Breakfast

High-Protein Breakfast Burritos

Name: High-Protein Breakfast Burritos
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 18 large eggs; 450 g ground turkey; 1 tbsp chili powder; 0.5 tsp paprika; 1 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp garlic powder; 0.5 tbsp ground cumin; 0.5 tsp dried oregano; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp salt; 450 g low-fat cottage cheese; 2 cups spinach; 6 flour tortillas

Six freezer-friendly breakfast burritos filled with spiced ground turkey, cottage cheese, spinach, and soft scrambled eggs.

Servings

Prep

15 min

Cook

30 min

Total

45 min

Two halves of a breakfast burrito on a board showing scrambled egg and spiced turkey filling

Ingredients

18 (1008 g) large eggs
450 g ground turkey
1 tbsp (8 g) chili powder
0.5 tsp (1.15 g) paprika
1 tsp (2.4 g) onion powder
1 tsp (3.1 g) garlic powder
0.5 tbsp (3 g) ground cumin
0.5 tsp (0.9 g) dried oregano
1 tsp (2.3 g) black pepper
1 tsp (6 g) salt
450 g low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups (60 g) spinach
6 (294 g) flour tortillas

Equipment

Large nonstick skillet
Large mixing bowl
Whisk
Wide shallow dish for cooling
Baking tray
Parchment paper or foil
Food thermometer

Method

Whisk the eggs

Crack the eggs into a large bowl and whisk until smooth. Set them aside while you heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high.

Sear the turkey with the spices

Add the ground turkey to the hot pan and break it up as it cooks. Once it loses its pink color, add the chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, pepper, and half of the salt. Cook for about five minutes until lightly browned and 74°C (165°F) throughout.

Stir in the cottage cheese

Add the cottage cheese and stir until it melts into the turkey. Cook for about three minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mixture looks saucy and holds together.

Wilt the spinach

Add the spinach and stir until it has wilted completely and the filling is thick rather than runny.

Cool the filling

Transfer the turkey mixture to a wide dish so it cools quickly. Leave it until it is warm to the touch and no longer steaming.

Scramble the eggs

Return the pan to medium-high heat. Pour in the whisked eggs and push them gently around the pan, folding and scraping the sides, for about four minutes until set but still creamy. Season with the remaining salt, then transfer them to a bowl and stir occasionally as they cool.

Assemble the burritos

Lay the tortillas out and divide the turkey mixture and the eggs down the center of each. Fold the sides in, then roll each one up tightly.

Wrap and freeze

Wrap each burrito in parchment or foil and place them seam side down on a tray. Freeze until solid, ideally overnight, then move them into a bag or container.

Nutrition

Per serving (one burrito), calculated from the listed ingredient quantities

Calories

581

Protein

48.6 g

Carbs

31.8 g

Fat

28.2 g

Fiber

2.5 g

Burritos at a glance

This makes six burritos in 45 minutes. Each one provides 581 calories, 48.6 g protein, 31.8 g carbohydrates, 28.2 g fat, and 2.5 g fiber, calculated from the listed ingredient quantities.

Three large eggs, 75 g of turkey, and 75 g of cottage cheese go into each burrito, which is where the 49 g of protein comes from. The cottage cheese melts into the turkey rather than staying as visible curds, so it thickens the filling instead of making it lumpy.

Cool the filling before you roll

This is the step that decides whether the burritos survive freezing. Warm filling releases steam inside the wrap, and that moisture turns the tortilla soft and pasty once it freezes. Spread the turkey mixture in a wide dish so it cools quickly, and stir the eggs occasionally as they cool so they do not keep cooking in their own heat.

The filling should be warm to the touch and no longer steaming before it goes near a tortilla.

Freezing and reheating

Roll tightly, wrap each burrito individually in parchment or foil, and freeze them seam side down on a tray so they hold their shape. Once solid, they can go into a bag together.

The reliable way to reheat one is to move it to the fridge the night before, then microwave it for about two minutes and let it rest for one to two minutes so the heat evens out. Heat it until it is steaming hot all the way through. Texture is best within about a month.

Adjusting them

Larger tortillas make rolling easier if you find the filling spilling out; a 49 g tortilla is fairly small for this much filling. Ground chicken behaves the same as turkey. Dropping to two eggs per burrito removes about 7 g of protein and around 100 calories each.

Cook ground turkey to a safe minimum internal temperature of 74°C (165°F).

Storage

Refrigerate assembled burritos within two hours and use them within three to four days, or freeze them individually wrapped. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge, microwave for about two minutes, and rest for one to two minutes so the heat spreads evenly. Heat until steaming hot throughout.