Healthy Burrito Bowl
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This healthy burrito bowl will satisfy cravings for a tasty, comforting Mexican meal. Make it with lean ground beef or ground chicken, and your favorite healthy veggies and garnishes. Enjoy it immediately, or meal prep it for later. Eating healthy has never been more delicious!
🥘 Why This Recipe’s a Keeper
- This recipe is simple and easy to make. It’s ideal for the busy work week. Like healthy steak fajitas, this easy dinner idea comes together quickly.
- It’s made with healthy, fresh ingredients. Much like ordering a burrito bowl at Chipotle, you know you’re serving your family a healthy, delicious meal.
- This healthy burrito bowl is fully customizable. Add toppings and garnishes to taste.
- This meal will satisfy any size appetite. Light eaters can serve smaller portions. Hearty eaters can double down on the serving size.
🛒 Ingredients
For Cilantro Lime Rice
- Water
- Jasmine Rice
- Corn Oil or Olive Oil
- Kosher Salt
- Lime Juice
- Fresh Cilantro
Healthy Meat Mixture
- Corn Oil or Olive Oil
- Lean Ground Beef or Ground Chicken
- Taco Seasoning (or 1 taco spice packet)
- Tomato Sauce
- Warm Water
- Canned Corn
- Canned Black Beans
- Optional: Canned diced green chiles
- Monterey Jack or Mild Cheddar Cheese
Fresh Veggies
- Romaine Lettuce
- Grape Tomatoes or Roma Tomatoes
- Large Haas Avocado (sliced) or Authentic Mexican Guacamole
Optional Toppings
- Mild Cheddar Cheese
- Sour Cream (regular or light)
- Black Olives
- Tortilla Chips, snapped/broken
- Lime Wedges, for squeezing
- Hot Sauce, Salsa Verde, or Mexican Salsa
- Pico de Gallo
⏲ Recipe Steps
Make Cilantro Lime Rice
RECIPE PREP: For a healthy burrito bowl, removing surface starch from the rice is important. Rinse rice in a mesh strainer under cold running water. Use your fingers to separate the grains. Continue rinsing until water runs clear.
- Warm the oil in small heavy pot over medium heat.
- Add the rice. Sauté briefly. Just until the grains become translucent. Add hot water and salt. Stir. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to low/simmer. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Allow rice to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.
- Remove pot from heat. Wrap lid in a lint-free cotton cloth. Place it back on the pot. Let the rice sit undisturbed for 10-15 minutes. Lift the lid. Fluff with a fork. Fold in lime juice, cilantro, remaining oil, and a pinch of salt. Do a taste test. Add more lime juice, cilantro, or salt if needed.
Make the Meat Mixture
RECIPE PREP: Rinse and drain black beans. Drain corn and chiles. Shred the cheese. Place measured ingredients near the stove, ready to go.
- Warm corn oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pat the raw meat dry between paper towels. This will help prevent it from steaming. Add meat to the hot pan. With a heat-safe spatula, smash it into an even layer. But don’t break up the meat just yet.
- Once edges are brown, flip it over in sections. Brown the second side. Break it up into little pieces. By waiting until this point to break up the meat, we’ve prevented the juices from quickly evaporating and creating steam. Steamed ground beef turns gray and develops a mealy texture. Our burrito bowl will feature juicy brown meat.
- Once the beef is almost cooked through, drain off the fat. Add taco seasoning, water, and tomato sauce. Simmer 2 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Fold in corn, black beans, and chiles. Simmer until sauce has thickened and veggies are warm. About 3 to 4 minutes. Do a taste test. If needed, add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle Monterey Jack cheese over the top. Fold it in. Let it melt.
🧑🏼🍳 Expert Tip: When cooking ground beef in a skillet, chefs often use oil for better browning. This also prevents meat from sticking to the pan.
Assemble the Healthy Burrito Bowl
FOR BURRITO BOWL MEAL PREP: Use microwave-safe containers with air-tight lids. Store warm ingredients (meat and rice) separate from fresh ingredients.
