Loaded breakfast burritos with beans and eggs

Burritos have a reputation as lunch food, but a loaded breakfast version is one of the easiest things to batch on a weekend. The idea is simple: a warm tortilla, a layer of soft beans and eggs, then cold crunchy vegetables and a little melted cheese to hold it all together. Every bite gets a bit of everything.

Beans are a good place to start the story. Tinned beans are cooked, so you are only warming them through and seasoning them, which makes this a quick job on a busy morning. Keep the liquid from the tin in the cupboard, not down the sink, and add a splash if the beans look dry when you warm them. Spinach works the same way: frozen spinach, once thawed and squeezed well, adds plenty of green without making the wrap soggy.

The tortillas are where most people go wrong. If you warm them in a hot pan they crisp and crack before you can roll them. Stack them on a dry pan over low heat and keep moving the top one to the bottom. They should feel soft and pliable, like a warm dishcloth, and that is when they are ready to fill.

Assembly is easier if you line up your fillings in the order you will use them. Put the cold things, tomato, pepper, spring onion and avocado, on one side, and the warm beans and eggs closest to the tortilla edge. Go lightly on the filling at first. A wrap that is overstuffed will split at the seam, and a little less in each one means it stays neat in the hand. If you would like a version with a softer, more set egg centre and no wrap at all, try Oven Eggs in Creamy Avocado Halves for a similar flavour in a different format.

If you are making these ahead, wrap each burrito tightly in foil or baking paper once rolled and keep it in the fridge. Eat them within a day, and reheat from cold in a dry pan on a low heat, turning often, until the centre is hot. Avoid the microwave for the tortilla itself, which goes chewy. Leftover beans and scrambled egg also keep well in separate containers, so you can rebuild a quick breakfast later in the week without cooking from scratch.

For something to serve alongside, a bowl of sliced cucumber or a handful of crisp salad leaves works well, and if you want a warm dish on the table too, our Pepper pancakes with fresh tomato relish pair nicely with the same bright tomato and sweet pepper flavours. A plate of Spinach and Mushroom Omelette with Avocado would also make a good companion for a weekend brunch spread.

Tomatoes are worth a note. Out of season, tinned tomatoes drained and chopped can stand in for fresh in the warm filling, though the fresh ones give the lift that makes this taste like summer.