Mardi Gras Breakfast Burritos with Zatarain’s Andouille Smoked Sausage

For the last ten years I’ve spent Fat Tuesday (the culmination of over a month of Mardi Gras celebrations) in the streets on New Orleans with breakfast in my pocket.  With all of its revelry, Fat Tuesday starts around 8 in the morning when friends would decend upon my Bywater neighborhood home for breakfast, cocktails, and last-minute costume adjustments.  With a day full of libations and walking miles decked out in sequins and headdresses, a solid breakfast was essential.  Also, breakfast should be portable because there’s no time to waste when the entire city is celebrating right outside your door.  

This year’s Mardi Gras breakfast combines Zatarain’s Jambalaya Rice with trinity-laced scrambled eggs and Zatarain’s Andouille Smoked Sausage.  Melty pepper jack cheese, pickled jalapeños, and sliced avocado are welcome extras.  You may not find yourself dancing through the streets this Mardi Gras season (same, friend – I’ll be here in Houston), but I bet you’ll find that these easy and satisfying make-ahead breakfast burritos bring a hint of Mardi Gras flare to the sidelines of your kid’s soccer game or your post weekend walk breakfast. It’s savory, hearty, and packed with the flavors of Louisiana.  You’ll love them.

Let the good times (and the flavors of Mardi Gras!) roll!

This recipe is in partnership with Zatarain’s Smoked Sausage which you can purchase nationally at Kroger and Walmart stores. 

Here are the ingredients to make these Mari Gras-inspired Breakfast Burritos:

•  Zatarain’s Andouille Sausage and Zatarain’s Jambalaya Rice Mix

• large flour tortillas that measure about 10-inches across

•  diced green pepper, diced onion, and just a bit of minced garlic to flavor the scrambled eggs

•  pepper jack cheese or cheddar cheese to glue everything together physically and spiritually

•  large eggs we’ll scramble to fluffy

•  salsa or hot sauce

•  kosher salt and cracked black pepper to season the scrambled eggs

•  avocado is optional. I only use avocado if I’m serving the burritos right away and skip it if I’m freezing the burritos before serving

•  pickled red onions because honestly these should always be in the fridge.

I always have a box of Zatarain’s Jambalaya Rice Mix in my pantry as a coping mechanism when I miss New Orleans.  It’s great with Zatarain’s Smoked Sausage, to be sure, but I also love this rice with shredded chicken and frozen peas.

For our burritos we’re simply making the rice, plain without meat.  We’ll stack the meat on top of the cooked rice in the burrito.  And you might just have extra rice for a quick little lunch which is what every cook deserves.

With the rice set aside, we’ll bring together the other Cajun-inspired ingredients.  Cut the andouille sausage lengthwise down the center and sauté until browned in a hot skillet.  Set aside the sausage and toss in onions, green peppers, and garlic to soften and meld over medium heat.  Pour the whipped eggs into the skillet and push around the pan to make scrambled eggs.

Filling the burritos is a special skill that requires just a smidge of restraint.  I don’t know about you but I will stuff a tortilla so large it resembles a swaddled baby. We’re making reasonable burritos.  Burritos that mightmaybecould fit in your purses.

Here’s how to assemble the breakfast burritos:

1.  To soften the tortillas so they don’t tear when they’re folded, microwave a tortilla or two in between two damp paper towels for 15-20 seconds.
2. Spoon 1/3 cup of rice and 1/3 cup of scrambled eggs into the center of the tortilla.
3. Layer one or two Zatarain’s Andouille Sausage halves on top of the rice and eggs.
4. Sprinkle with cheese and pickled red onions.  Avocado, too, if you’re serving these burritos fresh.
5. Fold the bottom half of the tortilla up and over, wrapping the burrito filling into a bundle. Fold the sides in nice and tight.  Sprinkle the top flap of the tortilla with a few sprinkles of grated cheese and roll the burrito over that top flap.  The cheese will help glue the tortillas shut when grilled.
6. Heat a griddle or clean skillet over medium heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray or coat very lightly in oil.  Grill as many burritos as will fit on the griddle or in the pan, seam side down.   Grill until browned.  Flip and brown on the top side.
7. Wrap burritos in parchment (if serving immediately), or foil (if freezing for a later date). If you’re storing these in the freezer, place the foil-wrapped burritos in a freezer bag for storage.  Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before placing in a 300 degrees F oven (still wrapped in foil) for 20 minutes or so until warmed through.

I hope this becomes your favorite breakfast burrito recipe, here in the thick of Mardi Gras season and all the great days after!

Mardi Gras Breakfast Burritos with Zatarain’s Andouille Sausage

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• Author: Joy the Baker
• Prep Time: 30 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes on the griddle
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 8 burritos 1x
• Category: breakfast, brunch, mardi gras

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Description

All of the flavors of Mardi Gras wrapped up into a perfect breakfast burrito with Zatarain’s Jambalaya rice and Smoked Andouille Sausage.

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Ingredients

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• 1 (8-oz.) box Zatarain’s Jambalaya Rice Mix, prepared without the meat
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium green bell pepper, finely diced (1 scant cup)
• 1 small yellow onion, finely diced (1 scant cup)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Kosher salt, to taste
• Cracked black pepper, to taste
• 8 large eggs, beaten well to combine
• 8 ounces pepper jack cheese, grated
• 1 (14-oz.) package Zatairan’s Andouille Smoked Sausage
• 8 extra-large flour tortillas (9 inches in diameter)
• Nonstick cooking spray
• Pickled red onions (optional)
• Sliced avocado (optional)
• Pickled jalapenos (optional)

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Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, simmer rice mix according to the package instructions (without adding the sausage just yet). All the rice to cook to tender. Set aside to cool.
2. In a nonstick pan, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Cut each link of andouille sausage in half lengthwise. Sear each half, cut side down, until well browned, working in batches if necessary. Flip and brown the other side of the sausage, about 7 minutes. Set the browned sausage aside and drain the rendered fat from the pan (storing for future use, if desired).
3. In the same pan, add the last tablespoon of olive oil and reduce the heat to medium. Add the bell pepper and onion. Salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir around the pan for 1 minute.
4. Add beaten eggs to the sautéed veggies and stir constantly until cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes. (I like to cook the eggs to a soft scramble, but scramble to your taste.)
5. Cut each sausage half in half horizontally and then again in half vertically, creating sausage spears.
6. Assemble the burritos, two at a time. To keep the tortillas from tearing as you fold, soften them first, either in the microwave between two damp paper towels for 15 seconds, or directly over a stove flame.
7. Layer each softened tortilla with about 1/3 cup rice and 1/3 cup scrambled eggs. Top with two andouille sausage spears and any other spicy or pickled extras you like, then sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of cheese on top. Add the optional garnishes like pickled jalapeños. Fold the bottom half of each tortilla up and over the filling mixture, securely tuck the sides in and fold the burrito over, letting the burrito rest seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
8. Grill the burritos, two at a time. Heat a griddle pan or nonstick pan over medium heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Heat each burrito seam side down until the cheese is melted and the tortillas is golden brown. Flip and grill the top of the burrito to the same golden brown.
9. Wrap each burrito in foil or parchment paper. Slice down the center horizontally and enjoy!

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