- Line the bottom of the bowl with a thick layer of shredded lettuce.
- Add a large scoop of cilantro lime rice, and cheesy ground beef or chicken.
- Add shredded cheese, grape tomatoes, avocados, olives, and snapped tortilla chips. Include a few wedges of lime.
- If desired, drizzle the top with sour cream. Serve with hot sauce or your favorite salsa.
🧑🏼🍳 Expert Tip: Wide shallow bowls are ideal for serving this recipe.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQ
These are the most commonly asked questions when making a healthy burrito bowl, and the most helpful answers for recipe success.
It’s a burrito served without a tortilla. Healthy fillings are assembled in a bowl.
For a lean grind with the best flavor, 85/15 is a good choice. Leaner grinds will be dryer. To make the meat juicer, add a drizzle of corn oil or olive oil.
Season the meat after browning ,and after draining off the fat. This will prevent the spices from being drained off too. It also prevents salt in the spice mix from drawing out moisture from the beef, making it less juicy.
To prevent sticky rice. We want the individual grains of rice separate, soft and fluffy. A pot of freshly-cooked rice has a lot of steam. The cloth wrapped around the lid absorbs the steam while keeping the rice warm. If we just removed the lid to release the steam, the rice would cool and harden.
Store cooked meat and rice in air-tight containers and refrigerate. Later, when re-warming meat and rice, shred the lettuce. Slice avocado and tomatoes. To save time, use pre-shredded cheese. Assemble the bowl with desired toppings.
Stored in an air-tight container, an assembled burrito bowl can stay fresh in the fridge for up to 2 days. For the best taste and texture, separate the fresh crisp ingredients from the warm ingredients (meat and rice).
🍽 More Healthy Dinner Recipes
- Healthy Tortilla Wraps
- Mexican Chicken and Rice
- Easy Chicken Tostadas
- Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos
- Tequila Lime Wings
- Crunchy Ground Beef Tacos
Rate This Recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Those who’ve tried this healthy burrito bowl say it rivals the bowls from their favorite Tex-Mex restaurants. If you agree, give it a 5-star rating in the comments. Then be a recipe hero. Share it with friends. 📌 Pin it to Pinterest.
Healthy Burrito Bowl
- Total Time: 35 Minutes
- Yield: 5 Servings 1x
Description
This healthy burrito bowl features lean ground beef or ground chicken, fresh veggies and your favorite garnishes. It’s an easy, satisfying dinner.
Ingredients
CILANTRO LIME RICE
- 2 cups jasmine rice
- 1 1/2 tablespoons corn oil or olive oil, divided
- 3 cups hot water
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
MEAT MIXTURE
- 1 pound lean ground beef or ground chicken
- 2 1/2 tablespoons corn oil or olive oil
- Homemade taco seasoning (or 1 packet taco seasoning mix)
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup warm water
- 1 cup canned corn, drained
- 1 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- Optional: 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles, drained
- 1 cup shredded cheese, Monterey Jack or mild cheddar (regular or reduced-fat)
FRESH VEGGIES
- 1 head Romaine lettuce, shredded
- 2 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
- 1 large avocado, sliced
BEST GARNISHES
- 1 cup medium cheddar cheese, shredded (regular or reduced-fat)
- 5 tablespoons sour cream (regular or light)
- 1/2 cup sliced black olives
- Tortilla chips, snapped/broken
- 2 limes, cut into wedges (for squeezing)
- 5 tablespoons hot sauce or salsa
Instructions
CILANTRO LIME RICE
Recipe Prep: Rinse rice in a mesh strainer under cold running water. Use your fingers to separate the grains. Continue rinsing until the water runs clear. Removal of surface starch is important for cooking fluffy rice. If this step is skipped, the rice will be sticky.
- Warm 1 tablespoon oil in a small heavy pot. Add the rice. Sauté briefly – just until the grains become translucent. Add hot water and salt. Stir. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to low/simmer. Cover pot with a tight-fitting lid. Allow rice to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.
