Simple Breakfast Burrito Recipe to Fuel Your Morning Hike

Most outings in the front or backcountry call for early morning meet-ups at a trailhead to claim the best spot at the crag, reach a summit before weather rolls in or ensure there's enough daylight to reach a destination on the map.

As not-always-a-morning person and as a gal who does not love oatmeal, I struggle to get up early enough on these days to prepare breakfast before heading out. So today, I'm going to let you in on a little secret to help kickstart those pre-dawn wake up calls: breakfast burritos.

Many outdoor enthusiasts know and swear by this game-changing breakfast food, especially in the western and southwestern U.S. Eggs, potatoes, meat and cheese, all wrapped up in a portable tortilla to easily eat in the car, en route? Yes please!



If you live in the west, you likely have a go-to breakfast burrito joint to hit up. But if you live east of the Mississippi, it might be harder to find a ready-made burrito, so your best bet may be to make your own. But never fear! Making a breakfast burrito requires very little prep and just a little bit of assembly. Before you know it, you'll be fueling up on burritos with the best of 'em.

The Beginner's Breakfast Burrito Recipe

Makes 4 burritos

Ingredients:

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• 8 eggs
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• 1 green pepper, thinly sliced
• 
  
• 1/2 onion, cut into thin wedges
• 
  
• 1 potato, cut into thin cubes
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• 1 package of breakfast meat (I prefer chorizo!)
• 
  
• 4 tortillas
• 
  

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 400*; arrange potato cubes on a cookie sheet and season with salt and pepper to taste. Bake potatoes until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes.
   
2. While potatoes bake, saute onions and peppers on medium-high in a large skillet. Remove from heat when onions are browned and peppers are soft; place aside.
   
3. In the same skillet (veggies removed), cook the breakfast meat per package instructions. Remove from heat when fully cooked and place aside.
   
4. In the same skillet (breakfast meat removed), scramble and cook the eggs. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat when fully cooked and place aside.
   
5. When potatoes have finished baking, remove from oven and place aside. Place tortillas in oven for 1-2 minutes to soften.
   
6. With softened tortillas, assemble your burrito! Add eggs, meat, potatoes and veggies; roll burrito and wrap with aluminum foil.
   
7. Before hitting the road for the trailhead, pop the burrito in the oven or microwave to reheat (in the oven, approximately 10 minutes). By the time you've tied your hiking boots and loaded up the car, your delicious breakfast burrito will be ready for you to enjoy.
   

This recipe can be adjusted to accommodate your family/group. I like to prepare a couple of extra burritos for myself to eat later in the week, too. These will keep in the fridge for a few days and make the weekday office commute that much easier/fun.



*Photos courtesy Lynne Petre