Burrito Bowls
These burrito bowls remind me of my time spent in Costa Rica. My partner and I were staying at a guesthouse with Italian hosts (I know, Italians in Costa Rica). For breakfast, they made us THE BEST breakfast burritos I have ever had. They were tightly wrapped, warm, and full of an array of veggies, eggs, avocado, fresh sausage, and of course, beans and rice. For dinner, they ran a cute Italian restaurant with fresh, handmade pasta. That is probably why we chose to stay there, we knew they loved food and valued quality, not to mention the ocean view balcony we had! Upon arriving back to Calgary in February, I needed something to transport me back to the memories of Costa Rica so I set out to make some burrito bowls!
The beautiful thing about burrito bowls is that they are SO forgiving and you can mix in your favourite toppings or whatever you might have in your fridge. So get creative, and don’t worry if you don’t have all the ingredients. Substitutions are celebrated! Remember to embrace the imperfection!
Burrito Bowls
Serves 4
Recipe by Andrea Clarke, RD, RYT
Ingredients
3-4 cups cooked long grain brown rice (1-1.5 cups dry)
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1 lb ground beef, turkey, or chicken (could sub 1 can of black beans)
1 teaspoon chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
FOR THE PICO DE GALLO
1/2 white onion, small diced
1/2 jalapeño, deseeded, small diced
4 ripe medium sized Roma tomatoes, small diced, seeds removed
Juice of 1 lime (~2 tbsp)
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
Salt, to taste
FOR THE BOWLS:
1 (340ml) can corn, drained and rinsed
1/4 teaspoon chilli powder, divided
1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder, divided
2 avocados, diced (1/2 per serving)
1 head romaine lettuce, washed and shredded (or cabbage, or iceberg, anything crunchy)
Cilantro, roughly chopped for topping
Lime, cut into wedges
Instructions
Cook rice according to package instructions.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tbsp oil. Add onion and cook until translucent, about 3-4 mins. Add garlic, cook about 1 min. Add meat, season with salt, and cook until browned on all sides. Add chilli powder, cumin, and paprika and ensure meat is evenly seasoned.
For the pico de gallo: Combine onion, jalapeño, tomato, lime juice, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Season with salt, to taste.
For the bowls: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add corn, 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder and 1/4 teaspoon chili powder. Stir and sauté for 3-4 minutes, remove corn from pan.
Build your bowl starting with the rice, meat, corn, pico de gallo, romaine and avocado. Top with cilantro and lime wedges, as desired.
Make it yours
Drizzle of chili oil on top
Add in black beans
Make the avocados into your favourite guacamole
Wrap it all in a big flour tortilla and grill that baby up!
What are your favorite burrito toppings? Let me know in the comments below.
-Andrea