The Best Ground Beef Wet Burritos & Red Sauce Recipe

If you’re craving a restaurant-style wet burrito smothered in rich red sauce and melted cheese, this homemade version is about to become your new go-to comfort meal. These ground beef wet burritos with Grandma Beatty’s red sauce are hearty, flavorful, and perfect for feeding a crowd or stocking your fridge for busy days. Made with seasoned beef, refried beans, and a slow-simmered savory red sauce, this recipe brings that classic West Michigan-style burrito right to your table—no takeout required. Whether you’re cooking for family dinner, sharing with friends, or prepping meals ahead, this is one of those recipes that gathers people around the table again and again.

Why we love these burritos so much

My grandma Beatty, (who was actually biologically my great aunt, but that’s a story for another day. Families are fun aren’t they?!) was quite a lady.  She was the epitome of sassy, right up to her very last days she was putting people in their place and speaking her mind.  One thing I have in common with Grandma Beatty other than the occasional sassy episode was that she loved feeding people, and she loved Mexican food!  When she made beef burritos she would always let us know, and insist we come over.  She was hard to say no to, and saying no to her wet burritos is basically just loco!

I’ve made a few adjustments over the years, I think when Grandma gave me the recipe she was reciting it from memory, so follow the recipe card below, not the one above. I wanted to share this well loved recipe card with you, as you can see I’ve penned in a few adjustments!

Gather these Ingredients

Below is a list of all the ingredients. I have separated out the ingredients photos throughout so you can see what you need as you’re moving through the recipe.

How to make Wet Burritos

How to make the flavorful Sauce

Melt vegetable shortening/oil in large pot (6 quart is what I use). Over low heat whisk in flour, let flour and shortening get bubbly and start to brown. This is what you call a roux. Don’t worry you want it to get nice and toasty brown. This will take about 5 minutes.

Gradually whisk in beef broth, whisk until smooth. Add in the mole, whisk until smooth and allow to cook for 5 minutes. Sometimes the mole can be quite solid in the jar, it’s ok keep whisking it will dissolve into the sauce.

Add in chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, salt, pepper, and milk; whisk again until smooth. Be sure to scrape sides and bottom of pan with spatula to make sure sauce is completely incorporated and not burning at all.

Add the milk. This may seem like a strange ingredient. Trust the process don’t leave it out, unless you are dairy free then I guess you could, but whats a wet burrito without cheese. Unless you are eating vegan cheese. OK, have it your way. I won’t judge.

Whisk in the tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. Turn burner down to lowest heat and allow to cook for 1 hour. Stir occasionally making sure sauce is not burning or sticking to bottom of the pot. While the sauce cooks you can make your meat.

Burrito Meat

Over medium heat, in a large skillet, brown the ground beef with the chopped onion, making sure to break up meat as it cooks, meat should be a small crumble consistency.

Drain grease from pan. When meat is completely cooked add taco seasoning, 2/3 cup of the red sauce that you just made, and refried beans to the meat. Combine well and simmer over medium low heat for 10 minutes.

Assembling the Wet Burritos

Burrito Assembly – can be done one of two ways. 1. assemble and bake together in a deep 9×13 casserole dish. 2. assemble individually per each persons taste and microwave to melt cheese on top.

Prep all your toppings and potential fillings. I shred colby jack cheese, chop tomatoes, cut ice berg lettuce thin or shred it, green onion, or diced sweet onion. Some people like to put all of this plus the meat inside the burrito and then add lettuce, diced tomato, and onion on top of the melted cheese. You can also add guacamole, pica de gallo, and sour cream just to name a few other toppings.

• Remove large flour tortillas from plastic and, heat individually, in microwave for 10-15 seconds, or in a pan for about 30 seconds, warming tortillas makes them easier to work with.
• Lay tortilla on a flat surface, place one cup of the ground beef mixture in the middle of tortilla, spread out slightly. **Feel free to add cheese, onion, lettuce, tomato into your burrito. Get creative per your tastes.
• Fold bottom of tortilla up over meat, fold sides in (kind of like a diaper), then roll tightly upward so that the seam is on the bottom.
• Place in a baking dish or if making individually, place seam side down on a plate. Ladle sauce over top, sprinkle cheddar cheese generously.
• Cover (so your microwave doesn’t look like a massacre scene) and microwave for 1 minute. Or bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted and bubbly approximately 30 minutes.

