Sunken Beef Burritos

When I was growing up there was a Mexican restaurant in my neighborhood called Tippy's Taco House.  It was the first Mexican food that I had ever had, and in fact I don't think I had Mexican food anywhere else for many years.  Of course these days Mexican restaurants are a dime a dozen. Looking back Tippy's was a real dive, complete with a waitress named Libby who was missing a few teeth.  That's okay, I loved the place.  I even worked there for a while in my teen years. Today's post is a homage to one of my favorite dishes at Tippy's, the sunken burrito. It's a basic beef filled burrito, baked in a spicy gravy.

I've been making this dish for over 20 years and what's interesting is that until about 2 years ago, I haven't been to Tippy's for at least 20 years.  I think I know why.  First, it really is a dive, Libby isn't there anymore but sadly one of the younger, now much older waitresses is still working the tables. It's like the dive that time forgot. Second, the food, well it's not so hot.  I'm not going to dish on Tippy's burritos, but I can say mine are full of fresh ingredients and made in small batches.  So while Tippy's may have inspired this dish, it's really not anywhere near the same.

Btw, this recipe works just as wonderfully with ground turkey.


Sunken Beef Burritos

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 lbs ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
2 medium jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and minced
4 cloves garlic, pressed
3 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon tabasco sauce or sriracha
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 large flour tortillas
1 packet chili seasoning mix
1 packet brown gravy mix
water
8 ounces shredded monterey jack cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown ground beef in oil with onion, peppers, and garlic. Drain fat. Add tomatoes, chili powder, tabasco and salt. Simmer 30 minutes.

Meanwhile add 4-5 cups water to chili seasoning and brown gravy mixes, simmer until thickened. Heat tortillas in foil for 10-15 minutes.

Prepare baking pan by spraying with nonstick spray and pour a little of the gravy into the bottom of the pan. Fill the tortillas with a little cheese and the meat mixture, wrap up burrito style and set into pan. Pour the remaining gravy over top the burritos.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes uncovered, top with any remaining cheese and cook another minute or two until the cheese melts.

Let set 10 minutes before serving.