Black Bean Burrito Bowl

January 15, 2013 · Last Updated on April 25, 2019 By Anjali Shah on· Last Updated on

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Weekends in my house were a time for experimenting with new recipes.

My dad would frequently be in the kitchen on a Sunday, reinventing some restaurant dish in a healthy way … (I wonder where I get that from 🙂 )

I remember getting healthier egg sandwiches, an Asian noodle dish made with whole wheat spaghetti, and this black bean burrito bowl – which was one of my favorites.

It’s basically a deconstructed burrito with a twist: cottage cheese adds creaminess, tangy-ness, and a protein punch; a few crumbled corn chips add great texture and crunch; and tomatoes, corn and cilantro replace the traditional lettuce often found in burrito bowls.

It’s filling, spicy and satisfying, and takes less than 30 minutes to make!

And trust me, even though cottage cheese in a burrito bowl sounds weird, it actually tastes pretty great.

It also has fewer calories than a burrito bowl you’d get at a restaurant, but doesn’t sacrifice any of the flavor. One huge serving has only 250 calories, 2g fat, 10g fiber and 14g protein.

I made this as a dinner for one when the husband was dying for some takeout, and I couldn’t believe how fast it all came together.

This is sure to be a favorite the whole family will love!

The Ingredients

1 15 oz can of low sodium whole black beans

1/2 jalapeño pepper, chopped

1 red onion, diced

1 yellow bell pepper, diced

1.5 tsp cumin

1 tsp chili powder

2-3 cloves garlic

Salt to taste

1 cup cooked brown rice (use 1/4 cup cooked per bowl)

1/2 cup fresh corn (use about 2 Tbsp per bowl)

1/2 cup organic, low fat cottage cheese (use 2 Tbsp per bowl)

Chopped cilantro to taste

Diced tomato

Salsa

12-16 Corn chips (use 3-4 chips per bowl)

The Directions

Step 1: Saute garlic, jalapeno, onion, and bell pepper in 1 tsp canola oil until soft.

Step 2: Add cumin, chili powder and let the spices toast for a minute. Then add the can of black beans + liquid (don’t rinse and drain the black beans before) into the pan.

Step 3: Bring the mixture to a boil, let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes.

Step 4: Once the bean mixture is done, start assembling your bowl! Put 1/4 cup cooked brown rice in a bowl…

Step 5: Top with 1/4 of the black bean mixture…

Step 6: Then add your toppings: 2 Tbsp cottage cheese, 2 Tbsp corn, diced tomato, cilantro, salsa, and 3-4 corn chips crumbled on top.

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And you are ready to eat!

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This recipe makes 4 very healthy servings. If you wanted smaller bowls you could also end up with 5-6 servings too.

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I ended up eating this the next day for leftovers too! It tasted even better once all the flavors had marinated together for a while.

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It’s just spicy healthy goodness in a bowl. It doesn’t get better than that.

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