TacosMediumFree

Chile Colorado Beef Burrito

Name: Chile Colorado Beef Burrito
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Total time: 80 min
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: 6 Dried guajillo chillies; 3 Dried ancho chillies; 1 tsp Ground cumin; 1 tsp Dried oregano; 600 g Braising beef (chuck or shoulder); 4 Large flour tortillas; 4 cloves Garlic cloves; 200 g Refried beans; 2 tbsp Vegetable oil; 1 to taste Salt; 500 ml Beef stock

80 min (20 prep + 60 cook) Medium 4 servings Chihuahua

Edmond Bojalil

Recetas Mexas

Published: 26 Mar 2026 · Updated: 26 Mar 2026

Beef braised in guajillo and ancho chilli sauce, wrapped in a northern flour tortilla.

About this recipe

The chile colorado burrito is the soul of northern Mexican cuisine, especially Chihuahua. Diced beef is slowly braised in a sauce of red chillies (guajillo and ancho) with garlic, cumin and oregano until meltingly tender and deeply flavourful. It is rolled in a large flour tortilla with refried beans, creating a robust and comforting burrito that is the main meal at taquerías across the north.

History & Origin

Chile colorado is the mother stew of northern Mexico, the axis around which the cuisine of Chihuahua, Sonora and Durango revolves. The term 'colorado' does not refer to a specific chilli but to the reddish colour of the sauce, obtained from a combination of dried chillies such as guajillo, ancho and pasilla. Northern ranchers prepared this stew with machaca (dried beef) or fresh beef when available, cooking it in large clay pots over wood fires. The burrito format emerged as a practical solution for transporting the stew without a plate or cutlery, wrapped in the wheat flour tortilla that was already the daily bread of the north. Wheat tortillas prevailed in northern Mexico because wheat, introduced by the Jesuits in seventeenth-century missions, grew better than corn in the semi-arid climates of Chihuahua and Sonora. The chile colorado burrito became a symbol of northern identity when, in the late nineteenth century, railway workers and silver miners would carry their paper-wrapped burritos to work. This stew crossed the border and was one of the original influences on Texan 'chilli con carne', though northern Mexicans emphasise that their version is more refined and less spiced than the American adaptation.

Estimated cost

£16.00

Total cost

£4.00

Per serving

* Approximate prices based on UK supermarkets

Nutritional information per serving

580

Calories

38g

Protein

50g

Carbohydrates

24g

Fat

Fibre

860mg

Sodium

* Approximate values. May vary depending on ingredients used.

Method

1
Toast the guajillo and ancho chillies on a hot comal for 20-30 seconds per side. Soak in hot water for 15 minutes until soft. Blend with the garlic cloves and 250 ml of the soaking water until smooth. Strain.
💡 Do not over-toast the chillies or the sauce will taste bitter.
2
Heat the oil in a pot or casserole over medium-high heat. Sear the beef cubes in batches until browned on all sides. Season with salt.
3
Add the strained chile colorado sauce to the seared beef. Add the cumin, oregano and beef stock. Stir well.
4
Bring to the boil, reduce to the lowest heat, cover and cook for 45-50 minutes until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened. Adjust salt.
💡 The stew improves greatly if made the day before and reheated.
5
Heat the flour tortillas on a comal. Spread each one with warm refried beans, add a generous portion of chile colorado with its sauce, fold in the ends and roll firmly. Serve immediately.