Vegetarian Burrito Bowl
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Skip the Chipotle line (and prices!) by making this yummy Chipotle-like vegetarian burrito bowl at home. The best part is you don’t have to pay extra for guac! This easy vegetarian burrito bowl recipe includes make-ahead ingredients for quick assembly during the week. It’s flavourful, healthy, filling, versatile, and ideal for meal prep.
Why you’ll love this recipe
This vegetarian burrito bowl will help keep your wallet and belly full. At Chipotle, the burrito bowls are around £12 a piece. This homemade version is around £4 for about four to five servings.
It’s also easy to customize each veggie burrito bowl, leaving off or adding various ingredients. With pre-chopped veggies and pre-made ingredients, you can have everyone in your family build their own bowl according to their preferences. This recipe is also great for meal prep during the week, so you’ll have a yummy, healthy dish to take to work.
Bonus – This plant-based burrito bowl is ready in less than 30 minutes, so it’s great for a fast weeknight meal.
Here are some other veggie recipes to try; Smokin’ Chickpea Vegetarian Gyros, Cheesy Gnocchi Bake (Vegetarian) and Lentil and Chickpea Curry
What is a vegetarian burrito bowl?
A vegetarian burrito bowl typically contains rice, beans, cheese, veggies, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. However, it’s easy to adjust the ingredients to fit your budget and needs. For example, you can add tofu or seitan to increase the protein in this Mexican veggie bowl. Or, leave off the guac, cheese or sour cream.
Ingredients
Black Beans
Black beans help make each vegetarian burrito bowl feel more hearty. They also provide protein and fibre to help you feel fuller. You can use other beans if you wish, like pinto.
Mushrooms
Mushrooms offer a meaty consistency to each Mexican rice bowl. Use whichever mushrooms you prefer in this recipe. I like using chestnut mushrooms to help keep the cost down.
Broccoli
Adding broccoli to each burrito bowl helps boost the nutrients and make the dish more filling. You can also use other veg, like cauliflower or carrots.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Adaptations
There are many ways to spice up this vegetarian burrito bowl during the week. You can add meat to the burrito bowl, like steak or chicken. Or, include more veggies like roasted sweet potatoes and fajita vegetables. Avocado crema as your burrito bowl sauce is a great way to boost the flavour.
You can also skip the rice and include quinoa as the base for this burrito bowl. Make each bowl more low-calorie by using a lettuce base instead of rice. Luckily, the ingredients in this recipe are also vegan. Leave off sour cream, cheese, and meat to ensure it’s a vegan burrito bowl.
What are some burrito bowl toppings?
This vegetarian burrito bowl recipe is versatile. You can add nearly any topping you like (including what you usually order at Chipotle!). A few topping ideas include sour cream, brown rice (instead of white), radishes, freshly grated cheese, cilantro (coriander), jalapeños, tortilla chips, and Cowboy Caviar.
How to make vegetarian burrito bowls
- Slice your broccoli stalks into small pieces and the broccoli head into florets (Image 1).
- Then add the stalks to your airfryer basket. Add a sprinkle of paprika and 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook at 375°F (190°C) for 10 minutes (Image 2).
*During this time, cook your rice.
3. Add the mushrooms and thinly sliced onion to a frying pan with the remaining rapeseed oil. Fry for 5 minutes over a high heat (Image 3).
4. Meanwhile, to maximise crispiness, cook the florets separately to the stalks at the same temperature for 8 minutes (Image 4.
5. Then add half of the spice blend to the mushrooms and onions (Image 5).
6. Season with salt and pepper and fry for 2 minutes. Set the mushrooms and onion aside (Image 6).
7. Add one of the cans of black beans, all the remaining spices and a vegetable stock cube to a blender cup. Blend together until smooth (Image 7).
8. Then add the blended beans into the pan, along with the other can including the liquids. Cook over a medium heat for around 8 minutes. Season to taste (Image 8).
9. Place the diced tomatoes in a colander with a generous pinch of salt, allow the excess moisture to drain. Then in a bowl add the coriander, diced red onion and the juice of half a lime (Image 1).
10. Then mix together to ensure everything is fully incorporated.
Divide the elements into meal prep containers, storing the pico de gallo separately. Freeze half of the portions (apart from the salad) if you are meal prepping, just for yourself. Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes before serving with a few spoonfuls of the salsa and a sprinkle of fresh coriander.
Tips for the best result
Save time by pre-cooking items
If you know you’ll be tight on time during the week, make this vegetarian burrito bowl dish a make-ahead recipe. Pre-cook all the elements and pack them separately so you can easily assemble the bowls for dinner or lunch during the week.
Cook your ingredients in bulk
Since the rice, beans, and mushrooms freeze well, you can cook these items in bulk to make future burrito bowl assembly go more quickly.
Use only ingredients you love
This recipe is simple, so using ingredients you enjoy is ideal. Otherwise, you may only want to eat the burrito bowl once during the week.
