Super Easy Smothered Burritos w/ Shredded Beef (Family Favorite!)

Name: Super Easy Smothered Burritos w/ Shredded Beef (Family Favorite!)
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Ingredients: 2.5 pounds chuck roast (trimmed (You can use larger, but there may be leftovers)); 8-10 ounces red enchilada sauce ((leave 20 ounces for assembly later)); 1 tsp beef bouillon (or 1 cube); 6 burrito-size tortillas (Mine are 10 inches across); 2 15 ounce cans black beans; 4½ cups colby cheese (shredded); 20 ounces red enchilada sauce

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These super easy Smothered Burritos are made with slow cooker shredded beef, black beans, cheese, and red enchilada sauce! With 6 ingredients and only a few minutes of hands-on time these wet burritos make for a quick, flavor-packed weeknight dinner!

Burritos covered in enchilada sauce, cheese, and topped with lettuce and tomato. — Smothered Burritos are easy to make, packed with flavor, and super filling!

Beef and bean burritos come in all varieties, but this smothered burrito version is our family’s favorite! It's an easy recipe that starts with making homemade shredded beef in the crockpot, smothering the burritos with enchilada sauce and cheese to make them moist and flavorful, and then baking them to a warm and melty perfection!

The original inspiration for these Smothered Burritos comes from Chef in Training, but we’ve switched it up to use black beans, more enchilada sauce, and plenty of filling. One burrito is enough to fill you up, no sides necessary! Perfect for the whole family on busy weeknights or even Cinco De mayo!

Our love affair with Mexican food begins at breakfast with this Southwest Egg Bake featuring green chilis and bacon with a touch of garlic powder and covered in melty cheese. So delicious! A great lunch option are these Corn Tortilla Quesadillas. Perfect for using up odds and ends!

🏅 Why this recipe is great

Slow cooker shredded beef is better than ground beef because it is easy and mostly hands-free! Just pop the roast in the slow cooker, walk away, and come back to assemble later.
No need to brown the meat in a large skillet. Just toss in and go.
Smothered burritos (or wet burritos - they go by both names!) are extra moist and have tons of flavor thanks to being covered in enchilada sauce.
They’re filling and hearty, so no one ever leaves the dinner table hungry.
They are flexible. If you prefer chicken burritos, try this shredded lime chicken that uses rotisserie chicken. Or if you want refried beans instead of black beans, feel free to use those.

🧀 Ingredients

Chuck roast: Choose a boneless beef chuck roast that has a good marbling of white fat throughout the meat. This will make it juicy and flavorful.
Enchilada sauce: We like red Rosarita sauce (not sponsored - just true fans!) You need 28-30 ounces total, depending on which brand or size of can you find.
Beef bouillon: You can use powdered or cubed bouillon.
Flour Tortillas: These are pretty large burritos, so be sure to buy burrito-size tortillas. Ours are about 10 inches across.
Black beans: I use canned black beans, but you can also make them from scratch with dry beans. Refried beans are a good substitute.
Colby cheese: Feel free to substitute with cheddar cheese, pepper jack cheese, or monterey jack cheese.

🔪 How to make smothered burritos

Make shredded beef in the slow cooker

Place the chuck roast, 8-10 ounces of enchilada sauce (reserving 20 ounces for later), and bouillon cube in the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 8 hours, or until the meat easily shreds.

Once the beef is ready, pull it out onto a cutting board, remove any large pieces of fat, and shred meat into pieces using two forks. At this point you can freeze the meat for later, or you can make it into burritos for dinner.

Assemble the burritos

Step one of making smothered burritos on kitchen countertop.

Warm your tortillas in the microwave, then assemble each burrito with ½ cup of black beans.

Slow cooker shredded beef on top of black beans in a tortilla.

Then add a ½ cup of shredded beef mixture.

Beans, beef, and cheese layered on tortilla.

Top beef with ½ cup shredded cheese of your choice.

Fillings for wet burrito inside of the large tortilla.

Add 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce to each burrito.

Wrap the burritos tightly and set them seam-side down in the prepared pan.

Rolled up shredded beef burritos smothered in enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on the burritos and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover the pan with foil, then bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot from the pan and enjoy!

I like to serve my wet beef burritos on a bed of lettuce with a heaping pile of guacamole on the side. Add on a side of sour cream and I am in heaven.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 For a crowd

This recipe makes 6 large burritos, but you can easily make more to serve to a large group. Make sure to use a large slow cooker when doubling the recipe, or two small ones. You will also need to bake the burritos in two 9x13 pans, since only 6 will fit to a pan.

Individual serving of burrito covered in enchilada sauce and melty cheese. — The enchilada sauce makes these extra moist and super delicious!

👨🏼‍🍳 Tips & Tricks

Make sure to warm your tortillas before wrapping the burritos to prevent them from breaking. I love using this tortilla warmer in the microwave, but you can also wrap them in damp paper towels.
The enchilada sauce makes or breaks smothered burritos, so use your favorite! Ours is Rosarita red sauce (this isn’t sponsored, we really do love it).

🙋 Questions and Answers

What is the difference between a smothered burrito and an enchilada?

A smothered burrito is just like any other burrito, but smothered in enchilada sauce. They are large and filled with beef, beans and cheese, whereas enchiladas are smaller and usually only filled with meat and cheese.

Can I freeze the slow cooker beef?

Yes, that’s a great way to prep these burritos ahead. Once the meat is cooked and shredded, allow it to cool. Then store in a zipper bag or sealed container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw at room temperature or in the fridge overnight, then assemble the burritos as directed.

What goes good in these burritos?

I assemble my burritos with meat, beans, cheese, and enchilada sauce. You could also add rice, fajita style veggies, or change the beans to pinto beans. You can be pretty flexible, just be careful not to overfill the tortillas or they will break open.

Shredded beef smothered burritos baked in a casserole dish. — To make this recipe ahead, make the slow cooker shredded beef and freeze until you're ready to assemble.

📖 More delicious recipes

Cast Iron Skillet Chicken Fajitas - These are restaurant-quality and have the most amazing marinade made with chili powder! Great served with refried beans and Spanish rice.
Rotisserie Chicken Tacos with easy tinga sauce - Such a fast and easy dinner, but still super flavorful and filling. The perfect weeknight dinner!
Slow Cooker Tri-Tip Roast - Tender, juicy, and super easy to make. Heavy cream helps make the gravy extra luscious!
Crock Pot Chuck Roast - This is genuinely the easiest way to make a tender, succulent pot roast with its own gravy.

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