Chirizo Verde Breakfast Burritos

Have you ever had Chorizo Verde?  Neither had I, but I am so glad I tried it!  Now I want you to do the same...

I found my Chorizo Verde at the Story City Locker and it is literally green.  Don't let this scare you, though - Chorizo Verde is given it's unique color by the addition of spinach puree and a flavorful spice blend.  So give it a try with my filling and famous breakfast burrito recipe!  

I love these burritos because the recipe is great for a crowd, can be easily modified to suit every one's tastes and the finished products can even be wrapped up and frozen for a quick breakfast later.  They can also be made with any sausage your prefer - spicy Chorizo, Chorizo Verde, breakfast sausage, even vegetarian sausage.  I like a combination on half Verde-half spicy Chorizo, but use whatever you can get your hands on.  I have found that 1 pound of ground sausage will make 8-10 burritos, but as I said, they can be frozen, so cook accordingly!

What You Need

1 lb Chorizo Verde

14 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

2-2 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or pepper jack)

1/4 cup chopped ham, or deli ham torn into pieces

5 strips thick cut smoky bacon

salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

2 tbsp butter

2 1/2 cups hash browns (fresh or frozen)

8-10 soft flour tortillas (10")

1 jar of your favorite salsa

chopped fresh avocado and tomato

aluminum foil

Heat a large skillet on the stove over medium-high.  Add the Chorizo and break it apart as much as possible while it cooks.  Stir often until cooked through, about 10 minutes.  When chorizo is fully cooked, use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to a medium bowl lined with paper towels and set aside.  Carefully drain excess fat from the skillet.  Place skillet back over medium high heat.  Add bacon to the pan and cook until crisp, about 5-8 minutes, turning several times.  When bacon is cooked, carefully remove from skillet and transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.  Once it is cool, roughly chop the bacon.

While bacon is cooking, crack the eggs into a large mixing bowl.  Add milk, 1/2 cup of the cheese, chopped ham, and about 1/2 tsp each of salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder.  Scramble with a fork and set aside until bacon is finished.  When the bacon is out of the pan, reduce heat to medium-low and carefully drain some of the grease, leaving about 1 tbsp in the pan (you will now use this to cook the eggs).  

Pour the scrambled egg mixture into the pan and gently mix every few minutes until eggs are solid, but still moist, about 10 minutes.  When scrambled eggs get overcooked they begin to dry out, so keep an eye on them.  While eggs are cooking, add the 2 tbsp of butter to another skillet and heat to medium-high.  Once butter is hot, add the hash browns and spread them evenly in the pan.  Cook for about 5 minutes, the use a spatula to flip the hash browns.  Sprinkle with salt and press down with the spatula.  Continue cooking for another 5 minutes, or until they have browned on both sides.

Once eggs and hash browns are cooked, you can put your burritos together.  I like to make and assembly line, building 4-5 burritos at once.  Tear off one square piece of foil for each burrito you are making.  To assemble your burrito, place one tortilla on top of one piece of foil.  Add a large scoop or two of eggs (about 1/4 cup or so) in a line along the center of the tortilla.  Do the same with a similar amount of Chorizo, placing it on top of the eggs.  Top sausage with a small handful of shredded cheese and roughly 1-2 tbsp salsa.  Place a small tsp or so of chopped bacon evenly along the salsa.  Add about 1/4 cup hash browns and if desired, chopped avocado and tomato.  

Fold one side of the tortilla over the filling (as if folding it in half), then, press down with your fingertips on the top edge of the tortilla, sliding it back toward the center to pull the filling into an even log shape in the middle.  Keep the tortilla folded over the filling while you fold in the ends.  Finish rolling up the burrito, then wrap it in foil.  Place in a hot oven for 10-20 minutes, or toaster oven for 5-10 minutes, then dig in and enjoy!

*If freezing, do not place in the oven.  Simply put all wrapped burritos to be frozen in a large Ziploc bag, suck out the air and place in the freezer.  To cook from the freezer, transfer burritos to the fridge the night before.  In the morning, remove from plastic bag, but keep foil intact.  Heat in oven for 20 minutes until heated through.