Whole Grain Veggie Burrito Bowl

I found this recipe for a whole grain veggie burrito bowl a few years ago and can’t believe I haven’t shared it yet with all of my readers! As many of you know, my partner and I are not vegetarian, but we do choose to eat a number of meals that are vegetarian throughout the week. We started like many others with “Meatless Mondays” before moving toward at least half of our dinners every week are planned to be vegetable-based.

I’ve found that I actually feel better because I’m eating a healthier diet in general – lots more fresh vegetables, a wider variety of proteins, and meals that better balance my digestive tract (not to get too personal!). In fact, I’ll often crave one of our go-to vegetarian meals after a not-so-healthy week of eating and it’s awesome.

Quick & Easy

This whole grain veggie burrito bowl does have a lot of component parts, but I’ve found that’s it’s not too much and the outcome is really delicious! Picture this – a bed of brown rice topped with chipotle infused black beans, bright slaw, and fresh pico de gallo. Top it with a little queso fresco and avocado and this is a meal you can get behind. It’s both filling and delicious!

The recipe calls for boil-in-a-bag rice which I never use but should make things easier. Plus, while that’s cooking you have time to pull together everything else. If you’re not ready to open up an entire can of chipotles in adobo sauce (they’re super spicy in my opinion) grab some chipotle chili powder instead for your beans. You can even buy store-bought guacamole if you don’t want to have to worry about avocados being perfectly ripe at just the right time. And don’t forget to find the pre-shredded cabbage for the slaw, usually next to the bagged salads – much easier than trying to cut a cabbage yourself.

This meal fills me up way more than I expect every time! And what’s great about a recipe like this is that you can customize the flavors and toppings to your liking. Add a little sour cream or try a different cheese, whatever makes this dish work for you!

If you’re looking for some more great vegetarian dinner ideas, check out Brown Rice & Mushroom Risotto (it cooks in the oven so you don’t have to stir it constantly!) or Chiptole Tahini Bowls with great fall flavors!