Baked Burritos with Carrot Cumin Sauce

Last weekend I got to play sous chef while Irving did the bulk of the cooking—we made burritos filled with his Mexican styled rice (tomato paste, onions, garlic powder), black beans, and fresh homemade salsa! And what was I in charge of besides chopping? I made a yummy carrot cumin sauce that went both inside and on top of the burritos!

You could fill these burritos with anything you like. The quinoa pilaf from my Chimmichurri burritos would be great! Or make some simple rice and toss a can of beans with some salt, garlic powder, and some onions. Smother in my creamy carrot sauce and you have yourself a winner! Hope you enjoy these as much as we did!

Carrot Cumin Sauce
1 large Yukon gold potato (mine was 11 oz)
3 c water
6-8 medium carrots
1 head garlic
2 t cumin
2 t salt
pepper to taste
1 T tomato paste

Preheat the oven to 400. Cut carrots into small “coins” about ¼ inch thick. Place on baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with cumin and salt. Toss well with your hands and push towards one side of the pan.

Remove loose papery skins from garlic head and slice off the top, revealing the cloves of garlic. Place garlic in the center of a small square of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and close up foil loosely. Place on baking pan next to carrots. Place pan in oven and roast for 25 minutes. Remove carrots from pan and allow garlic to roast for 20 more minutes, until soft.

Meanwhile, dice potato into small ½ inch pieces and place in small saucepan with 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil and let boil until potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat and set aside, DO NOT discard the water!

Add carrots and tomato paste to pot with potatoes and water. Allow garlic to cool slightly and then squeeze all of the cloves into the pot, being careful not to get the garlic skins in the pot. Using your immersion blender, blend until the sauce is smooth, adding more water as needed to reach desired consistency.

To fill burritos:
Pour a cup of carrot sauce on the bottom of a large baking dish. Place a scoop of rice and beans on the close side of a tortilla. Place a few tablespoons of sauce on top of the rice and beans. Fold each side in towards the middle (should go about half way). Roll the burrito, using your hands to keep the edges folded in.

Place in prepared baking pan. Continue until you have used all of the bean and rice mixture.

Smother the top of the burritos with the rest of the sauce.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10-15 minutes to allow flavors to come together. Serve with a scoop of fresh pico de gallo salsa on top. We used a mix of radish, tomato, avocado, and cilantro tossed with lime juice and salt. Delicious!