My in-laws run a cattle ranch in Wyoming. They actually moved from Texas when my husband was younger to run a great-aunt’s old ranch so it could stay in the family. How cool is that, right? Almost 20 years later they are still at it.
While my father-in-law, brother-in-law, and a handful of weekend cowboys do all the ranching, my mother-in-law is the true hero of the operation . . . she feeds everyone and is the original Pioneer Woman. And I can promise you that feeding a rowdy crowd of 150+ for a mid-May branding is no small feat. She’s got it down to a science, though, and this recipe is my version of one of my favorite things that she makes. Show up a little early for branding and you might be able to snag a few of these warm out of the oven to stick in your hoodie pocket before you head out to the field. Ah the nostalgia!
Joy will be the first to tell you that these breakfast burritos aren’t fancy (are any?). Nor are they inventive or pushing the breakfast creativity envelope. Nope, they are just normal. But something about making burritos like this is perfection. So pull on your boots and let’s see what makes the perfect breakfast burrito.
- The ingredients are simple – flour tortillas, eggs, melty cheese, sausage, potatoes, and some sauteed peppers and onions for a touch of extra flavor (my addition)
- Potatoes. They are super important! They get cooked in the same pan as the sausage, preferably in the sausage grease, until they are perfectly crisp. They’ve gotta be crisp otherwise they get lost in all the eggy-cheesy goodness.
- Let’s talk cheese. Joy uses whatever’s in the fridge and has been known to throw in a few Kraft Singles from time to time (extra extra melty!). The cheese is the glue that holds everything together, so no skimping!
- Grab some sheets of aluminum foil and wrap up each burrito. Even if you’re eating these right away. Wrapping them up gives the burritos the steam treatment so everything has a chance to melt together.
Not feeding a crowd? Not a problem. Once wrapped in foil, the burritos are good to go in a warm oven to eat in a little while, the fridge to reheat the next day, or the freezer to eat throughout the next month. Life is always a little happier when I can shove one of these into Nathan’s hands before he rushes off to work in the morning. Thank you, Joy, for teaching me the art of the breakfast burrito… among many other things 🙂
Ranch-Style Breakfast Burritos
Ingredients
- 12 flour tortillas 6-8 inch work the best
- 1 lb breakfast sausage
- 1 green pepper, diced
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 1 lb Yukon gold potatoes, peeled, cut into small cubes
- 12 eggs, whisked together with a splash of milk
- 8 oz melty cheese like American or Monterrey Jack, shredded
Instructions
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In a saute pan over medium heat, drizzle in one tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, saute the peppers and onions with a big pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until soft and browned in spots, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat.
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While the peppers and onions are cooking, heat another large saute pan over medium-high heat and add the breakfast sausage. Cook the sausage until well-browned and crispy in spots. We are trying to build lots of flavor here, so crispy is a very good thing. Once your sausage is done, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon onto a plate, reserving about 2 tablespoons of grease in the pan. If you have more than 2 tablespoons, go ahead and drain some off.
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Still over medium-high heat, add your potatoes to the sausage pan. Give them a good stir to get them coated in grease, then get them settled into a single layer. Let them sit for 3-5 minutes without stirring, then stir and redistribute into a single layer again. Try to get non-crisped sides of the potatoes to the bottom of the pan, but it definitely doesn't have to be perfect. Let sit for 5 more minutes, then repeat. Keep this up until your potatoes are nice and crisp. Again... don't skimp on this part! Season your potatoes with a good sprinkling of season salt and remove to a plate.
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Next are the eggs. Over medium-low heat, pour your whisked eggs into the potato pan. Season with salt and pepper. Scramble your eggs (see notes for my preferred method - changed my mind completely about scrambled eggs!), and just before they are done, sprinkle with 3/4 of the cheese, then give the eggs a few more quick stirs and take the eggs off the heat (they will finish cooking/melting, I promise). Stir in the sausage and pepper/onion mixture but be sure to leave some bigger egg chunks.
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Take your tortillas out of the package and wrap them in a slightly damp but clean dish towel. Heat in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. This steams your tortillas and keeps them a lot more 'foldable'.
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Next up - assembly. Cut yourself 12 pieces of aluminum foil. They should be wide enough that you have about an inch extra on each side of your tortilla. Grab a piece of foil, put your tortilla on top (keep the others in the dish towel), and scoop some of the egg mixture down the middle of the tortilla. (I like to divide my mixture into four piles while still in the pan, then I know I have three servings in each quarter - super helpful to decide how much filling to put in each tortilla.) Add a sprinkling of potatoes and the reserved cheese. Roll the burrito up (you can keep the ends open since we are wrapping these in foil), and wrap in the foil, making sure that the ends are secured. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
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Now that they are wrapped in foil, you can go a few different directions with the burritos. You can eat them as is, but I will admit this is my least favorite way. I like these best when they have sat wrapped in foil in a warm (200 F) oven for 20 minutes or so (think excellent make-ahead breakfast!). They will hold like this for up to two hours. You can also freeze them once they've cooled down. Thaw in the fridge overnight then reheat in the microwave or a warm oven. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
This scrambled egg tutorial is my favorite!