed via the Tribune Content Agency through the NewsCred publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@newscred.com.
