Bean-Based Prepared Meals

part of: Common Bean

Bean-based prepared meals are convenience products centred on cooked, seasoned beans — most commonly as frozen burritos filled with refried or whole beans and cheese, wrapped in a flour tortilla. They’re a staple of the freezer aisle, offering a quick, filling meal that needs only reheating.

These products are designed for speed and convenience — most can be microwaved in a few minutes. While they vary in quality, they provide an accessible way to get a protein-rich, plant-forward meal on the table with minimal effort. Some brands include additional fillings like rice, salsa, or vegetables.

In Australia, bean and cheese burritos are available in the frozen section of most major supermarkets, alongside other Mexican-inspired frozen meals. They’re a handy option for lunches, snacks, or nights when cooking isn’t on the cards.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Dried beans (typically pinto or black beans) are cooked, seasoned, and often partially mashed to create a refried-style filling. This filling is combined with grated cheese and any other ingredients, then portioned onto soft flour tortillas and rolled or folded into burritos. The assembled products are blast-frozen to preserve texture and extend shelf life, then packaged for retail sale.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 221kcal
Protein 7.1g
Carbs 30.6g
Fat 6.3g
Fibre 3.4g Sugar 3.2g
Mass Distribution

1 burrito is about 129 g — roughly 290 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈2.14kg
Freshwater ≈421.3L
Land ≈3.83m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

ready-to-eat frozen meal

Goes well with
salsa sour cream guacamole jalapeño rice
Classic dishes
  • Bean and Cheese Burrito
  • Loaded Nachos

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromCommon Bean, product goes well withsour cream goes well withjalapeño goes well withrice shares a sourceCommon Beans shares a sourceSeasoned Prepared Beans
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