What are Wet Burritos?
While I love my California Burritos, Beef, Bean and Cheese Burritos, Breakfast Burritos and Chicken Burritos – sometimes you just want a juicy, saucy WET Burrito! There is a popular Mexican restaurant in Carlsbad located on the 101 with amazingly tender carne asada. Every time I visit, I always order mine “wet” AKA smothered in Chili Colorado Sauce or Chili Verde Sauce. And of course, there is no other way to order a Café Rio burrito then doused in enchilada sauce and smothered in creamy rich cheese. So basically Wet Burritos deliver all of the saucy, cheesy goodness of enchiladas but with the crispy tortilla of baked burritos. Winning! This Wet Burrito Recipe really isn’t a recipe, but more of a technique you can use for all your favorite Mexican meats. You pick your meat, then pick your other filling ingredients then pick your enchilada sauce. It’s super simple and super customizable and once your meat is made, it is also super quick to assemble. These particular Wet Burritos are made Café Rio style with layers of Cilantro Lime Rice, black beans, sour cream, Chipotle Sweet Pork and cheese then smothered in Green Enchilada Sauce. This sweet and tangy combo is other worldly so if you get overwhelmed by all the mixing and matching options then try this first, it is a guaranteed winner!
What is the difference between a wet burrito and an enchilada?
Although both Wet Burritos and enchiladas both use enchilada sauce, they are distinctly different. Wet burritos are crispy burritos that have been brushed in olive oil then baked while not touching so they can crisp up. Enchilada sauce is poured over the burritos followed by a generous layer of cheese and then baked until the cheese is melted. Wet Burritos keep their individual crispy shape as opposed to enchiladas that bake together in enchilada sauce, topped with cheese and become quite soft. Enchiladas can also be made with flour or corn tortillas but Wet Burritos are made with burrito size flour tortillas.
BEST TORTILLAS for wet burritos
You will want large, burrito-sized flour tortillas. Corn or alternative-flour tortillas (like spelt or sprouted grain) tend to be drier which means they tear more easily when rolling. If you want the best tortillas for Wet Burritos, then use uncooked tortillas because, as my husband always says, “Mexican food is only as good as the tortillas.” Uncooked tortillas have superior texture because they are thinner so they crisp beautifully. Disclaimer – these photos do not show uncooked tortillas because I thought I had plenty but my husband had been eating them unbeknownst to me – I guess they are both of our favs! I personally prefer Tortilla Land uncooked tortillas. They can be found in the refrigerated section of many grocery stores and even Walmart and Costco. You can also freeze whatever tortillas you don’t use or keep an extra package in the freezer without compromising the texture.
How to Make Wet burritos
As I previously mentioned, I’ve made these Wet Burritos Café Rio Style with layers of Cilantro Lime Rice, black beans, sour cream, Chipotle Sweet Pork and cheese then smothered them in Green Enchilada Sauce. This combination is sensational but these Wet Burritos are all about customizing them to be YOUR favorite Wet Burritos – so pick and choose your dream burrito fillings and then pick and choose something different next time. That being said, I highly recommend using rice – it adds a texture to these burritos that can’t be beat.
First, pick your meat:
Chipotle Sweet Pulled Pork Mexican Pulled Chicken Beef Barbacoa Carnitas Mexican Ground Beef
Pick your other filling ingredients:
Cilantro Lime Rice Mexican Style Rice Black beans, pinto beans or refried beans Sour cream Guacamole Avocado crema Hot sauce Corn Zucchini Sweet potatoes Bell peppers and onions (fajita style) cheese
Pick your enchilada sauce
Red Enchilada Sauce (canned or homemade) Green Enchilada Sauce (canned or homemade) My Creamy Green Chile Sauce (from my Smothered Chicken Burritos)
SHORTCUT WET burrito filling
Prep ahead: You can make all of the filling ingredients ahead of time from the chicken/meat to the Cilantro Lime Rice and refrigerate until ready to use making assembly a snap. Shortcut Chicken: If you don’t have time or haven’t thought of making any of the slow cooker chicken/meat filing options then you can use shredded rotisserie chicken and season it with Mexican seasonings to taste. Shortcut Rice: If you don’t want to make the full Cilantro Lime Rice Recipe (although the rice cooker version is a toss in and walkaway recipe), then be sure to season your rice with salt and pepper otherwise it will be very bland.
How To assemble wet burritos ahead of time
Dinner prep can literally take MINUTES if you assemble these Wet Burritos ahead of time. Assemble them as you normally would but take care your chicken or beef doesn’t have excess moisture or else your burritos can get soggy once all rolled up. Place burritos on a baking sheet, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to bake WITHOUT brushing with olive oil yet. These assembled burritos will need 5 minutes or so extra in the oven to ensure the filling is warmed through so when ready to bake, cover burritos with foil for the first five minutes, then remove foil and proceed to cook according to recipe instructions.
how to FREEZE wet burritos
These Wet Burritos freeze fantastically well before you add the enchilada sauce but there are a few tricks. In order for the burritos to not become soggy, you want to assemble COLD ingredients (if you know you are freezing them). This means the ingredients won’t be able to steam the tortilla and soften before freezing. Also, take care to line the tortilla with rice or cheese first to create a barrier between the chicken/meat which will have more moisture. After you assemble your burritos, tightly wrap them individually in foil. Place wrapped burritos in a large sealable bag or container and freeze until ready to bake. Bake: When ready to cook, place foil-wrapped frozen burritos on a foil lined baking sheet. There is no need to thaw frozen burritos before baking them and don’t unwrap burritos yet. Bake burritos at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes, unwrap from foil (don’t burn yourself!), brush with oil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until warmed through and tortillas are golden on the outside. The total defrosting time will vary wildly by the filling amount and ingredients. Microwave: If you want to defrost the frozen burritos extremely quickly, then you an unwrap them from foil and microwave for 4 minutes then brush with oil continue to bake in the oven for 10 minutes or so or until golden. This shortcut doesn’t produce quite as crispy tortillas but is still delicious.
What should I serve with Wet Burritos?
Restaurant Style Mexican Rice Corn on the Cob with Chipotle Honey Lime Butter Southwest Salad with Creamy Avocado Salasa Dressing or simple big green salad Homemade Salsa – 5 Minutes! Caramelized Pineapple or other Fresh fruit
LOOKING FOR FAVORITE ENCHILADA RECIPES?
Creamy Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas Beef Barbacoa Enchiladas Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas Jalapeno Chicken Enchiladas Chipotle Mango Black Bean Chicken Enchiladas Breakfast Ham and Cheese Enchiladas
You might also like these Mexican recipes:
Fiesta Ranch Chicken Tacos Cheesy Taco Pasta Baja Fish Tacos Chicken Tortilla Soup Chipotle Chicken Empanadas Sheet Pan Shrimp Fajitas
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