Pantry Friendly Burrito Bowls

There’s a misconception that you need lots of ingredients to make a delicious burrito bowl. Although it is nice to have various add-in, it’s really not necessary! You can make a hearty burrito bowl with just 5 ingredients! The key to my Pantry Friendly Burrito Bowls are to have rice, a protein, beans or a vegetable, salsa, and seasonings/fresh herbs. Remember, beans can count as your protein and corn is optional, so yes you really can do this with 5 ingredients. That’s really all you need! Let me explain more on how to make these things work.

Limit your fresh ingredients

I’m always dragging my feet when it comes to grocery shopping. Unless I’m at the Farmer’s Market, I hate shopping for food! My Pantry Friendly Burrito Bowls came to life one week when I was really stretching everything I had so I could avoid the grocery store for another day or two. Rice, beans/corn, salsa and taco seasoning all live in my pantry! So, that’s at least 4 of the 5 ingredients you need right out of the pantry. All these ingredients are inexpensive and easy to keep stocked!

Pantry friendly isn’t just dry goods

When thinking about what’s in your pantry, that doesn’t just limit you to shelf stable goods. In fact, let’s use the term kitchen staples to help you think outside the box. Really any place that holds food can be apart of your pantry. Your refrigerator, freezer, and dry food storage should all have certain stables that you always have on hand. Corn for example, can be bought canned or frozen. I typically go for frozen corn, but I still count it as a pantry stable even though it’s in my freezer.

Quick cooking protein

Shrimp is my go to for fast meals. I almost always have a bag of frozen shrimp in my freezer. It’s easy to quick thaw and cooks quickly so I use it often! Shrimp isn’t necessary to make these pantry friendly burrito bowls, just use one protein of your choice. Don’t forget, beans are a protein and canned beans can save you lots of time! Chicken, ground beef, and tofu are also all great options. Whichever you choose, just season with a little taco seasoning and your set!

Cook alike things together

When eating a burrito bowl you’re going to mix everything up, at least I hope you do. If this is the case, there’s no need to cook everything separately. I threw the corn in with the beans and cooked them together. That save’s me from having to wash an extra pot and I can cheat and count them as one ingredient ;). So, if you want to add peppers and onions, cook those first and then add the beans right in with them! I know it might not be visually as pretty, but every meal cannot be a gorgeous masterpiece.

A few fresh ingredients can make a difference!

I stated you only need 5 ingredients to make these bowls work, but you’re not limited to only five things. Fresh ingredients are bonus if you have them! Cilantro can always be found in my fridge! Fresh herbs can be intimidating, I know. Cilantro is great to start with if you’re looking to start using fresh herbs. Cilantro can be used in Mexican dishes, curries, soups, salads, dressing, and marinates just to give you a few ideas. In this case I chopped up the last of my cilantro and tossed it with the rice once it’s finished cooking. I didn’t have lime to make cilantro lime rice, but that’s okay! The cilantro stood on it’s own and still added a great boost of flavor!

Other fresh ingredients are totally optional! Although I do recommend keeping certain items like onions and cheese on hand at all times. You can add diced onions, cabbage, tomatoes, avocado, cheese, or whatever you like if you want to make it more exciting. Don’t be afraid to keep it simple too! I make these Pantry Friendly Burrito Bowls a lot of time with just my 5 ingredient list. They’re a hit every time! I hope you try this recipe. If you make these burrito bowls don’t forget to comment below and let me know what you think

If you like this recipe try our:

Cheesy Fiesta Spaghetti Squash

Pantry Friendly Burrito Bowls

These burrito bowls are easy to make with just 5 ingredients! Make these bowls as written or customize them with more toppings!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Mexican

Servings 4 people

Equipment

• Rice cooker (optional)

Ingredients

  

Cilantro Rice

• 1 cup uncooked rice white, brown, or cauliflower
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro optional
• Water or broth

Protein & Veggies

• 1 14.5oz can of beans, drained & rinsed black or pinto
• 1 lb raw shrimp, optional or sub chicken, beef, pork, or veggies
• 1 cup frozen corn or sub one 14oz can drained & rinsed
• 1 small onion, sliced optional
• 1 medium bell pepper, sliced optional
• taco seasoning homemade or store bought

Toppings

• salsa
• avocado optional
• cilantro optional
• cheese optional
• diced onion optional
• diced jalapenos optional

Instructions

 

Make the rice

• Make rice according to package instructions.
• Once rice has finished cooking, sprinkle over chopped cilantro if using and fluff rice with fork to combined.

Cook veggies & protein while rice cooks

• Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Add a tablespoon of oil, along with the onions and peppers, if using. Cook stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until they begin to soften. Once soften, add in beans, corn, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. Cook stirring occasionally for 5-10 minutes until everything is warmed and heated through.
• If not using peppers and onions; add beans & corn to a medium sauce pan with a tablespoon of oil. Season with salt, pepper and taco seasoning to taste. Heat over medium heat until everything is warmed through stirring occasionally, about 5-10 minutes

Cook shrimp (Or other Proteins)

• Coat shrimp with olive oil and a teaspoon of taco seasoning and set aside.
• Heat a medium skillet over medium heat.
• Once skillet is hot add shrimp to skillet and cook 1-2 minutes
• Flip shrimp and cook 1-2 minutes on second side until shrimp is cooked through. You'll know the shrimp is done once it's opaque. Remove shrimp from heat immediately and transfer to onto a plate to prevent from over cooking.

Assemble bowls & serve

• Portion rice into 4 bowls and top each bowl with bean & corn mixture
• Add shrimp to each bowl and top with salsa.
• Serve with toppings such as cilantro, avocado, cheese, etc on the side! Enjoy

Notes

Don’t have cilantro for the rice? Try cooking the rice with a pinch of cumin OR 1/4 cup of salsa. 

If your using a protein other than shrimp, I recommend cooking it before you start the beans & corn mix. Your cook time will vary depending on what proteins you use.

Feel free to add as many or as little toppings as you like!

Have limes available? Squeeze them over your cooked rice or protein for added brightness and flavor!

Keyword burrito bowl, pantry, quick