Next time you’re planning burgers, try tucking a lively seasoned burger patty onto a toasted tortilla that’s been dressed with refried beans, lettuce and shredded cheese. Topped with a fried egg and you’ve got yourself a delicious New Mexico Style Tortilla Burger.
And don’t miss my recipe for Taco Burgers, another Southwestern burger that will win your heart.
Two of America’s favorite foods, tacos and burgers unite for a delicious Southwestern hamburger. A Tortilla Burger to be exact. Corn or flour tortillas replace hamburger buns and ground beef is seasoned with bottled Taco Sauce.
Rather than ketchup and mustard, refried beans are used as the condiment and lettuce and tomato join in to complete the taco burger experience.
And in true New Mexico fashion, just like this recipe for Stacked Enchiladas, a fried egg and a sprinkle of hot sauce complete the meal.
This recipe comes from one of my favorite New Mexico cookbooks, Simply Simpatico and the recipe was recommended to my by one of my New Mexico native Chef Instructors in Culinary School.
Let’s take a look at how to build this easy Tortilla Burger.
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Ingredients You’ll Need
Using mostly store purchased ingredients, this is more of an easy assemble recipe than a detailed cooking recipe.
- Lean Ground Beef
- Bottled Taco Sauce: I purchase medium heat Sky Valley brand from Whole Foods. Choose your favorite brand.
- Refried Beans: Use canned, or make these tortilla burgers after you’ve made a batch of Homemade Refried Beans.
- Crispy Lettuce: Choose Iceberg or Romaine
- Cheddar Cheese, grated.
- Tortilla Shells: You can make tortilla burgers with either corn tortillas or small flour tortillas.
- Eggs: To make this a New Mexico style tortilla burger, we’ll top them with fried eggs.
See recipe card for quantities.
Pro Tip: Purchase good quality cheese and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheese in bags includes additives to keep it from clumping, which will also compromise the melting factor. Grating cheese from a block of cheese will result in a creamier and more consistent melting experience. Plus, it’s less expensive.
Step by Step Instructions
- Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine ground beef and ⅓ cup of the Taco Sauce and salt and pepper. Use your hands to gently mix the ingredients.
- Step 2: Shape the beef mixture into 6 equal large meatballs. Then gently use the palm of your hands to press them into burger patties. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Step 3: Heat the tortillas and keep warm. I like to toast them on the open flame of my gas stovetop grates. They toast very quickly, so watch them closely, turning once. You can also use a comal to warm tortillas. Use a tortilla warmer, or cover with foil to keep warm.
- Step 4: In a skillet, over medium high heat, cook the patties 6 minutes, turning once or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Keep warm by covering with foil.
- Step 5: In a shallow fry pan, over medium heat, heat the refried beans. Cover with foil or a lid to keep warm.
- Step 6: In a non-stick skillet sprayed with non-stick spray, fry eggs until yolks are of desired firmness. Keep warm.
How To Build The Tortilla Burgers
- Step 7: Spread some of the refried beans on a warm tortilla shell. You can use either corn tortillas or street taco sized flour tortillas.
- Step 8: Place a cooked beef patty on the refried beans and drizzle with more taco sauce. Top with a fried egg, then sprinkle on shredded cheese and chopped lettuce. Serve immediately.
Or, slide a tortilla burger patty into warmed small Street Taco flour tortilla that’s been smeared with re-fried beans. Add shredded cheese and chopped lettuce, drizzle with a little bit of taco sauce and eat it hand held, taco style without the fried egg.
On Warming Tortillas: You simply can’t take a corn tortilla out of the package and use it. They have to be warmed to be pliable before using.
- I like to toast mine on an open flame on my stove top gas range. They toast in seconds, so you have to watch them close, turning them once. You can also toast them on a comal. Or on a sheet pan in the oven.
- You can also warm the corn tortillas by wrapping them in a damp paper towel and cooking them in the microwave for for 2 minutes at 50% power.
- I have also toasted flour tortillas stove top, but a microwave works very well also.
- I have purchased these Tortilla Warmer Pouches, which work well to warm and keep either flour or corn tortillas warm. They work like a charm. (I’ve provided an Amazon Link for the tortilla warmers. I am an Amazon Affiliate and receive a small commission at no additional charge to you, if you purchase them through this link.)
Substitutions
- Ground Beef – If you simply don’t eat beef, use ground turkey to make these burgers.
