Beef Burrito Bowls Cilantro Lime (Printable)
A hearty bowl featuring seasoned beef, cilantro lime rice, black beans, and fresh toppings for a satisfying meal.
# What You Need:
→ Beef
01 - 1.1 lbs ground beef
02 - 1 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
05 - 1 tbsp tomato paste
06 - 1 tsp ground cumin
07 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
08 - 1 tsp chili powder
09 - 1/2 tsp dried oregano
10 - 1/2 tsp salt
11 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
→ Cilantro Lime Rice
12 - 1 cup long-grain white rice
13 - 2 cups water
14 - 1/2 tsp salt
15 - 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
16 - 2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped
17 - 1 tbsp olive oil
→ Beans
18 - 1 can (14 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
19 - 1/2 tsp ground cumin
20 - 1/4 tsp chili powder
21 - 1/4 tsp salt
→ Toppings
22 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
23 - 1 avocado, diced
24 - 1/2 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
25 - 1/4 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
26 - 1/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
27 - 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
28 - Lime wedges, for serving
# Steps:
01 - Rinse rice under cold water until clear. Combine rice, water, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes until tender and water absorbed. Remove from heat, let stand covered 5 minutes, then fluff with fork. Stir in lime juice, cilantro, and olive oil.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion for 2–3 minutes until softened. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds. Add ground beef, cook 5–6 minutes until browned, breaking apart. Stir in tomato paste, cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Cook 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and keep warm.
03 - Combine black beans, cumin, chili powder, and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until warmed through.
04 - Divide cilantro lime rice evenly among four bowls. Top each with seasoned beef, black beans, cherry tomatoes, avocado, cheese, sour cream, red onion, and fresh cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
05 - Serve immediately, allowing customization with preferred toppings.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Everything comes together in under 45 minutes, and most of that is just rice simmering while you chat or relax.
- You can prep ahead and let everyone build their own bowl, which somehow makes the meal feel more fun than it should.
- The cilantro lime rice alone makes you feel like you're cooking something sophisticated, even though it's genuinely simple.
02 -
- Rinse your rice—it genuinely changes the texture; skip this and you get gluey rice that makes the whole bowl feel heavy instead of fresh.
- Don't add the lime juice and cilantro to hot rice by cooking it in; stir them in after, so they stay bright and alive instead of becoming muted and cooked.
- Let the spiced beef cool for just a minute before serving or it can make the avocado on top wilt faster than you'd like.
03 -
- Brown your ground beef in batches if your skillet is crowded; overcrowded beef steams instead of browning, and steamed beef tastes like nothing.
- Taste the seasoned beef before assembly and adjust salt or spice then—it's easier than trying to fix it in the finished bowl.