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!
If you need more hearty dinner inspiration, check out our full collection of Chuck Roast Recipes that our family loves!
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!
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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 for smothered burritos
- 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.
Helpful kitchen tools
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
Warm your tortillas in the microwave, then assemble each burrito with ½ cup of black beans.
Then add a ½ cup of shredded beef mixture.
Top beef with ½ cup shredded cheese of your choice.
Add 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce to each burrito.
Wrap the burritos tightly and set them seam-side down in the prepared pan.
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.
Tips and 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).
FAQs
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.
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.
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.
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.
- Japanese Barbecue Chuck Roast Recipe - Simplest dinner!
Recipe
Super Easy Smothered Burritos w/ Shredded Beef (Family Favorite!)
Equipment
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Shredded Beef
- 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 teaspoon beef bouillon or 1 cube
Smothered Burritos
- 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
Instructions
Slow Cooker Shredded Beef
- 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.2.5 pounds chuck roast, 8-10 ounces red enchilada sauce, 1 teaspoon beef bouillon
- Once the beef is ready, pull it out onto a cutting board and shred it into pieces using two forks. At this point you can freeze the meat for later, or you can make it into burritos for dinner.
Smothered Burritos
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 pan with foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
- Warm your tortillas in the microwave until soft, then assemble each burrito with ½ cup of black beans, ½ cup of shredded beef, ½ cup of cheese, and 2 tablespoon of enchilada sauce. Wrap the burritos tightly and set them seam-side down in the prepared pan.6 burrito-size tortillas, 2 15 ounce cans black beans, 4½ cups colby cheese, 20 ounces red enchilada sauce
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on the burritos and sprinkle with leftover shredded cheese.
- Cover the pan with non-stick sprayed foil and bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot from the pan.
Notes
- 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 wet burritos, so use your favorite! Ours is Rosarita red sauce (this isn’t sponsored, we really do love it).
Add Your Own Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
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