If we ask our little guy what he wants for dinner, his answer is always “RICE BOWLS!!” with plenty of enthusiasm. We have rice bowls of some sort once a week, often Asian inspired rice bowls (recipe to come), but these Mexican ones have been a staple for years. They’re easy, nourishing, and taste like the real deal. If you love Mexican food, try these!
We really like this with ripe avocado but guacamole is great too. Feel free to skip if you don’t have either, there is plenty of flavor, nutrition, and texture without. Be creative – you really can add or take any of these ingredients out and they’ll be a crowd pleaser!
Mexican Rice Bowls
Ingredients
*As you prep the individual ingredients, place each in a separate bowl.
- 2 cups rice, uncooked
- 1 cup grass-fed ground beef - or any ground meat
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- black beans, drained and rinsed - see note on digesting beans
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 avocado, sliced
- salsa
- sour cream
- cilantro, chopped - optional
- green onion, chopped - optional
- Shredded Cheese, grated - optional
Instructions
- Cook rice, according to instructions (see note on making cilantro-lime rice).
- Heat saute/frying pan to medium-high heat. Once warm, add beef. Stir to break up. After about 5 minutes, add spices – chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and sea salt. Cook for another 5 minutes. Put in a bowl and set aside.
- With the other ingredients already chopped and prepped, make your bowls! Use rice as a base, and then layer everything else on – seasoned meat, black beans, bell pepper, avocado, salsa and any of the other optional toppings you want. It’s really this easy!
- Depending on the size of your family, you might have enough for leftovers so pack it up and enjoy for lunch!
Notes
- We use primarily wild, basmati and jasmine rice. Any type of rice, including cauliflower rice, work great in this recipe. If you want to skip the rice altogether, just use lettuce as your base.
- Cilantro-Lime Rice option: Add ½ cup of chopped cilantro, the juice of two limes, and 2 TBSP olive oil. Stir to combine and use for the base of the bowls.
- If you’re a vegetarian, or looking for a meatless meal, skip the meat and double up on the beans.
- Choose organic beans, in a BPA free can. I like the Eden brand. These beans are cooked with kombu (seaweed) which make them much easier to digest!
- I buy primarily organic, pastured dairy. I use Organic Valley Raw Sharp Cheddar and Green Valley Organic Sour Cream.
- My favorite salsa is the Drew’s Organic.
- Look for grass-fed beef that is labeled 100% grass-fed & organic.
