Drive-through breakfast burrito
Scrambled eggs, melted pepper jack, chorizo, and a warm flour tortilla. The fast food version tastes of cardboard. This one tastes of breakfast.
The drive-through breakfast burrito sells the idea well: warm tortilla, eggs, cheese, some kind of meat. The execution is usually disappointing, pre-scrambled egg blocks, processed cheese, dry tortilla. The home version takes twenty minutes, costs less than three dollars per burrito, and tastes like food. Fresh chorizo is the key ingredient. Real flour tortillas warmed properly. Pepper jack cheese melted into still-soft scrambled eggs. A spoonful of sour cream. Wrap tight, eat with your hands. This is the breakfast that wakes people up.
Method
Cook the chorizo.
Break the chorizo into small pieces in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook for 4–5 minutes, breaking up further with a spoon, until cooked through and lightly caramelised. Leave the fat in the pan.
Scramble the eggs.
Beat the eggs with salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add butter to the chorizo pan. Pour in the eggs and stir slowly with a rubber spatula in large folds. Remove from heat when just set but still slightly glossy. Fold in the cheese off the heat and stir until melted.
Warm the tortillas.
Heat a dry pan over medium heat. Warm each tortilla for 30 seconds per side until pliable and lightly freckled. Stack and cover with a clean cloth to keep warm.
Fill and wrap.
Lay a tortilla flat. Spread sour cream in the centre. Add the egg and chorizo mixture across the lower third, then top with salsa and coriander. Fold the sides in, then roll from the bottom up, tucking tightly. Cut in half on the diagonal and serve.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of chorizo should I use?
- Fresh Mexican chorizo (raw, sold in casings or a tube), not the cured Spanish kind. It cooks down into spiced, fatty crumbles that flavour the entire burrito. Andouille or hot Italian sausage are decent substitutes.
- Can I make these ahead?
- Yes, assemble fully, wrap in foil, refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Reheat from refrigerated at 350°F (180°C) for 15 minutes wrapped, then 3 minutes unwrapped. From frozen, add 10 minutes.
- How do I keep the burrito from leaking?
- Let scrambled eggs cool 2 minutes before assembling. Hot fillings melt the cheese fully but also create steam that softens the tortilla. Use a 10-inch (25cm) tortilla, anything smaller is impossible to wrap properly.
- Can I make this vegetarian?
- Yes. Skip the chorizo and add ½ cup of cooked black beans + ½ cup sautéed peppers and onions. The fat from cheese and sour cream still gives richness.
- Is store-bought tortilla OK?
- A good flour tortilla makes a real difference. Look for short ingredient lists, flour, water, fat, salt. The thicker artisan tortillas hold up better than thin ones.
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