Smug and lazy children’s suppers: vegetarian burrito edition

It’s been a full two years since I shared the first smug-and-lazy, four-children-approved supper: vegetarian tacos.

A lot has changed around here since then but – for once – I’m not talking about the ‘strange times’ / ‘difficult times’ / ‘before times’ / Covid times’.

I’m talking about the now-there-are-five-children-and-now-these-are-burritos-not-tacos kind of change.

These are similar, sure! In that they, too, have black beans and vegetables and cheese BUT they are easier (lazier) and arguably more delicious (smug) AND not only will four children all agree on this (practically unheard of) — but in fact all five children enthusiastically agree on this (outrageous).

If I was the sort of parent who sat and ate with my children every evening, I’d also rate these pretty highly – especially with a bit of guacamole, sriracha, salsa, sour cream etc – but instead I’m the sort of parent who eats the 5x leftovers (luckily, minimal in this scenario) and then also makes a late night pizza for my husband and I to eat in companionable / loving / exhausted silence, nominally for the purposes of having enough dough the next morning to make cinnamon rolls.

You just want the recipe! Here we go. In fact a non-recipe recipe, as are all best recipes when it comes to cooking for children – v much a guideline that you can adapt to whatever vegetables you have managed to source during these Difficult Times (didn’t get through the post without it sorry) – or, equally as discombobulating, whatever vegetables your children might countenance this week.

Ingredients

One large tray of roasted vegetables – I normally use 1/2 onion, 2 peppers, 2 large courgettes/zucchini, 1 sweet potato

1-2cans black beans / kidney beans / combo

Taco/fajita seasoning (or, if you are less lazy, then chilli/cumin/oregano/cinnamon)

Tortilla wraps

Rice, cooked (I make a giant pot of rice so that the following day I can make a rice pie / fried rice / more burritos)

Cheese, grated (a lot. 150g?)

Method (can we call it that?)

Preheat oven to 220C/425F. Chop vegetables into small-ish chunks.

Place vegetables on a tray, drizzle with olive oil and seasoning. Bake for 30ish minutes or until a bit blackened around the edges and smelling delicious.

While vegetables are roasting, cook the rice and grate the cheese.

Drain and rinse the beans.

Remove roasted vegetables from the oven and place in a blender along with beans. Blend to desired texture – aka, remove discernible vegetables to avoid questioning.

Mix a few cups of cooked rice into the bean/vegetable mix.

Spoon into wraps. Top with plenty of cheese. Roll and stack in an oven proof dish.

Top with a bit more grated cheese for luck and bake for 25minutes, until a little crispy on the edges and deliciously melted inside. Fail to take a photograph of the finished result because five children are circling.

Serve to rapturous, perfectly-behaved children, with rice and salad. One of those adjectives is misleading. Salad isn’t an adjective.

What’s your failsafe crowd pleaser recipe? Extra points if it doesn’t involve trying to make a photo of blended beans and vegetables look appealing.

xx tMatM