These hearty vegan bean burritos with seitan chorizo and tater tots are a mixture of full-bodied tastes & textures.
When I worked at Disneyland in my early twenties, my co-workers were as outgoing and down for fun as you’d probably imagine would be drawn to that kind of work atmosphere.
I’d drive to Orange County from Los Angeles for my shifts. And on the weekends, my co-workers would drive to LA to go dancing.
We’d trade in our name badges & costumes for skirts and platform shoes, and dance until the clubs closed. Then we’d head to a fast food place, where they stuffed their burritos with french fries.
I wasn’t vegan back then. So it was a meaty and cheesy affair, along with hot and oily fries, fresh out of the fryer, and then wrapped into a tortilla.
After burning all those calories on the dance floor, a fast food burrito had never tasted as good as it did at 2 am on Santa Monica Boulevard.
These vegan bean burritos hearken back to those burritos of my early twenties.
Instead of filling them with fries, I’ve opted for tater tots. They have that oily & crisp thing going on, even if you make them in the air fryer like I do.
(Feel free to make them any way that you prefer – in the oven or in a skillet.)
They add a bit of crunch and texture to an otherwise smooshy burrito.
In addition to tots, the burrito is stuffed with spicy black beans and seitan chorizo. (I used Upton’s Naturals seitan chorizo.)
The black beans are spiced with cumin, paprika, and ancho chili powder.
A note about ancho chili powder
Remember that ancho chili powder is different from the standard chili powder you may already have in your cupboard.
Regular chili powder is a mix of spices that sometimes includes cayenne. That means heat levels will vary. However, ancho chili powder is made from one ingredient – dried ancho chile peppers.
(In fresh form, they are poblano peppers.)
While there’s a lot of flavor in ancho chili powder, it’s not overly hot. That’s why it’s my favorite go-to chili powder.
I love hot and spicy things, but I prefer to add them by way of hot sauce and jalapeño peppers. (Here are my three top hot sauces.)
So get some tater tots in the air fryer or oven, and while they cook, have an impromptu dance party. Then play Closing Time, as they did whenever the bars closed in 1998, and tuck into some spicy, filling, and cozy vegan bean burritos.
Vegan bean burritos with seitan chorizo & tater tots
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon organic canola oil
- ½ cup yellow onion chopped small to medium
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 8 ounces seitan chorizo I used Upton's Naturals
- 1 cup black beans drained & rinsed
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- Pinch salt
- 2 Tablespoons water
- 5 to 6 tortillas
- 2 cups tater tots cooked according to package directions
- ¾ cup shredded non-dairy cheese optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet, bring oil to a medium heat. Sauté onion and garlic a few minutes, until soft, translucent, and fragrant.
- Add seitan to the pan and sauté for a couple minutes more.
- Add the beans to the skillet along with the ancho chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, and water. Fully combine until the spices are spread evenly throughout. Turn off heat.
- One at a time, warm tortillas in a dry skillet. As each one comes out of the skillet, move it to a plate, and fill with a few spoonfuls of the seitan & bean mixture, 4 or 5 tater tots, and a couple Tablespoons of non-dairy cheese, if using. Then roll the tortilla into a burrito.
- Continue until all of the burritos have been rolled.*
Becky Striepe
Oh my goodness! These burritos have it ALL! I need to make them ASAP!
Cadry
Thanks, Becky! They are truly loaded up with goodness. I hope you enjoy them!
Mary Ellen - VNutrition
Ummm, I cannot wait to try these. YOu had me at tots!
I love your stories from Disneyland. Even in my early 20s, I don’t know if I could have gone a whole day at the park with kids then danced till 2am!
Cadry
Thanks, Mary Ellen! Tater tots really up the fun quotient on a dish! I hope you enjoy the burritos. Usually the working and dancing were on separate days, but in re-reading, I can see why you thought it all happened on the same day. That would have been a lot for me too – especially with the long drive!
Bianca Phillips
Cadry, this sounds so amazing! TOTS IN EVERYTHING!!!
Also, fun fact: I worked at Claire’s in high school (1998ish), and we played closing time at the end of every night as we were trying to kick out customers. 🙂
Cadry
Yes, all the tots!! That’s hilarious that you worked at Claire’s in the late 1990’s – their heyday – and that you played Closing Time to kick out the customers. That must have been a favorite song of service workers everywhere. 😀
Susan
Potato gems should be in everything!
Cadry
Agreed! We also need to get Americans onboard with calling them potato gems. That name is SO MUCH better.
Shell
I’ve recently started loving tater tots now that I have an air fryer. I love the crisps without all of the grease!
Cadry
I completely agree! Tater tots used to be a Krunkwich-only affair. However, now that I can make them at home in the air fryer, I always have some in the freezer. They get so nice & crispy without being super oily.