Easy burritos for an easier November
Tuck these in the freezer now; thank yourself later.
Cooking
November 4, 2025

Hello! Today we have for you:

Easy burritos with ground beef, beans and cheese are cut open and stacked to reveal their melty insides.
Ali Slagle’s easy burritos. Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Easy burritos, because November is hard

By Mia Leimkuhler

Hello, fellow home cooks! Hope your November is off to a nice start.

There’s a concept in cycling called the “false flat” — a stretch of road that appears to be level, but is in fact a steady and persistent incline. You start the false flat feeling pretty good, it’s not so bad, nothing you can’t handle. But then, a couple of clicks in, you feel a little winded. Your legs are tired, and your pace is slowing. You need a break and everything is annoying.

If you celebrate Thanksgiving — especially if you’re in charge of the big dinner — November can feel like one long false flat.

The key to conquering it is proper energy management and shifting gears when necessary. A little bit of planning ahead makes a lot of difference, which is why today I’m sharing with you Ali Slagle’s recipe for easy burritos.

Make these Los Angeles-style burritos — congrats, Dodgers — for dinner tonight, skipping the seasoned ground beef to make them vegetarian, or swapping the beef for chicken or turkey. (As ever, the reader comments on this five-star recipe are full of excellent tips and suggestions.)

But do make extras, so that you can stash them, foil-wrapped, into the freezer. That way, when November’s uphill climb starts to feel really sluggish, you can shift to an easier gear, pull these out and reheat them in the microwave, oven or air fryer. That last one comes suggested by fellow readers. A little help from friends always makes inclines much easier.

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Easy Burritos

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Three more “eat some now, freeze the rest for later” November-savers

Article Image

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Marcella Hazan’s Bolognese Sauce

Recipe from Marcella Hazan

Adapted by The New York Times

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

28,088

At least 4 hours

Makes 2 heaping cups, for about 6 servings and 1 1/2 pounds pasta

Two bowls of red lentil soup are garnished with cilantro leaves; a plate of lemon wedges and a pot of soup are nearby.

Joseph De Leo for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Red Lentil Soup

By Melissa Clark

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

35,878

45 minutes

Makes  4 servings

Article Image

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Chicken Enchiladas

By Rick Martínez

Filled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled StarFilled Star

3,469

65 minutes 

Makes 6 servings

Turkey Day Tracker

At the risk of giving you too many homework assignments, I’m also going to encourage you to make Samin Nosrat’s chicken stock. For all of your Thanksgiving needs, yes, but for any of the soups and stews and grains and beans you’d like to make between now and the end of January. (This stock will keep in the freezer for up to three months.) Feel free to use the carcass and bones from your roast chicken here, but, as Samin notes, at least half of the bones should be raw. I like to pick up bags of gelatin-rich chicken feet from my local Asian supermarket, which, for those who appreciate the macabre, is a nice way to extend spooky season.

That’s enough meal prepping for now. Time to click around and daydream about our ideal feast, assembling all-stars from our very best Thanksgiving recipes:

Article Image

Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi.

Our Best Thanksgiving Recipes

These are our most-loved Thanksgiving recipes including stuffing, pies, mashed potatoes, turkey and more.

And before you go

“Proper energy management” and “shifting gears,” also means, I think, giving yourself some sweetness when you need it most. A (heaping) spoonful of Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding always does the trick, boosting both my energy and mood. Click here or on the image below to watch Carolina Gelen assemble this beloved treat:

A hand holds a serving of Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding.
I’m bananas for this pudding. (It had to be done.) Carolina Gelen

One last note — in Monday’s newsletter, the link for “baked taco ziti” at the top of the newsletter mistakenly pointed to Melissa Clark’s chickpea stew with orzo and mustard greens. It should have linked to her baked skillet pasta with Cheddar and spiced onions. Apologies for the error!

Thanks for reading!

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