These one-pot Vegetarian Burrito Bowls are quick, easy, healthy and most importantly absolutely delicious! They are vegetarian, as well as gluten-free. They are made in an Instant Pot making them an awesome family-friendly weeknight dinner.
Why We Love Vegetarian Burrito Bowls
Recipes like this one are literally life savers. It is the kind of recipe that you remember at 5 o’clock on a Tuesday and you don’t have anything planned for dinner. It’s made in an electric pressure cooker like an Instant Pot with only five minutes of prep time, so you can have dinner on the table in less than 40 minutes. Instant Pots are definitely a game-changer for the weeknight dinner push. Our Instant Pot Veggie Curry and Instant Pot Cream of Cauliflower Soup are also great options.
- Use a recipe specifically developed for the Instant Pot, especially if you are new to using this device
- Read the instruction manual carefully
- When pressure cooking make sure the steam release valve on the lid is turned to sealing while the Instant Pot is cooking
- It takes about 10 minutes for the pressure to build up and the actual cooking to start
- At the end of cooking follow the recipe instructions for carefully manually releasing the pressure or for allowing it to release naturally, which can take approximately 10 – 40 minutes
The brainchild behind this brilliant vegetarian burrito bowl recipe is Lauren Keating, founder of the blog Healthy Delicious. They are featured in her new cookbook Healthy Eating One-Pot Cookbook, which is chocked full of 101 weeknight family-friendly, healthy meals.
Lauren has it all covered from breakfast to meatless mains to desserts. And every recipe is made in just one pot, which means easy clean-up. There are recipes for your air fryer, dutch oven, electric pressure cooker, sheet pan, skillet and slow cooker.
We are huge fans of one-pot cooking, especially for our weeknight dinners like this Easy Pork Tenderloin and Apple Skillet, Sheet Pan Salmon Dinner with Moroccan Spice, One Pot Chicken and Rice with Spring Veggies and this Sheet Pan Chicken and Broccoli Supper with honey sriracha sauce.
Tips For Healthy One Pot Eating
- Focus on deliciously satisfying foods that nourish your body and soul instead of a strict or fad diet
- Cook with fresh, whole ingredients including fruits, vegetables and unrefined whole grains
- Rely on foods that are located in the grocery stores perimeter and are sold without a label
- When you do shop the inner aisles for items like canned beans, broths and spices read the labels carefully and avoid chemicals and artificial flavors and monitor for salt and added sugars
- Buy the best quality ingredients that you can easily afford, buy organic produce when it makes sense (check out the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen) and buy meat, dairy and eggs from sustainable and local sources
- Cook with healthy fats, herbs and spices to add flavor
Lauren explains that clean eating doesn’t mean you have to live off salads. She describes foods to enjoy, limit and avoid. Enjoy minimally processed, whole foods without limitation and don’t worry about counting calories. Limit foods (meaning enjoy them in moderation) that can quickly add a lot of calories to your plate like added sugars, healthy fats, whole grains, starchy vegetables, dairy and processed meats like sausage or bacon. Avoid foods like high processed snacks, convenience foods like French Fries and chips and sugar drinks. Portion control is also important to a clean eating lifestyle.
Ingredients for this Veg Burrito Bowl Recipe
- Long-grain brown rice
- Pinto beans
- Low-sodium vegetable stock
- Bell peppers
- Red onions
- Gluten-free chili powder
- Pepper jack cheese
- Plum tomatoes
- Jalapeño
- Cilantro
Step By Step Instructions To Make Vegetarian Burrito Bowls
- Combine the brown rice, pinto beans, vegetable stock, bell peppers, red onions and chili powder in the Instant Pot
- Lock the lid in place and et the cooker to High pressure for 15 minutes
- When the cook time ends, let the pressure release naturally (this can take 10 – 40 minutes)
- Scoop 1/2 cup of the rice and beans into bowls and garish with toppings of your choice (in addition to cheese, tomatoes, jalapeños and cilantro… try sour cream, salsa, shredded lettuce and sliced olives)
These Vegetarian Burrito Bowls are kind of a dump-and-run dinner. All you really have to do is let your Instant Pot do its business. Another thing I love about these delicious bowls is that you get to jazz it up with the toppings. Who doesn’t love getting to personalize their own bowl with a little cheese, tomato, cilantro, sour cream or maybe I’m feeling a little sassy tonight, so I’ll toss in a few sliced jalapeños? Kids will love this interactive and yummy dinner. And don’t forget about the awesome leftovers. Try wrapping this up in a tortilla for lunch and someone is going to be very happy.
