Today I'm letting you in on my latest obsession. You probably already guessed it by the title, I'm referring to a Mexican Rice Bowl! I guess it can also be described as a deconstructed burrito. All the yummy ingredients found in a burrito, but without the tortilla. Serve this Mexican Rice Bowl with Carne Asada, Carnitas, salsa, and black beans.
Why This Recipe Works
What makes this recipe work is the flexibility of the recipe. Each person can pile on their favorite ingredients, which is a great way to please everyone that's being served.
Sure, we start with some Mexican rice, but that's only the beginning. Where we go from there depends on your preferences. Think Chipotle, but in my opinion, better!
I got the inspiration for this recipe from a recent trip to L.A. with my daughter, Nena. One of the things we did was have lunch at the very end of the Santa Monica pier at a great little Mexican restaurant called Marisol. If you're ever in the area, do yourself a favor and stop in for a bowl.
How to Make This Recipe
Vegetarian Mexican Rice Bowl
Start with my Mexican/Spanish rice recipe, substituting vegetable broth for the chicken broth. If you like, use brown rice instead. Once you have the rice, decide what you want as toppings. Here are some topping ideas:
- Avocado— Either slice an avocado in sections, cubes or use it to make guacamole.
- Pico De Gallo— Pico De Gallo is a quick Mexican salsa made with simple ingredients like diced tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and jalapeno peppers. Add a squeeze of lime juice, a dash of salt, and you're done.
- Sauteed Vegetables— Slice some yellow onion, bell pepper, mushrooms, zucchini, and slivered garlic. Feel free to leave out any ingredient you don't like, or substitute with other vegetables. Squeeze some lemon over the vegetables and season with a pinch of salt and fajita seasoning. Or make your own seasoning using salt, pepper, and chili powder. Heat a tablespoon or less of vegetable oil and sauté for a few minutes.
- Black beans— Drain a can of black beans, garbanzo beans, or your favorite beans. Heat up in a microwave. Or if you prefer, heat over the stovetop in the liquid, then drain.
- Corn— Feel free to use canned corn, heated frozen corn, or if you're feeling ambitious, use grilled corn, which is by far the best option.
- Cheese— Crumbled Queso Fresco, crumbled feta cheese, or shredded Mexican cheese are all great options.
- Sour Cream— Add a dollop of sour cream, or leave it out for a healthier alternative.
- Spice— Sliced fresh or pickled jalapenos.
Assembly
Once all your ingredients are ready, begin by adding the rice to a bowl. Next, divide the bowl, visually, by how many toppings you have and arrange the toppings over the rice.
If you're not concerned about presentation, just mix everything together and enjoy!
Beef, Chicken, or Shrimp Bowl
If you are not a vegetarian, you get to enjoy your Mexican Bowl with some meat options.
Although I recommend my Carne Asada recipe, you might not want to wait for the marinating process.
If you're in a hurry, just season the meat with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Slice the meat in either
Recipe FAQ's and Expert Tips
A Mexican Rice Bowl is exactly what it sounds like. A bowl of Mexican Rice, topped with delicious ingredients such as black beans, corn, meat, sliced avocados, and sour cream.
Like anything, you can make Mexican Rice Bowls healthy or unhealthy by switching out some of the ingredients.
For example, substitute brown rice for white rice and only choose healthier topping options like chicken breast, corn, beans, avocados, and Pico de Gallo.
- If you prefer, you can substitute grilled chicken for the beef. Other protein options include shrimp and pork.
- You can also do a combination of more than one type of meat. The choice is all yours! Your kitchen, your rules!
- Once you have the rice and meat cooked, you can top the rice with the topping options suggested in this post, or even other topics that are not covered in this post.
Related Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Mexican Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 3 cups cooked Mexican rice (or brown rice)
- ½ cup pico de gallo
- ½ cup roasted corn
- ½ avocado (cubed)
- 12 ounces flank steak or chicken breast (or 2 cups grilled vegetables)
- ½ teaspoon fajita seasoning (or salt and pepper)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup canned black beans
- 2 tablespoon sour cream
- ¼ cup queso fresco (crumbled)
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper (sliced, optional)
Instructions
- Cook Mexican rice according to instructions and set aside. Cover to keep warm.
- Prepare pico de gallo, roast corn, slice avocado,
- Slice or chop meat and season with fajita seasoning, or seasoning of choice.
- Heat oil in a cast-iron skillet until the pan is very hot.
- Sear meat in the hot pan for a few minutes until cooked. If making a vegetarian version, saute the sliced vegetables until charred.
- Heat black beans either over the stove top in the liquid from the can, or drain and microwave for a minute or so.
- Divide rice between two bowls.
- Add half of the meat (or grilled vegetables) to each bowl.
- Divide the remaining ingredients between both bowls and serve.
Notes
- If you prefer, you can substitute grilled chicken for the beef. Other protein options include shrimp and pork.
- You can also do a combination of more than one type of meat. The choice is all yours! Your kitchen, your rules!
- Once you have the rice and meat cooked, you can top the rice with the topping options suggested in this post, or even other topics that are not covered in this post.
Kelly Methey says
This looks so delicious and fairly easy to make! I can’t wait to try them. I love all the new dinner ideas I get from you! Thank you for another fantastic recipe!