To be honest, I have never heard of Chile Colorado beef burritos, but apparently they are popular and delicious in the Tex-Mex world. The meat inside of these burritos is so simple to make, but tastes absolutely amazing. It falls apart when you poke it with your fork.
Whether cooking in the Instant Pot or slow cooker, once the meat is ready, you will wrap it up in a big flour tortilla, smother it in sauce and cheese on top, and broil to perfection (you could also make it without smothering it in sauce and cheese – it’s up to you!).
What is Chile Colorado?
Chili Colorado (or Chile Colorado) is a Mexican dish that is made of a red sauce and tender piece of beef. In Spanish, the word “colorado” means “colored red”, which might be a reason why it’s known by this name. You can also use a New Mexican chile in this dish (also called a Colorado chile in Mexico), which might be another reason why this style of dish is called Chile Colorado.
If you want, you can serve the meat with sauce on rice on the side instead of wrapped in a tortilla – it’s delicious either way and very versatile.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our Chile Colorado Beef Burritos, you need the following ingredients:
- Stew meat
- Enchilada sauce
- Beef bouillon cubes
- Onion
- Diced green chiles
- Chipotle pepper sauce
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Salt and pepper
- Refried beans
- Flour tortillas
- Colby jack cheese
- Beef broth (Instant Pot version only)
- Pico de gallo, guacamole, shredded lettuce, cotija cheese, cilantro, etc.
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
How to Make Our Chile Colorado Beef Burrito
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Put beef, enchilada sauce, bouillon cubes, onion, green chiles, chipotle pepper sauce, cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper into slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until meat is very tender (you could also cook on high for maybe 3-4 hours).
- When beef is done (it will be very tender and flake off when stirred), turn oven on broil.
- On an oven-proof plate or baking pan, lay out a tortilla. Place on tortilla about ½ cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or two of beans. Roll into a burrito.
- Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the slow cooker over the burrito to cover it and top with cheese.
- Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.
- Makes 6-8 burritos, depending on how full you make them.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Place beef in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Pour beef broth on top.
- Place enchilada sauce, bouillon cubes, onion, green chiles, chipotle pepper sauce, cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper on top of the meat in the Instant Pot and place the lid on top.
- Move the valve to SEALING and press the MANUAL (PRESSURE COOK) button. Set timer for 28 minutes.
- When the timer is done, let the pressure do a NATURAL RELEASE (it will take at least 15-20 minutes, but I even prefer to let the beef sit in there for a couple hours to make sure it is super tender).
- Remove lid and stir meat in the Instant Pot. The meat should be very tender and flake off when stirred.
- Turn oven to broil setting.
- On an oven-proof plate or baking pan, lay out a tortilla. Place about 1/2 cup of meat on tortilla (drain the meat by using a slotted spoon) and a spoonful or two of refried beans. Roll into a burrito.
- Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the Instant Pot over the burrito to cover it and top with cheese.
- Broil until cheese is bubbly and melted, about 2-4 minutes.
Freezer Meal Modification
In a gallon-sized freezer meal bag, add meat, enchilada sauce, beef bouillon, onion, green chiles, chipotle pepper sauce, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Squeeze out as much air as possible and seal bag closed. Place freezer bag into freezer and it will last 60-90 days. When ready to use, spray inside of slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray and dump ingredients from bag into slow cooker. Place the lid on top and cook for 8-9 hours on low heat (you can cook it for 5-6 hours on high heat, but it will not be as tender as cooking it low and slow). Shred meat using 2 forks (it should be very tender and just flake off when stirred so you might not even need to shred it with forks) and assemble into burritos. Follow the rest of instructions as written.
Serving Suggestions
We recommend serving this recipe with our Mexican Street Corn Salad, Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice, and Slow Cooker Refried Beans. You can find more Mexican-inspired recipes here.
Enjoy More Delicious Beef Main Dishes
The possibilities for delicious beef main dishes are endless, from cuts of meat like steak or roast, to family-friendly ground beef dishes, explore our comprehensive collection of beef recipes.
- Grilled Ribeye Steak
- Instant Pot Ground Beef Burrito Bowls
- Instant Pot Chipotle Barbacoa
- Instant Pot Pepper Steak
- Instant Pot Steak Fajitas
- Korean BBQ Beef
- Mom’s Steak Marinade
- Oven Baked Beef Tacos
- Tangy Marinated Steak
Chile Colorado Beef Burritos Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds stew meat, cubed
- 19 ounces enchilada sauce, 1 can
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 ounces diced green chiles, 1 can
- 2 Tablespoon chipotle pepper sauce
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
- 16 ounces refried beans, 1 can
- 8 burrito size flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded colby jack cheese, (any cheese will work)
- ½ cup beef broth, Instant Pot version only
- favorite burrito toppings (pico, guac, shredded lettuce, cotija cheese, cilantro, etc), optional
Instructions
Slow Cooker Instructions
- Spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray.
- Put beef, enchilada sauce, bouillon cubes, onion, green chiles, chipotle pepper sauce, cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper into slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until meat is very tender (you could also cook on high for maybe 3-4 hours).