Just like this recipe, Lauren’s cookbook is a winner. It can be difficult to find quick and easy dinner recipes that don’t call for processed foods filled with chemicals and artificial flavorings. Lauren’s recipes all focus on fresh, whole foods like fruits and vegetables, as well as unrefined whole grains like brown rice, oats and whole wheat flour.
I also like that she says “if food isn’t delicious, it isn’t worth eating.” So I have high hopes for the other recipes in her book like the Butternut Squash Hash and Eggs, Korean Pulled Chicken Lettuce Cups, Pork and Green Bean Stir Fry and Chocolate Zucchini Cake!
FAQs and Expert tips
Here are a few tips and tricks to help you control your portions when serving one-pot meals. Use a small plate instead of a larger dinner plate, fill the plate up with veggies, drink plenty of water, keep the leftovers in the kitchen instead of bringing all the food to the table and eat mindfully and not in front of the television.
1. Focus on deliciously satisfying foods that nourish your body and soul instead of a strict or fad diet
.
2. Rely on foods that are located in the grocery store’s perimeter and are sold without a label.
3. When you do shop the inner aisles for items like canned beans, broths and spices read the labels carefully and avoid chemicals and artificial flavors and monitor for salt and added sugars.
4. Buy the best quality ingredients that you can easily afford, buy organic produce when it makes sense (check out the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen) and buy meat, dairy and eggs from sustainable and local sources.
5. Cook with healthy fats, herbs and spices to add flavor.
Feel free to use another type of canned bean in place of the pintos. We also like this with homemade pico de gallo instead of the tomato. And if you like more spice, add on some hot sauce. My daughters loved adding on crushed tortilla chips for a bit of crunch.
Additional Recipes To Try
- These Rice and Bean filled Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers have delicious Italian flavors you’ll adore.
- My Greek Pizza is so fast, you can get it on the table faster than ordering a take out pizza!
- Speaking of one pot, that’s all you’ll need for these Veggie Tacos with Black Beans.
- No need to tell the meat eaters there’s sneaky tofu in these Stuffed Shells with Spinach. They’ll never notice and using it in place of the ricotta cuts back on fat and calories!
- This ratatouille is ready in less than thirty minutes and goes great as a side dish or meatless main course.
- For a cozy dinner, make this creamy Corn Chowder and serve it with crackers or crusty bread!
Thanks so much for reading. If you are new here you may want to sign up for my free weekly email newsletter for healthy recipes delivered right to your inbox. Or follow me on Instagram. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review! It is very appreciated. Happy Cooking! ~Katie
Description
These Vegetarian Burrito Bowls are quick, easy, healthy, one-pot and most importantly absolutely delicious! They are vegetarian, as well as gluten-free and whipped up in an Instant Pot making them an awesome family-friendly weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
1 cup uncooked long-grain brown rice
1 (16-ounce) can low-sodium pinto beans, undrained
1 cup low-sodium vegetable stock
2 bell peppers, sliced
2 red onions, sliced
1 teaspoon gluten free chili powder
6 ounces shredded pepper jack cheese
2 plum tomatoes, diced
1 jalapeño, sliced or diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
In your pressure cooker, combine the brown rice, pinto beans, vegetable stock, bell peppers, red onion and chili powder. Lock the lid in place and set the cooker to High pressure for 15 minutes.
When the cook time ends, let the pressure release naturally.
Scoop 1/2 cup of the rice filling into a dish. Top with cheese, tomato, jalapeño and cilantro, as desired.
Notes
This is a versatile recipe, so if onions aren’t your thing you can just use one and if you want to amp up the flavor even more go for 1 tablespoon or more of chili powder. At the end of the cook time allow the pressure to release naturally, which can take about 10 – 40 minutes. Make sure the silver float valve in the lid has gone down before you remove the lid.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 cup
- Calories: 264
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 8 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 30 mg
Source: healthyseasonalrecipes.com