- Corn Tortillas – Using Corn tortillas make this recipe gluten free.
Questions You May Have
You can, however, keep in mind the burger patties aren’t as firm as regular burgers that cook easily on an outdoor grill. The meat is looser because you’re adding sauce to the patties and there will be a risk of them falling through the grates. My recommendation would be to cook them inside in a skillet. A flattop grill may be a better choice when cooking out of doors.
Yes. I’ve never cooked burgers in an air fryer, but I understand it works well. Just follow your favorite air-fryer burger recipe for cooking time.
Variations
- Spicy – Instead of salt and peppering eggs while frying, try sprinkling with a pinch of New Mexico Red Chile Powder.
- Deluxe – Dress up these tortilla burgers with a dollop of Guacamole.
- Kid friendly – Using a mild Taco Sauce will keep these on the less spicy side, making them very kid friendly.
For a spicier burger, check out my recipe for Southwest Ground Chicken Burgers.
Best Toppings For Tortilla Burgers
Keep it simple and keep it Southwestern. No need to get fancy.
- Grated Cheese
- Chopped Lettuce
- A drizzle of Taco Sauce
- And a fried egg if you like.
Storage
We’re empty nesters, so I needed to store leftover burger patties. Keep them in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Or in the freezer for 3 months. If freezing, I like to wrap each burger patty in plastic wrap, then place them in a zip-lock style freezer bag. Tortillas can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container, or frozen.
To reheat, microwave each burger patties for about 1 minute on on 50% power. Use the microwave to gently reheat the tortillas.
Top tip
Handle the burger patties very gently. Adding the taco sauce is adding liquid to ground beef. Which makes the patties a little more delicate and less firm than you’re used to.
Related Recipes
Are you a burger fan like us? Try these popular recipes:
This tortilla burger is more than just a burger on a tortilla, it’s a beautifully spiced burger patty dressed up with all of your favorite taco trimmings. I hope you give it a try.
And if you’re looking for more Southwestern recipes, don’t miss my category for Mexican Southwestern Recipes. You’ll find lots of great recipes including the most popular on my site for Colorado Green Chili. Made with pork, it’s truly a crowd pleasing recipe.
And don’t miss this old fashioned recipe for Taco Salad Made with Catalina Dressing. If you like this tortilla burger recipe, you’re going to love this salad recipe.
If you liked this recipe, please leave a star ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the recipe card below and leave a comment. I always appreciate your feedback and hearing how everything went.
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New Mexico Tortilla Burger Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 packaged Corn Tortillas, or Flour Tortillas warmed or toasted.
- 1 pound Lean Ground Beef 93 – 7% works well here
- 8 ounce Jar of Taco Sauce mild or medium heat level
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 16 ounce Canned Refried Beans
- 6 Eggs
- 1 Cup Iceberg Lettuce fine chopped. Or Romaine.
- 1 Cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine ground beef and ⅓ cup of the Taco Sauce and salt and pepper. Use your hands to gently mix the ingredients.
- Shape the beef mixture into 6 equal large meatballs. Then gently use the palm of your hands to press them into burger patties. Place on a plate and refrigerate for 1 hour.
- Heat the tortillas and keep warm. I like to toast them on the open flame of my gas stovetop grates. They toast very quickly, so watch them closely, turning once. You can also use a comal to warm tortillas. Use a tortilla warmer, or cover with foil to keep warm.
- In a skillet, over medium high heat, cook the patties 6 minutes, turning once or until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Keep warm by covering with foil.
- In a shallow fry pan, over medium heat, heat the refried beans. Cover with foil or a lid to keep warm.
- In a non-stick skillet sprayed with non-stick spray, fry eggs until yolks are of desired firmness. Keep warm.
- To build the tortilla burgers, place warmed or toasted tortillas on a plate. Spread each with some of the refried beans. Place a beef patty on the refried beans and drizzle with more taco sauce.
- Top with a fried egg, then sprinkle on some shredded cheese and chopped lettuce. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
New Mexico Tortilla Burger … It’s Whats for Dinner
Why Trust These Recipes? Lea Ann Brown has lived, worked and played in Colorado for 45 years. She has immersed herself in the Colorado Culinary space, is a Culinary School Graduate and publishes her Colorado food Blog, Cooking On The Ranch.
Looks delicious and a great idea. Must try it.
So easy to make.