- Remove pot from heat. Wrap lid in a lint-free cotton cloth. Place it back on the pot. Let rice sit undisturbed, away from heat, for 10-15 minutes. Lift the lid and remove the cloth. Fluff rice with a fork. Transfer it to a mixing bowl. Add lime juice, remaining oil, cilantro, and a pinch of salt. Gently toss to combine. Do a taste test. If needed, add more lime juice, cilantro and/or salt.
MEAT MIXTURE
- Warm corn oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Pat the raw meat dry between paper towels. This will help prevent it from steaming. Add meat to the hot pan. With a metal or wooden spatula, smash it into an even layer. But don’t break up the meat just yet.
- Once edges are brown, flip it over in sections. Brown the second side. Break it up into little pieces. By waiting until this point to break up the meat, we’ve prevented the juices from quickly evaporating and creating steam. Steamed ground beef turns gray and develops a mealy texture. Our burrito bowl will feature juicy brown meat.
- Once the beef is almost cooked through, drain off the fat. Add taco seasoning, water, and tomato sauce. Simmer 2 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Fold in corn, black beans, and chiles. Simmer until sauce has thickened and veggies are warm. About 3 to 4 minutes. Do a taste test. If needed, add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle shredded cheese over the top. Fold it in, and let it melt.
ASSEMBLE THE BURRITO BOWL
- Line the bottom of a bowl with a thick layer of shredded lettuce.
- Add a scoop of rice, and a scoop of the ground beef (or chicken) mixture.
- Add shredded cheese, grape tomatoes, avocado, olives, and snapped tortilla chips. If desired, drizzle the top with sour cream.
- Serve with hot sauce or salsa, and juicy wedges of lime.
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- What grind of beef is best for this recipe? For a lean grind with the best flavor, 85/15 is a good choice. Leaner grinds will be dryer. To make the meat juicer, add a drizzle of corn oil.
- Why wrap the lid (of the pot of rice) in a cloth? To prevent sticky rice. We want the individual grains of rice separate, soft and fluffy. A pot of freshly-cooked rice has a lot of steam. The cloth wrapped around the lid absorbs the steam while keeping the rice warm. We don’t just remove the lid to let off the steam or the rice would cool and harden.
- Burrito Bowl Meal Prep: Store cooked meat and rice in air-tight containers and refrigerate. Later, when re-warming meat and rice, shred the lettuce. Slice avocado and tomatoes. To save time, use pre-shredded cheese. Assemble the bowls. Garnish as desired.
- How long will assembled burrito bowls last? Stored in an air-tight container, a pre-assembled burrito bowl can stay fresh in the fridge for up to 2 days. For the best taste and texture, separate the fresh crisp ingredients from the warm ingredients (meat and rice).
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 20
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican, Tex-Mex
Healthy Burrito Bowl 👉🏻 Join the Convo
Are you excited to make this delicious recipe? Will you make it with lean ground beef or ground chicken? Share your thoughts on this healthy burrito bowl in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you.
I am absolutely loving the sound of this recipe! That beef mixture looks divine and I like the idea of having all the components of a burrito without the heavy carb wrap. Yum!
Great burrito bowl my husband loved it! Thank you.
These burrito bowls turned out amazing! Topped it with cilantro and green chilies and the flavors were amazing!
This burrito bowl looks really amazing! I just loveeeee Mexican food. I don’t think I’ve seen corn oil where I live though. Would love to try cooking with it so will have to hunt that down.
This looks so delicious and tasty! My boyfriend and I are going to love this recipe! So excited to give this a try!
I love burrito bowls. So easy to adapt! Yours looks delicious and super healthy.
I love a good burrito bowl recipe and this one looks fantastic!
I never thought to use jasmine rice for cilantro lime rice. That sounds so flavorful. The whole bowl looks delicious!
I love a healthy burrito bowl and this one checks all the boxes! Easy and delicious…thanks for sharing! :)
Burrito bowls have never looked more gorgeous!!! This looks like the perfect lunch to make ahead & bring to work – Pinned!