FAQ’s

1. Can some of the steps in making this great recipe ahead of time? YES! This is how I recommend you do it. The Wet Burrito sauce and the Wet Burrito meat can be made the day before or earlier in the day. This gives you time to enjoy your family and friends. If you are going to bake the burritos in a 9×13 you can assemble the day before as well. If you decide to give people the ability to make there own warm up the meat and sauce right before assembling.
2. This Wet Burrito recipe feeds 12 people can I cut it in half? You most definitely can cut this recipe in half. Or might I suggest as long as you are putting the work in, make the whole recipe and freeze half for later. Allow sauce and meat to cool then freeze in freezer safe airtight container for up to 3 months before thawing and reheating. It’s two meals with the work of one!
3. Can I make Wet Burritos ahead of time and freeze them? You most definitely can do this a few different ways. 1. Make individual burritos wrap in plastic wrap place in freezer safe zip loc bag and freeze with sauce on the side. When ready to eat remove from freezer microwave or reheat in a skillet after thawing. 2. Assemble smaller burritos using fajita tortillas meat in the middle, roll burrito, line in a freezer safe pan, cover with sauce and cheese, seal tight with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze. Be sure to thaw both and reheat fully before consuming. Also be sure to mark clearly note what is in package and how to cook after thawing. 3. Freeze meat mixture in an freezer safe container and sauce in separate container, thaw and assemble as you like.
4. Can I substitute ground turkey or chicken for the beef? Yes, make exactly the same only change is substitution of ground chicken or turkey meat.  
5. How could I make this dairy free and gluten free? Use whatever gluten free flour substitute you have, I know King Arthur has a great one. Also Siete foods makes a great GF tortilla that we have tried. What I have not tried is plant based cheese, but I have heard there are some great alternatives. So if you have one I would use that. And the milk in the sauce can be left out.

Tips & Suggestions

If by chance you have never eaten a wet burrito, or never made them at home here are a few tips and suggestions I would like to add, to hopefully make this wet burrito making experience the very best! It’s really a very easy recipe.

• It may seem like a large number of ingredients, so might I suggest that you get everything out ahead of time, and do any prep ie. cutting onion, thawing meat, to make this experience go smoothly!
• Sauce should slowly drip off the spoon, not run.  The sauce is more like a gravy or marinara sauce consistency, it’s not as loose as red enchilada sauce.
• Burrito assembly line: Gather all your ingredients, flour tortillas, meat, sauce, cheese, and any other toppings or add ons you like and start the assembly line.
• Make sure when microwaving your burritos to melt the cheese that you cover in it to save your microwave from looking like your worst nightmare!
• Add some chips, pico de gallo, guacamole and you are basically the best party thrower everah!

Serving Suggestions

• Serve Wet Burritos with any and all of your favorite burrito toppings: Cheese, Pico de gallo, guacamole, fresh chopped lettuce, chopped onion, cilantro leaves, pickled red onion, sour cream
• Side dishes that go great with Wet Burritos would be Spanish Rice, rice and black beans, chips and guacamole, refried beans.

So this is my Grandma Beatty’s Burrito recipe, it’s as good as or better than any Mexican restaurant. I’m entrusting it to you. It’s near and dear to my heart so treat it well, love your peeps with it, and in remembrance of Grandma Beatty get a little sassy while your cooking it, let your inner Beatty free! Say it like it is, no holds bar, get down with your badself. You know these burritos are good, because despite grandma being a bit of a pill, we all came running when she called and said she was making her smothered burritos! She loved us. Her words may not have shown it, but her food did! She also loved to make Ken her Peanut Butter Pie. I do miss her.

I let my peeps top with their favorite toppings. Sink your fork into that bad boy! This is no regular burrito! There’s just something special about a this meal—it’s hearty, comforting, and meant to be shared around the table with the people you love. Whether you’re making them for a busy weeknight, stocking your freezer, or delivering a meal to a friend, I hope this recipe becomes one you come back to again and again. If you give it a try, I’d love for you to leave a star rating in the recipe card—it helps others find and trust this recipe. And don’t forget to Pin it for later and share it with someone who could use a delicious, homemade meal. Who will you gather around the table with?

From my table to yours with love, Sheila