Sixteen Minute Beef and Bean Burritos with Mexican Rice

Picture courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

I made The Pioneer Woman's beef and bean burritos tonight. It took way longer than 16 minutes but I'm sure that was due to my chaos in the kitchen. The end result was a very yummy burrito. I used ground turkey and couldn't find the Mexican tomato sauce so I used good 'ole enchilada sauce. Other than those two changes, everything else was according to the recipe. I have to say that the Mexican rice I made to go along with the burritos was absolutely delicious. Just like an authentic Mexican restaurant if you ask me.

16 Minute Beef Burritos

2 pounds Ground Beef
½ whole Medium Onion
1 can (7 Ounce) Mexican Tomato Sauce Or Enchilada Sauce
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Cumin, Oregano, Chili Powder, Garlic To Taste
1 can (28 Ounce) Refried Beans
¾ cups Grated Cheddar Cheese
12 whole Burrito-sized Flour Tortillas
Extra Grated Cheese, For Sprinkling
Extra Sauce, For Drizzling
Cilantro Leaves, Optional
Optional Filling Ingredients: Mexican Rice, Sour Cream, Guacamole, Green Chilies, Pico De Gallo

Brown ground beef with onion and season to taste. Pour in sauce and simmer over low heat. Add water if mixture gets too dry.
Heat refried beans in a saucepan. Add cheese and stir in till melted. Keep warm.
Heat tortillas in microwave for one minute.
Spread a small amount of beans on each tortilla. Add meat. Fold over ends, then roll up. Place two burritos on a microwave-safe plate. Drizzle red sauce over the top and sprinkle with more grated cheddar. Microwave for one minute, or until cheese is melted and burritos are very hot. Serve immediately.

Mexican Rice

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 cups chicken broth

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add rice. Cook, stirring constantly, until puffed and golden. While rice is cooking, sprinkle with salt and cumin.
Stir in onions and cook until tender. Stir in tomato sauce and chicken broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Creamy Baked Ziti

OK so I made quite a lot of changes to this recipe but only because I didn't have half the stuff to make BUT this turned out GREAT! I'm not a big fan of baked ziti (who knows why) but I'll make this again to be sure! I added my changes and omissions for your viewing pleasure.

Creamy Baked Ziti

4 cups ziti pasta, uncooked (I used whole wheat, low carb penne)
1 jar (26 oz.) marinara sauce (used another 1/2 jar to make up for lack of diced tomatoes)
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, undrained (omitted only because I didn't have any)
6 oz. (3/4 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, cubed ( I used 8 0z Laughing Cow Cheese in place and it was GREAT!)
3/4 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream (omitted because I don't care for cooked sour cream)
1 pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese (I'd go lighter on this myself. Maybe 1/2 C max)
1/3 cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese (omitted only because I didn't have any)

HEAT oven to 375ºF.
COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, omitting salt. Remove from pan; drain. Meanwhile, add marinara sauce, tomatoes and cream cheese to same pan; cook on medium heat 5 min. or until cream cheese is melted and mixture is well blended, stirring frequently. Return pasta to pan; mix well.
LAYER half the pasta mixture in 13x9-inch baking dish; cover with layers of sour cream, 1 cup mozzarella and remaining pasta mixture. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
BAKE 20 min. or until heated through.