It’s Monday again. That was fast! As much as I love menu planning, last week was one of those weeks when I was just not feeling it. We even ordered pizza one night. On a Wednesday! And we ate the leftovers for dinner on Saturday, too. 😳 Fortunately I have lots of energy for this coming week’s menu and I’m looking forward to trying some brand new recipes that will hopefully be on the site soon. My son headed to the US for school so we will be going back to meatless pescatarian eating at home, which I think our bodies will be happy about!
Today’s Black Bean Burrito Bowls are a meal that we could seriously eat every week! No one ever complains when we have them, and there are a lot of cheat options for days when all you can manage is to open a couple of cans and push the button on the rice maker. I am showing this with our favorite homemade pico de gallo, but it is just as good with store-bought pico that you can get in the refrigerated section of most US grocery stores. Another option we love is chipotle salsa. In Hong Kong, Mark & Spencer’s has a good one (I really should be getting commission on all my M&S recommendations…), and I also like the Frontera brand chipotle salsa that I can sometimes get in the regular grocery store as well. I won’t judge if you use pre-shredded cheese for this, but I promise if you shred your own it will taste better. 😉
Feel free to have fun with this one. Add corn if you want, or jalapeños, leave off the olives or make it dairy free with no cheese or sour cream. The only complaint Dan has about this one is that it is “high dish” meal, since I like to put all the ingredients in separate bowls, but I won’t tell if you put the sour cream container or salsa jar out with a spoon to save a bit of clean up later. 😂
Sending you best wishes for positive menu mojo this week!
I’ll link the rice cooker we use here. Just a heads up that this is an affiliate link, so I will receive a small portion of the sales if you purchase!
Beth
Black Bean Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown or white rice
- water will vary according to your rice
Pico de Gallo
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes or cherry tomatoes remove some or all of seeds
- 1 jalapeño pepper stem, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (fresh coriander)
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice or lime juice
- 1/4 tsp Kosher salt or to taste
Black Beans and Toppings
- 2 cans (14 oz/400 g) black beans 1 can, drained and rinsed, 1 can with liquid
- 2-3 Tbsp taco seasoning mix store bought or homemade
- Kosher salt to taste
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese or to taste
- 1 avocado diced or mashed (or can substitute store bought guacamole)
- 1/2 cup sour cream or to taste
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions or to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (coriander) or to taste
- 1/2 cup drained and sliced black olives or to taste
- hot sauce
- lime cut into wedges
- tortilla chips optional
Instructions
- Start the rice so it will be ready when you are finished. I use a rice cooker, but you can cook the rice according to the directions on your package. For my rice cooker, the white rice ratio is 1:1 and brown is 1:2. I find 1 1/2 cups rice is enough for our family of 4, sometimes with a bit of leftover rice for the next day. (If you are feeling fancy, we love this Cilantro Lime Rice with Mexican and Asian dishes. It is a tiny bit more work, but it elevates the meal to a higher level.)
- Make the pico de gallo. Chop and remove the seeds from the tomatoes. Chop the onions and cilantro. Carefully remove the stem, ribs and seeds from the jalapeño and finely chop it. Combine ingredients in a small bowl that you can use to serve and also store the leftovers. (One less dish to wash!) Add lemon or lime juice and salt to taste. Let sit on the counter or refrigerate for longer term storage.
- Prep all the other toppings. Shred the cheese, chop the green onions and cilantro, slice the olives, slice the limes, put the sour cream in a small dish, dice the avocado or mash it and add a little salt and lime juice. Get out the hot sauce.
- Cook the beans. Drain and rinse the first can of beans. Add them to a medium saucepan. Add the second can without draining it. Turn heat up to medium and add 2-3 T of taco seasoning. Stir to combine and heat until simmering and hot. Taste for seasonings. You may need to add a little bit of salt if your beans or taco seasoning don’t have any, but if they do, it might be fine. Squeeze a bit of lime in and stir again. Transfer to a serving bowl.
- Get ready to eat. Put rice, beans and all toppings on the table in individual bowls or divided on a plate or platter. Let everyone make their own taco bowl according to their preferences. We usually put the rice first, then the beans and then the cheese, followed by all the other toppings. Add tortilla chips if desired and eat as is or mix it all together.
Notes
- Feel free to adjust the pico de gallo ratio of tomatoes to onions to suit your personal preference. Ours is honestly a bit different every time since we don't really measure anymore.
- It is very easy to make your own taco seasoning mix. Here is a recipe from Gimme Some Oven that I like, but I also purchase the Frontier brand at iherb.com. They have small jars and also 16 oz bags for big taco eaters!