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Mouth watering Ground Beef Burrito Bowls are satisfying, and full of toppings and drizzled with cilantro jalapeño sauce. Ready in 30 minutes or less.
Table of Contents
What Makes Ground Beef Burrito Bowls So Great
These bowls are a huge crowd pleaser, and I am always a big sucker for a meal in a bowl. This meal is customizable and can suit everyone’s dietary needs.
Burrito bowls come together in about 30 minutes or less. They have huge flavor from simple, pantry staple items.
Great for meal prep. These bowls hold up well in the fridge making them a wonderful meal for prepping ahead of time.
Ingredients Needed
Ground Beef. Lean ground beef is best for this recipe. It adds protein and tons of flavor.
Seasonings. The recipe gets most of the flavor from seasonings! Paprika, chili powder, garlic and onion powder, black pepper and cayenne.
Tomato Paste. This adds a nice thickness to the recipe to help make it a bit more saucy.
Bell Peppers. use any color of choice.
Sour Cream. This is the base of the simple jalapeño cilantro sauce.
All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card towards the bottom of this post.
Ingredient Variations & Substitutions
Ground Beef. You can substitute ground turkey or ground venison to make it more calorie friendly. Consider my Chicken
Sour Cream. Substitute plain greek yogurt or use a plant based sour cream if needed.
Rice. You can skip the rice or serve this dish over chopped romaine for a more calorie friendly meal!
Steps To Make This Recipe
Step One. Start cooking the rice according to the package, this usually takes around 20 minutes. Heat a large deep skillet over medium/high heat. Add the ground beef to the skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes, soak up excess grease with paper towels, toss the paper towel. A little leftover grease if fine, it will help thicken/flavor the sauce.
Step Two. Add the beef burrito seasonings, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, onion, garlic powder. Add the tomato paste next, onions, bell peppers and water or broth to the skillet. Cover and simmer on low for about 6-8 minutes on the lowest setting. Make the Jalapeño cilantro sauce while it cooks. If the beef mixture is too runny to your liking you can simmer without the lid on. Using ground meat that’s lower in fat will result in thinner consistency.
Step Three. To make the Jalapeño cilantro sauce add all the ingredients, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeños, cumin, salt to a small blender or food processor, blitz well until its mostly smooth.
Step Four. Assemble the ground beef burrito bowls! Start with a scoop of rice, top with beef/veggie mix, corn, beans, cheese, tomatoes and drizzle a heavy spoonful of Jalapeño cilantro sauce over the top. Enjoy!
Store any leftovers in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, you can also freeze this meal for up to 2 months.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, make ground beef burrito bowls a bit healthier by skipping the cheese and serving it over chopped romaine lettuce instead of white rice. This will cut the calories down a bit for a lighter meal!
Yes, make Ground Beef Burrito Bowls ahead of time for an easier meal prep. They keep wonderfully.
Recipe Tips
Add a little water or broth at a time. If you are using a lean ground meat like turkey meat, the consistency of the burrito meat sauce will vary. I suggest you just add a little water at a time and let it simmer, add more until desired consistency.
Customize Toppings. Use the toppings you enjoy! There are endless combinations of toppings, add salsa, avocado, guac, zucchini and more as needed.
Taste As You Go. As always, taste as you go! You may want more salt or more chili powder added to the recipe which is why I always suggest a little taste test when making meals.
Other Ground Beef Recipes To Try
If you loved this recipe let me know! Also, follow me on Instagram & Pinterest for even more fun recipes to make you feel good from the inside out. Thanks for being here.
Ground Beef Burrito Bowls
Equipment
- large deep skillet
- small bender or food processor to make the sauce
Ingredients
Ground Beef Mix
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 1 small green bell pepper
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup onions , red or yellow
- ¼-⅓ cup water
Jalapeño Cilantro Sauce
- ⅓ cup sour cream
- 1 Jalapeño, sliced, seeds discarded for mild flavor
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp cumin
- ⅓ cup cilantro
- 1 Tbsp fresh squeezed lime
Burrito Bowl Toppings
- ½ cup long grain rice, uncooked, *use more as needed
- 1 15 oz can black beans, drained
- 1 15 oz can corn kernels, drained
- ½ cup tomatoes, diced
- ¼ cup shredded cheese , *more as needed
Instructions
- Start cooking the rice according to the package, this usually takes around 20 minutes. Heat a large deep skillet over medium/high heat. Add the ground beef to the skillet. Cook for about 4 minutes, soak up excess grease with paper towels, toss the paper towel. A little leftover grease if fine, it will help thicken/flavor the sauce.
- Add the beef burrito seasonings, chili powder, paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, onion, garlic powder. Add the tomato paste next, onions, bell peppers and water or broth to the skillet. Cover and simmer on low for about 6-8 minutes on the lowest setting. Make the Jalapeño cilantro sauce while it cooks. If the beef mixture is too runny to your liking you can simmer without the lid on. Using ground meat that's lower in fat will result in thinner consistency.
- To make the Jalapeño cilantro sauce add all the ingredients, sour cream, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeños, cumin, salt to a small blender or food processor, blitz well until its mostly smooth.
- Assemble the ground beef burrito bowls! Start with a scoop of rice, top with beef/veggie mix, corn, beans, cheese, tomatoes and drizzle a heavy spoonful of Jalapeño cilantro sauce over the top. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was amazing and full of flavor. It will definitely be on the rotation!
I used chicken because we are trying to stay away from red meat. Or at least my husband is. I made some modifications as well.
I grilled the chicken. Left out the paste. Cooked the veggies then added the beans/corn/rotel tomatoes, then added the rice, then the grilled chicken, topped with the spice. Coated every thing really well. Topped with avocado.
This is a keeper.
This was a wonderful recipe, I used lean ground venison and it was the best meal I’ve had in awhile. That jalapeno dressing is amazing!
Thank you! Happy to hear this.
I’m trying to watch my carb intake and this is the perfect choice. So delicious and doesn’t make me feel bloated ands heavy afterwards.
Hi Paula, so happy to heat you enjoyed this one!
Loved this recipe. It will be made often in my household.
Thank you greatly for the feedback! I appreciate it.
Delicious and very easy recipe to follow, mine did not look at pretty as yours but YUM.
So happy to hear this! Thanks so much for the feedback, happy cooking!
Delicious! Sailor’s recipes are always healthy, with simple ingredients, and SO flavorful!
Hi Alex, thank you so much I really appreciate the feedback.