Need something sweet to finish with? Try my: Mini Egg Cheesecake, Rocky Road or Rice Krispie Treats
How to Meal Prep Burrito Bowls
Vegetarian burrito bowl meal prep is quite simple. Chop and cook the veggies (broccoli, mushrooms, onions) according to the recipe. You’ll also want to make your cilantro lime rice ahead of time. Create the pico de gallo salsa in this vegetarian burrito bowl recipe. Make the blended beans.
Once you’ve prepped each topping, portion them into four airtight containers. Pack the salsa separately. Before packing your burrito bowl in your lunch bag, add a few spoonfuls of salsa, and you’re ready to go!
Here are some other vegetarian meal prep recipes to try: Healthy Noodle Bowls and Easy Meatless Baked Ziti (Vegetarian)
Freeze, Reheat, and Storage Tips
You can freeze a leftover vegetarian burrito bowl. However, it’s best to freeze them without most veggies (only the rice, beans, and mushrooms should go in the freezer). These burrito bowls should last up to three months in the freezer. When you’re ready to reheat them, simply defrost the bowls overnight in the fridge. Then, microwave the base and top with freshly prepared veggies and salsa.
Keep assembled burrito bowls in the fridge for up to four days. If you’re creating make-ahead meals using this recipe, you should store every component in a separate container. Then, layer them in a bowl when you’re ready to enjoy a high-protein vegetarian burrito bowl.
Is rice safe to reheat?
Yes! Just refrigerate the rice when it’s cool enough in an airtight container. The risks of bad bacteria in the rice arise when stored at room temperature. This means you should also defrost the bowls in the fridge.
Here are a few more Mexican-inspired bowls you can create during the week for easy meal prep: Low Carb Mexican Inspired Chicken Meal Prep Bowls, Halloumi and Sweet Potato Tex-Mex Bowls, or Loaded Vegetarian Nacho Bowls.
FAQs
You don’t have to use rice in a vegetarian burrito bowl. If you prefer, you can leave it out. Or, you can use an alternative, like cauliflower rice. As a note, if you leave the rice out, the bowls will be less filling.
Yes, burrito bowls are relatively healthy (depending on the ingredients you use). You’ll have a filling, delicious, healthy meal if you focus on creating a bowl with a good amount of veg, protein, and fibre.
Yes, you can eat a burrito bowl every day if you like. Though, it’s always best to consult your doctor before making any major diet changes. Most of the ingredients in a burrito bowl are quite healthy. However, if you’re adding a lot of cheese, sour cream, guacamole, or other similar high-fat ingredients, it may not be wise to consume a burrito bowl daily.
Yes, you can make a vegetarian bowl high in protein. You can add double the amount of black beans and reduce the amount of rice. Or, add cooked tofu, seitan, or another vegetarian alternative to the recipe.
Yes! If you have some meat-eaters in the family, you can absolutely add meat to a burrito bowl. Chicken, steak, shrimp, and pork all work well in a burrito bowl.
The best way to store guacamole is by putting it in an airtight container. Squeeze a layer of lemon or lime juice on top to help keep it from oxidizing and turning brown. Make sure to cover the guacamole whenever it’s not in use.
If you tried this Vegetarian Burrito Bowl recipe, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Veggie Burrito Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 broccoli, sliced into florets & stalks chopped into cubes (£0.70)
- 300 g rice, rinsed thoroughly (£0.52)
- 250 g mushrooms, thinly sliced (£0.70)
- 1 red onion, ½ finely diced, ½ thinly sliced (£0.13)
- 2 tins of black beans (£0.65x2)=(£1.30)
- 6 salad tomatoes, diced (£0.60)
- Bunch of fresh coriander (£0.60)
- Juice of half a lime + wedges to serve (£0.25)
Cupboard Essentials
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- Salt and pepper
- Vegetable stock cube
Method
- Start by adding the broccoli florets and stalks to your airfryer basket. Add a sprinkle of paprika and 1 tbsp of rapeseed oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Cook at 370°F (190°C) for 10 minutes. If you want to maximise crispiness, you can cook the florets separately to the stalks at the same temperature for 8 minutes.
- During this time, cook your rice.
- Add the mushrooms and thinly sliced onion to a frying pan with the remaining rapeseed oil. Fry for 5 minutes over a high heat, then add half of the spice blend. Season with salt and pepper and continue to fry for 2 minutes.
- Set the mushrooms and onion aside. Blend one can of the black beans with a hand blender then add into the pan, along with the other can including the liquids. Add the remaining spice blend and vegetable stock cube. Cook over a medium heat for around 8 minutes. Season to taste.
- Place the diced tomatoes in a colander with a generous pinch of salt, allow the excess moisture to drain before combining with the coriander, diced red onion and the juice of half a lime.
- Divide the elements into meal prep containers, storing the pico de gallo separately. Freeze half of the portions (apart from the tomato salsa) if you are meal prepping, just for yourself. Reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes before serving with a few spoonfuls of the salsa and a sprinkle of fresh coriander.
Notes
- Save time during busy weeks by pre-cooking and packing individual elements for a quick assembly of vegetarian burrito bowls.
- Cook rice, beans, and mushrooms in bulk as they freeze well, streamlining future burrito bowl preparations.
- Optimize the simplicity of the recipe by using only ingredients you love, ensuring a satisfying experience with each burrito bowl.
Nutrition
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