Beef Burrito Bowl
When you can't decide, this is the dinner that just works.
Make this on a night when you want dinner to feel complete without a lot of thinking. It gives you the familiar burrito-bowl mix of seasoned beef, rice, beans, salsa, and crunchy toppings, so you can stop debating takeout versus cooking and just get a bowl on the table. It’s flexible enough for whatever is in the fridge, and the components cook quickly while you move from one part to the next. Expect a satisfying, weeknight-friendly meal rather than restaurant-level complexity. Everything comes together in under 45 minutes, and the leftovers hold up well if you keep the toppings separate.
Ingredients
- 1 cup long-grain white rice — rinsed
- 2 cup water
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 unit small yellow onion — diced
- 2 unit garlic cloves — minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 0.5 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup black beans — drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn — thawed if frozen
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 0.5 cup plain Greek yogurt — for topping
- 1 unit lime — cut into wedges
Method
- 1 Cook the rice with the water in a saucepan according to package directions, then fluff and keep warm.
- 2 While the rice cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often.
- 3 Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain off excess fat if needed.
- 4 Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
- 5 Add the black beans and corn, then stir in 2 tbsp water if the mixture looks dry. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until hot.
- 6 Build bowls with rice, beef mixture, salsa, lettuce, cheddar, and Greek yogurt. Finish with a squeeze of lime.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Replace the ground beef with 2 cups cooked lentils or an extra can of black beans, and keep the same seasoning.
- Faster swap — Use microwave rice and skip cooking the corn separately; just warm it in the beef mixture.
- Substitutions — Use pinto beans instead of black beans, Monterey Jack instead of cheddar, or chopped tomatoes instead of salsa.
Notes
For the quickest version, use microwave rice and pre-shredded lettuce. Keep toppings separate if you want the best leftovers.
Equipment that helps
- Large skillet — It browns the beef quickly and gives the filling enough space to cook evenly.
- Medium saucepan — It cooks the rice while you make the beef mixture so the meal finishes faster.
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