- When beef is done (it will be very tender and flake off when stirred), turn oven on broil.
- On an oven-proof plate or baking pan, lay out a tortilla. Place on tortilla about ½ cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or two of beans. Roll into a burrito.
- Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the slow cooker over the burrito to cover it and top with cheese.
- Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.
- Makes 6-8 burritos, depending on how full you make them.
Instant Pot Instructions
- Place beef in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Pour beef broth on top.
- Place enchilada sauce, bouillon cubes, onion, green chiles, chipotle pepper sauce, cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper on top of the meat in the Instant Pot and place the lid on top.
- Move the valve to SEALING and press the MANUAL (PRESSURE COOK) button. Set timer for 28 minutes.
- When the timer is done, let the pressure do a NATURAL RELEASE (it will take at least 15-20 minutes, but I even prefer to let the beef sit in there for a couple hours to make sure it is super tender).
- Remove lid and stir meat in the Instant Pot. The meat should be very tender and flake off when stirred.
- Turn oven to broil setting.
- On an oven-proof plate or baking pan, lay out a tortilla. Place about 1/2 cup of meat on tortilla (drain the meat by using a slotted spoon) and a spoonful or two of refried beans. Roll into a burrito.
- Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the Instant Pot over the burrito to cover it and top with cheese.
- Broil until cheese is bubbly and melted, about 2-4 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
Perfect! I was looking for a new chicken slow cooker recipe, thank you!!!
I am making this for dinner tonight! Just wanted to tell you this is my favorite recipe blog and I have tried many of your recipes and loved them. Thank you!
If you want a much more tasteful dish season the meat first with either packaged taco or fajita seasoning or do your own with cumin, chili powder, pepper, salt, garlic powder and oregano. Also chop up an onion too and put that at the bottom of the crock pot. After the meat cooks pour the juice out then put some of the saved enchilada sauce back in like you would with bbq sauce for pulled pork and heat for another 1/2 hour. Happy eating!
I’ve been making these for a few months now. They freeze well too. The fillings and sauce are “adaptable” too. Sometimes I use black beans and rice inside with the meat. I also don’t like canned enchilada sauce so I make mine from tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin and Rotel tomato sauce…not Rotel tomatoes but their SAUCE 🙂
I live in Denver yet had never heard of this. Think I might try it with homemade enchilada sauce tho. Nothing compairs to homemade 😉
Unfortunately I thought these were so bland. I make a roast that this reminds me of but with less flavor. I have to agree with the comment above about seasoning the meat first. I ended up adding cumin and a half a packet of taco seasoning and still just thought it was OK.
Is that ok if the cubed meat is frozen when put into the slow cooker?
It should still be ok. Try to break it up so it’s not one big chunk. Just be sure it has cooked through at the end of the cooking time.
I’ve never heard of these before I found your recipe. Giving it a try today.
I’m making this for the first time. Using an Instant Pot… didn’t season before ? Might need to After as we like FLAVOR. Thanks for the suggestions 🙂
What is chipotle pepper sauce? I searched through the condiment aisle, but did not see anything.
Tobasco makes a Chipotle Pepper Sauce. If you look on Amazon you can see a lot of different brands and most our found in grocery stores. Hope this helps.
These look so great!! Is chipotle pepper sauce spicy? If so, do you know of a good non-spicy substitute? 🙂
It looks super easy and tasty especially for a work day! Set it and forget it. I’ll add seasoning at beginning too because we like A lot of flavor and spice.
This recipe isn’t super hot. The burritos aren’t too spicy, but have a little kick. Our kids ate them so I know it wasn’t too much spice.
Can this recipe be made in a instant pot
Most slow cooker meals can easily be adapted to the Instant Pot. Here is a Youtube video we made on converting recipes to the instant pot. It should help – https://youtu.be/8DKWGgsKY9s
Great meal! It is so hard to find a crockpot recipe my family likes. I say Crockpot and immediately I get rolled eyes. But not with this one. My husband said if I swapped out the beef for pork it would be just like red chili, similar to what my family makes.
This recipe is in our monthly rotation. We live in southern Colorado, 20 miles from the NM border. This is the one.
This recipe was lick-your-dish amazing.
Finally, I have to rate this easy Six Sisters’ recipe the five stars it deserves! I’ve made it so many times and it always comes out delicious! Although not necessary, I sear the Chuck Roast, put it in the crockpot, along with Rosarita Enchilada sauce, and everything listed., except the chipotle pepper sauce. Everybody loves it!
I’m in heaven! I LOVE chili Colorado and this recipe is the best I’ve ever eaten. Mexican cuisine is my favorite food and I’m beyond thrilled that I’ve finally found this recipe and have shared it with all of my friends who love Mexican cuisine like I do! Thank you Six Sisters!
ps-keep the sauce for huevos, a veggie burrito with pinto, black, or refried beans, etc.
Debbie, we are so glad that you loved the recipe and shared it with friends!
This recipe is fantastic! I make it now once a month, sometimes more often. The taste is superb. I also leave on warm for several hours as suggested. One of few recipes that I have added to our dinner meal rotation.