These healthy burrito bowls are perfect for meal prep or even a quick weeknight meal! And this recipe makes 5 meals, so you're set for the week! Delicious cilantro lime quinoa, black beans, and a customizable variety of taco seasoned, roasted veggies. Check and mate!
What's heart healthy about these burrito bowls?
I packed tons of heart healthy nutrition into these burrito bowls for you! First, the quinoa. Check out the Cilantro Lime Quinoa recipe for all the deets, but the tl:dr version is that it's high in protein and fiber, so it's a perfect base for this meal.
We use black beans as our main protein source, because they are delicious, for one. But they are also packed with fiber and antioxidants, making them a perfect addition to a heart healthy meal!
A variety of vegetables like red peppers, zucchini, and mushrooms add color, more antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals like vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium. While customizable, many vegetables are excellent sources of vitamins and minerals. We roast them with some garlic and an assortment of herbs and spices to bring out their best flavor and add nutrition.
Herbs and spices are renowned the world over for their anti-inflammatory properties - mainly due to their content of phenolic acids and flavanoids (1).
The avocado is optional in this recipe, but including it will increase the healthy fats in the meal. Avocados are well known to have a cholesterol lowering effect, dating back to the 1960s (2). They've also been credited with the ability to help lower triglyceride levels, and stabilize blood sugar levels in people with diabetes (3).
FAQs and Substitutions
The sky is the limit here! Use whatever you have that's starting to get a little limp in the fridge, or walk around the produce section for inspiration. I'm thinking green beans, yellow squash, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, or even beets would be great. Just be sure to chop everything up to about the same size so the cooking time is similar.
Yes, you can reduce the amount of time spent in preparation by using cooked brown, black, or red rice, or cooked plain quinoa. Any other whole grain would also work.
White mushrooms - or most any mushroom you like - will work in this recipe. If you're using a smaller mushroom, like white mushrooms or baby bellas, simply cut them in halves or quarters instead of slices. Tiny mushrooms that grow in clumps, like enoki mushrooms, are not recommended.
Here are the other recipes you'll need to make Healthy Burrito Bowls:
You might also want to consider making this delicious Cilantro Lime Sauce to drizzle on!
If you make this recipe, let me know in the comments!
📖 Recipe
Healthy Burrito Bowls (Meal Prep Burrito Bowls)
Ingredients
- 2 Red Bell Peppers sliced
- 2 large Portabella Caps gills and stem removed, and sliced
- 1 medium Zucchini cut lengthwise into sixths or eighths, and cut into 3 inch lengths
- 1 medium onion halved and sliced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 tablespoon Olive Oil
- 2 teaspoon Salt Free Taco Seasoning
- 2 teaspoon Cumin
- 2 teaspoon Oregano
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Lime Juice
For Assembly:
- 2 ½ cups Cilantro Lime Quinoa
- 3 cups 2 cans No Added Salt Black Beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 Avocados sliced
- 1 Jalapeno sliced
- 1 Lime cut into wedges
- ½ cup Fresh Cilantro chopped
Instructions
- If you haven’t already, make the Cilantro Lime Quinoa.
- Preheat oven to 425° F.
- Place all the sliced vegetables and garlic on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Drizzle with olive oil, and toss with taco seasoning, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, and salt.
- Bake for 25 minutes, or until the vegetables are your desired level of doneness.
- Remove from oven, and drizzle with the remaining lime juice. Toss to coat.
- To assemble the bowls: Measure ½ cup of quinoa into each of 5 containers or bowls. Divide the black beans evenly among the containers. Use tongs to divide the roasted veggies among the containers. Garnish as desired, with avocado slices, jalapeno slices, lime wedges, and fresh cilantro.
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