Our Protein-Packed Breakfast Burrito: Perfect for Meal Preppers

Our make-ahead, high-protein breakfast burrito recipe might just save your mornings with its easy prep and even easier reheating. Only 30 minutes of prep early in the week will guarantee a hot, protein-laden breakfast on the table in under 10 minutes for the mornings to come. 

We all have those days when we’re running around our kitchen like a chicken with its head cut off. Nothing is ready, the coffee is burnt, and we end up eating cereal or cold leftovers for breakfast simply because we didn’t have time for anything more satisfying and proteinaceous. Enter these make-ahead, high-protein breakfast burritos.

According to Ksenia Prints of At the Immigrant’s Table, these burritos are loaded with turkey, cottage cheese, and eggs for protein, and get a boost of flavors and vitamins from veggies, salsa, and cheese. They require only a short amount of work that can be done even months in advance. The freezer does the rest, and a quick reheating in the oven or even a microwave makes for a perfect breakfast routine.

To make these burritos, you’ll need olive oil, a red onion, red bell pepper — though any other color of bell pepper will do as well — garlic, chili powder, cumin, and salt and pepper, to taste. For the protein, we love using lean ground turkey, large eggs, and some drained cottage cheese. Large flour tortillas for wrapping, shredded cheddar cheese, salsa, and hot sauce, for flavor, and if you like it, some sour cream, for serving. You’ll need 2 pans to cook it all, and parchment paper and foil for wrapping the burritos to store them in the freezer.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Saute the diced onion for about 4 minutes.

Add the peppers and cook 3 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.

Add the ground turkey, chili powder, and cumin, and cook until the turkey is browned and cooked through, approximately 7 minutes.

Whisk the eggs with salt and pepper.

In a separate pan, preheat the remaining oil on low-medium heat.

Scramble the eggs until just set.

Combine the turkey mixture with the scrambled eggs.

Add the cottage cheese and mix.

Warm the tortillas on a dry skillet or in the microwave for 10 seconds.

To assemble the burritos, spread the egg-turkey mixture in the center of the tortilla and top with the cheddar, salsa, and hot sauce.

Fold the sides in, then roll tightly.

Serve with optional sour cream, salsa, and hot sauce on the side, as desired.

To store, wrap individually in parchment paper, then foil. Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month.

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If you’re going to freeze burritos — and you really should, to make life a bit easier — you need to make sure they cool completely before wrapping. This helps prevent condensation, which causes sogginess and freezer burn.

To further protect them from freezer burn, wrap each burrito first in parchment paper, which absorbs excess moisture, then tightly in aluminum foil, creating a double barrier. You can then store them in a freezer-safe zip-top bag with the air pressed out. Label each package with the date and contents, and they should be good in the freezer for up to 3 months.

When reheating from frozen, unwrap the foil but keep the parchment paper, and microwave for 2-3 minutes, flipping the burrito halfway through. For a crispy exterior, thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then unwrap completely and heat in a 375 F oven for 10-12 minutes, or for 8-10 minutes in a toaster oven or air fryer.

We love how easy these burritos are to make ahead of time and heat up in a pinch, and they also happen to be quite versatile — you can play around with them and take them in any direction you like. First off, if you’re not a fan of turkey, you can use ground beef or tofu for the scramble — just make sure to press and then shred or tear the tofu so it soaks up the flavors better.

To boost the protein while reducing the carb count, replace the flour tortillas with egg white wraps, cauliflower crepes, or large leaves like collard greens. Increase the protein content by doubling the ground turkey to 2 pounds and adding an extra 4 egg whites to the recipe. You can also add in more protein-rich ingredients such as chopped bacon, diced chicken breast, or a quarter cup of hemp seeds. If you don’t love cottage cheese, you can replace it with high-protein Greek yogurt, though it has less protein and a tangier flavor. Finally, you can add a scoop of unflavored protein powder to the egg mixture before scrambling.

For flavor without carbs, increase seasonings like cumin and chili powder, and add fresh herbs such as cilantro and oregano. Instead of the bell pepper, which contains some carbs, use lower-carb vegetables like spinach, mushrooms, or zucchini.

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