These Smothered Green Chili Burritos are filled with creamy refried beans and just right spicy Pork Green Chili. Smothered with more green chili and plenty of shredded cheese, a quick trip to the oven and they’re ready to serve.
Mexican Food is very popular in our house. If you’re looking for more, try this Cheesy Baked Shrimp Burrito Recipe, or this easy Chili Cheese Burrito.
These green chili burritos are one of the first dishes I learned to make when I caught the Mexican food “bug”. Of course tacos were more common for me way back then, but once I mastered smothered green chili burritos, I was “all in” on Southwestern Mexican cuisine.
The history of the smothered burrito is somewhat blurry, different sources claim the origins to be from Michigan, Texas, Mexico or California. And while smothered burritos are a common dish in any Mexican restaurant, a Green Chili Smothered Burrito is one I associate with Northern New Mexico cuisine.
You can order New Mexico burritos smothered with red sauce, green chili, or a combo of both which is referred to as “Christmas”.
For my Green Chili Smothered Burritos, the Green Chili is thickened, rather than soupy like my Green Chili with Pork soup style recipe. Thickening the green chili will keep the flour tortilla from becoming soggy.
I also add a cup of sour cream to make things even thick and richer. Let’s take a look.
Table of contents
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Pork: For this recipe, you can use pork tenderloin or a pork loin roast. A pork loin roast is a leaner roast than a Pork Butt Shoulder roast. This leaner cut will be more receptive to a shorter cook time. Pork Tenderloin will take even less time to cook to a tender state..
- Flour Tortillas: I like using the smaller 8″ size, rather than the super big 10″ tortillas. The smaller tortillas make burritos much more manageable to eat and prepare.
- Refried Beans: Refried beans will be used as a creamy layer when building the burritos. Use canned for an easier fix, or you can use homemade refried beans to really ramp up the flavors.
- Rotel Tomatoes: Made famous for their use in Queso Dips, we’ll use them to bring additional heat and flavor to the green chili.
- Hatch Chile Peppers: Roast them yourself, peel and chop. Or purchase canned from the Mexican aisle at the grocery store.
- Fresh Tomatoes: Fresh chopped tomatoes will add a sweet and fresh layer of flavor.
- Sour Cream: Full fat please. Sour cream is used as part of the thickening process for the chili.
- Onion: I recommend sweet or yellow onion.
- Corn Starch: Used to thicken the chili.
- Neutral Oil: We’ll sear the pork chops in neutral oil. Canola or vegetable oil work well here.
- Seasonings: Garlic, cumin, Mexican oregano, Southwest Spice Blend, salt and pepper.
Mexican Oregano is preferred for this recipe. It’s peppery, grassy, earthy flavor is a good compliment for Mexican Food. If you don’t have Mexican Oregano, substitute Marjoram. Known for its aroma and delicate flavor, its related to oregano and will bring a sweet undertone to any recipe.
Getting Started, Step by Step
We’ll start by making the Green Chili, which will become not only the filling for the burrito, but the smothering sauce to finish.
Please see recipe card for complete detailed instructions.
- Step 1: Brown the pork: Cut the pork roas or pork tenderloin into bite sized pieces. Season according to directions and sear until browned. Add onions the last few minutes of cooking.
- Step 2: Dump and cook: Add Rotel tomatoes, water, fresh tomatoes, chile peppers, oregano, salt, pepper and cumin. Reduce heat and simmer 1 – 1 ½ hours, or until pork is tender. Once cooked, you’ll add the cornstarch slurry and sour cream to thicken the green chili.
The end result is tender, flavorful and just right spicy pork green chili that is used for a burrito filling and for smothering.
Pro Tip: Don’t skip searing the meat. This is a crucial step in getting the most flavor out of this meal. Searing creates what is technically called Maillard reaction. Maillard reaction is the process where a crust is created. Simply stated, it’s responsible for the complex flavors and aroma that makes bread taste toasty, and a grilled or seared burger taste charred. It’s a technique that brings science to your cooking skills.
Build the Burritos
- Step 3: To build green chili burritos, spread some of the refried beans on each tortilla.
- Step 4: Spoon some of the green chili pork mixture down the center of each flour tortilla.
Rolling Burritos
- Once filled, you can most certainly roll the burritos without folding in the sides and they’ll be fine.
- But if you want to create a pocket/pouch style burrito like pictured above, you’ll find you have a much neater baking and eating experience. Warm the flour tortillas slightly before adding the filling. When adding the refried beans and green chili filling, leave some space on each side. In a simultaneous motion, using your index fingers, fold in the sides ¼ of the way to the center. Then immediately roll the burrito keeping those tucked pieces in place. Voila a pocket full of goodness ready to bake.
- Step 5: Roll burritos and place into an oven safe casserole dish.
- Step 6: Sprinkle on a good amount of the green chili and a couple handfuls of grated cheese. Baked until cheese is melted.
You can add more burritos to the casserole pan than shown above. I wanted to space them out so you could see the process better.
Questions You Might Have
The Green Chili is what takes the most time to make. Make it up to three days in advance, then assemble the burritos and bake.
