A breakfast burrito with quesadilla vibes

Everyone’s telling you how you should eat for the new year. (We are too.) Just know that not all tips apply to all people. Case in point: My colleague Ben needs a good breakfast to fuel his day; I can’t stand eating first thing in the morning.

What Ben and other morning people need is an on-the-go breakfast, just for one, something you might be able to eat on an impending, endless drive at the moment when the hunger really hits you.

The solution: this breakfast burrito.

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Genevieve doesn’t eat breakfast, but her twin daughters do. Here, she teaches them how to make these burritos on their own.

On a busy weekday morning, you can wrap and roll your own in the kitchen in minutes and have only a cutting board and a pan to wash. I press a warm tortilla directly onto the cheesy egg mixture while it’s still cooking in the pan like a quesadilla. The eggs set in the process, and the cheese clings to the tortilla, so the whole thing can be flipped out of the pan. When rolled, the tortilla and filling spiral together for perfectly balanced bites of charred vegetables, cheesy eggs and tender wrapper.

Once wrapped in foil, the burrito is ready to go — or ready to go sit in morning traffic with you until you need it.

Or, if you’re like me and crave breakfast foods only after noon, you can throw this together for lunch or dinner anytime.

The tortilla spirals around the filling in this unique burrito technique.

(Leslie Grow / For The Times)

Weekday Breakfast Burritos With Seared Tomatoes and Avocado

15 minutes. Serves 1.

Ingredients

• 1 burrito-size flour tortilla
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 small tomato, cored, seeded, and cut in ½-inch chunks
• A pinch of granulated sugar
• Kosher salt
• ½ small avocado, peeled and cut in ½-inch chunks
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Salsa or hot sauce (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place the tortilla in the skillet and warm, flipping once, until pliable, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a cutting board or plate larger than the skillet.
2. Raise the heat to medium-high. Pour the oil into the pan and swirl to coat. When it shimmers, add the tomato in a single layer. Sprinkle with the sugar and a pinch of salt. Stir once and let sear until caramelized on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Add the avocado, sprinkle with salt, and sear until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
3. Crack the eggs into the pan and immediately stir vigorously to scramble, then gently stir to distribute the egg-tomato-avocado in an even round smaller in diameter than the tortilla. Season with salt and sprinkle the cheese on top, then center the tortilla over the mixture and press gently. There should be a 1 to 2 inch rim between the tortilla and filling. Let stand until the cheese melts against the tortilla, about 2 minutes.
4. Remove from heat, then quickly flip the tortilla with the filling clinging to it onto a cutting board or plate. (To ensure nothing spills, you can center the board or plate over the skillet and carefully flip both together, then lift off the skillet.) Fold in two sides of the tortilla, then roll tightly so the filing is spiraled with the tortilla. Immediately wrap in foil and eat, adding salsa or hot sauce if desired.

Make ahead: The wrapped burrito will stay warm for up to 1 hour.