A Healthy Burrito Bowl because who doesn't love burritos? I remember first trying this concept of a burrito sans the actual burrito (bread) several years ago in a not-really-Mexican-restaurant here in Sydney. Clearly they were going after the low-carb market and no doubt it worked (*sigh). But what bothered me, as often does when I'm dining out, is what I'd consider the wrong ratio of ingredients and general lack of flavour.
Who made it that healthy dining = boring?
It's safe to say that this Healthy Burrito Bowl is far from boring. And I love it for several reasons... It's super easy to pull together. It's versatile (we generally get 3-4 different meals out of the main bean mix). It's packed full of the veggies that most of us miss out on in the day. You can freeze it. It's delish. Need I go on....?
This recipe serves four people though as I always suggest, even if you're cooking for one or two, prepare the whole recipe and store the rest for later.
COOK ONCE // EAT TWICE.
This bean mix can be both refrigerated and frozen. You can then either serve burrito bowls a few times in a week as the recipe calls for or mix it up to serve with whatever veggies you have on hand. You can also use the bean mix to make a healthy nachos or to serve alongside any other veggies you have as the protein component of your meal. In our house, we make a large batch of brown rice most weeks as well so that this recipe comes together in a matter of minutes - just perfect for those long days.
- ½ small red onion
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 400g quality beef mince
- 1 small carrot
- 1 small zucchini
- 1 can diced tomatoes (400g)
- ¼ cup quality tomato paste
- 1 can kidney beans (400g)
- ½ cup fresh coriander leaves
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
- 2 tablespoons red onion
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves
- 2 tablespoons fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 medium avocado
- 2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaves
- Juice of ¼ fresh lemon
- Juice of ¼ fresh lime
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 4 small red radishes
- 1 cup red cabbage
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 2 handfuls rocket leaves
- To make the bean mix, finely dice onion and crush garlic
- Heat oil in a large frypan on medium-high heat and add onion and garlic, bringing to temperature together
- Once fragrant and starting to soften, add beef and break up clumps in the pan
- Whilst cooking to medium, grate carrot and zucchini
- Finely chop coriander leaves
- Drain and rinse kidney beans
- Once beef is cooked to medium, add remaining bean mix ingredients and season to taste
- Lower to medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until sauce thickens and vegetables soften
- Whilst mix is cooking, prepare rice by finely dicing red onion and placing in a mixing bowl
- Finely chop herbs and combine together with the rice, onion, oil and season to taste
- To prepare guacamole peel avocado and mash flesh with a fork until smooth
- Finely chop coriander leaves
- Combine all guacamole ingredients together and season to taste
- Prepare the radishes and cabbage by washing and shredding finely
- Wash tomatoes and slice into wedges
- Once bean mix cooked, divide all elements between plates or bowls to serve
VEGAN? Follow the above + leave off the cheese.
Even if you're only cooking for one or two people, make the bean mix from this recipe and refrigerate or freeze for another time. You can simply prepare the other elements to serve. See other serving ideas above the recipe.