Only if you’re using left-over pork shoulder. A pork shoulder roast takes several hours of baking time to become tender. It’s a fattier cut of pork, meaning you have to shred and meat and remove the chunks of fat. Using a leaner pork loin roast or Pork Tenderloin is recommended for this recipe. It cooks tender in less time and there’s no fat to pick out and discard.
That’s the beauty of chile peppers. You can use mild, medium, hot or even extra hot peppers.
Tips For Success
- Don’t overcrowd the skillet when browning the pork pieces. Leaving space in between will help the pieces brown rather than steam.
- Don’t be stingy with those ingredients when smothering those burritos. Pile on the green chili and cheese for the best burrito experience.
- Use medium heat peppers for the best New Mexico Chili flavor.
Storage
Store any leftover burritos in and air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. I like to use the 50% power setting on the microwave to gently reheat leftovers.
To freeze, I like to individually wrap them in Saran style wrap them place them in a freezer zip-lock bag. Freeze any leftover burritos for up to three months. Let them defrost in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
How To Serve It
Use a spatula to place the burrito on a plate and make sure to scoop up some of the sauce. Serve garnished with thin sliced jalapeno peppers and cilantro. A side of Oven Baked Rice works well here.
More Southwestern Favorites
Southwestern Cuisine using chile peppers is rich and varied. Here are a few other New Mexico recipes that we love.
- Hatch Chile Quiche: Made irresistible with bacon and lots of cheese.
- Beans and Chicos: New Mexico chicos are made from local sweet corn. Once sun-dried, they’re a staple in Southwestern kitchens.
- Green Chile Cheese Baked Chicken Cutlets: These cheesy green chile stuffed, rolled and baked chicken cutlets are easy to make.
Recommended
We’re big fans of New Mexico style cuisine. Be sure to try my most popular New Mexico inspired Hatch Green Chili Recipe. A hearty soup style chili with pork, warming spices and roasted Hatch Green Chile peppers.
Hungry for more? Don’t miss my Mexican/Southwestern recipe category. You’ll find lots of recipes to spice up your meal plans.
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Smothered Green Chili Burritos
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Neutral Oil Canola or vegetable oil work well here
- 2 pounds Boneless pork loin roast Or Pork Tenderloin, cubed into ¾ inch pieces
- 1 Tablespoon Southwest Spice Blend or salt and pepper
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 cup sweet onion chopped
- 10 ounce Chopped Tomatoes with Chiles Rotel works well here, not drained
- 2 cup water
- 1 cup diced tomatoes fresh
- 1 cup chile peppers roasted, peeled and chopped
- 1 teaspoon Mexican Oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 5 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 cup Sour Cream
- 2 cups Grated Cheddar Cheese Use as much cheese as needed to properly smother those burritos
- 1 can Refried Beans 15.5 ounces
- 10 flour tortillas 8" diameter
Instructions
- Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add 1 pound of the cubed seasoned pork and sear about three minutes per side. But don't cook all the way through. Remove the pork to a Dutch oven. Add the remaining pork and repeat. Add onions about half way through cooking. Stir them to distribute with the pork. Add chopped garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the remainder of the pork/onions/garlic to the Dutch oven.
- Add canned spicy tomatoes, water, fresh tomatoes, chile peppers, oregano, salt, pepper and cumin. Reduce heat and simmer, lid slightly ajar, 1 – 1 ½ hours, or until pork is tender.
- Stir together cornstarch and water until well blended. Pour into the pork mixture. Bring to a boil and cook 2 minutes to thicken the pork mixture.
- Add sour cream and stir until well blended.
- To build burritos, spread some of the refried beans on each tortilla. Spoon some of the pork mixture down the center of each flour tortilla. Roll and place in a casserole seam side down. Spoon some of the green chile over the burritos and sprinkle with grated cheese.
- Bake 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is well melted.
Notes
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- Don’t overcrowd the skillet when browning the pork pieces. Leaving space in between will help the pieces brown rather than steam.
-
- Don’t be stingy with those ingredients when smothering the burritos. Pile on the green chili and cheese for the best smothered burrito experience.
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- Use medium heat peppers for ultimate New Mexico Chili flavor.
- Smothered green chili burritos is no time to worry about fat calories. Use full fat sour cream to make the green chili thick and richer.
- The final Green Chili may or may not need a corn starch slurry thickener. If using a pork tenderloin, the green chili will take less time to cook, and the end result will mean more liquid. Pieces of pork loin roast will take longer to become tender and the liquid may reduce more. Use your own judgement. The sour cream may be enough to thicken.
Nutrition
Smothered Green Chili Burritos … It’s What’s 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.
Lea Ann, I would devour these burritos. Delicious!
I COULD EAT THESE EVERYDAY AND PORK IS MY FAVORITE MEAT. THANK YOU.
Hi Mary. Always good to hear from you! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Whether it be chili verde or salsa verde, green is my favorite and since we are also big fans of burritos, this will be a must try soon. It looks and sounds delicious. We are also big fans of refried beans and Bev cooks a pot of pintos, turns them all into her delicious refried beans, then keeps some in the fridge to reheat and eat with Fritos for lunch.