Most nights that Trey leaves dinner plans up to me I try to make some variation of this dish. I might change it up by piling it over chips (nachos!) or serve with rice instead of quinoa (homemade chipotle!). The ingredients really don’t change all that much no matter what name I give it. What can I say? I just love black beans.
I think I get it from my mother. She’s also a black bean loving kind of lady. Eating a mostly vegetarian diet, this works perfectly for us too, as it’s a pretty well-balanced meal having vegetables, grains, and a dose of protein from the beans. Oh, and it’s totally delicious! It’s one of those meals that doesn’t feel healthy, even though it actually is.
Quinoa Burrito Bowls, serves two.
1 cup (uncooked) quinoa
1 15 oz. can black beans
1 15 oz. can corn
1 large bell pepper
1/2 red onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons chopped, fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lime
salt + pepper
3/4 cup shredded cheese (optional)
2-3 tablespoons sour cream (optional)
First, get the quinoa going as it will take the longest to cook. I’ve really gotten into quinoa over the past year, and there are a few tips for cooking it that I’d like to share with you. Begin by rinsing the dry quinoa before cooking. This helps to take off that sometimes bitter-edge taste. The second thing I suggest is to cook the quinoa in vegetable stock instead of water, or a mixture of the two. This helps to add some extra flavor. Other than that, follow the package directions and within 15-16 minutes you’ll have some delicious quinoa.
While the quinoa cooks, drain the canned corn and place it in a small pot or pan. Heat over low heat. Stir in the cayenne and a little salt and pepper. You don’t really need to cook the corn; we’re just looking to warm it up.
In another small pot or pan, heat the black beans with the cumin and one of the garlic cloves (minced). Again, we don’t need to cook the black beans—just warm them well.
Slice up the bell pepper and onion. Mince the remaining garlic. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the peppers, onion, and garlic, and cook until the peppers begin to soften (about 4-5 minutes). Season with a little salt and pepper.
Once the quinoa is done, toss in the cilantro and give it a stir. Season the quinoa with a little salt if needed.
Now it’s time to build our burrito bowls! I like to start with quinoa in the bottom, then add the cheese (if using). Now layer on the corn, black beans, and pepper mix. Add some sliced avocado and sour cream if you like.
Serve with a few lime wedges. A little citrus is a must. Enjoy! xo. Emma
Note: If you are enjoying this as part of the Weekday Weekend Challenge be sure to double check the ingredients of all canned items and omit any dairy toppings. Add more veggies if you like, like a quick homemade pico or salsa.
Grab this guide to see our Top 25 Recipes of all time!
Free Popular Recipe Guide
Our top 25 recipes of all time!
Get the Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa
- 1 15 oz. can black beans
- 1 15 oz. can corn
- 1 large bell pepper
- ½ red onion
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons chopped (fresh cilantro)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 lime
- salt + pepper
- ¾ cup shredded cheese (optional)
- 2-3 tablespoons sour cream (optional)
Equipment
- pot
- skillet
Instructions
- First, get the quinoa going as it will take the longest to cook. I’ve really gotten into quinoa over the past year, and there are a few tips for cooking it that I’d like to share with you. Begin by rinsing the dry quinoa before cooking. This helps to take off that sometimes bitter-edge taste. The second thing I suggest is to cook the quinoa in vegetable stock instead of water, or a mixture of the two. This helps to add some extra flavor. Other than that, follow the package directions and within 15-16 minutes you’ll have some delicious quinoa.
- While the quinoa cooks, drain the canned corn and place it in a small pot or pan. Heat over low heat. Stir in the cayenne and a little salt and pepper. You don’t really need to cook the corn; we’re just looking to warm it up.
- In another small pot or pan, heat the black beans with the cumin and one of the garlic cloves (minced). Again, we don’t need to cook the black beans—just warm them well.
- Slice up the bell pepper and onion. Mince the remaining garlic. In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the peppers, onion, and garlic, and cook until the peppers begin to soften (about 4-5 minutes). Season with a little salt and pepper.
- Now layer on the corn, black beans, and pepper mix. Add some sliced avocado and sour cream if you like. Serve with a few lime wedges. A little citrus is a must.
Credits // Author: Emma Chapman, Photos by: Emma Chapman and Elsie Larson.
Love those unique bowls! Where are they from?
I made them! They were so good my boy didn’t say a word the whole time he was eating.
Great recipe! Thanks emma 🙂
www.dancingthroughsunday.typepad.com
x
Have you tried soaking your own black beans? I think it makes a big difference in nutritional value with a recipe like this, specifically the sodium level. And I bet, in the summer, that this would be great with fresh corn! Yum. Thanks for sharing!
Looks so tasty! I love burrito bowls – not sure why I never thought of adding quinoa. 🙂
I’m ALWAYS trying to find a recipe that will convince my boyfriend to eat quinoa – I think this might be the one!!!
Sounds yum! Those bowls are amazing – where did you get them from?
I just had to write again and share my success with making this amazing dish! My whole family loved it! My husband said he loved the suggestion about using vegetable stock vs just water. It really made a difference for our quinoa. I can see me making it like that in all my dishes! The lime is also a must to top off this dish! This is definitely a meal we will make again and again! Thank you!!
This sounds absolutely amazing! I can’t wait to make this!
xo
Christa
www.gardeniasandmint.wordpress.com
We make a lot of similar southwestern-y style foods, so I think we’ll for sure be trying this out one day soon. Looks delish!! Also– those bowls are adorable, where did you get them???
Yumm. Yumm. Yumm. I made this for my family last night and everyone went back for seconds. The only change I made was to add a little stir fry/strip steak (we love our meat around here). Thank you so much for this. I have a feeling we’ll be using it frequently!
Yum! I just made this tonight for myself and the bf. We’re newbies to quinoa but loved it! We topped it with a little salsa and it was magical, definitely one we’ll be making again.
Emma, I did this tonight for dinner and it was an absolute success, we loved it! We’ll repeat for sure, thanks 🙂
Delicious!!!
This would be a perfect make-ahead meal for lunches!
Quinoa has become such a staple for me over the past few years– I love how versatile and filling it is. (:
http://buildyourbliss.wordpress.com
Yum. I make this all the time.
I would love to be inspired by some more bean recipes from you, especially anything from dried beans!
You ladies are all awesome!!
Hey Emma,
Where are those beautiful bowls from?
I made this last night and it was so good! It definitely made it to my favorite recipes list. I’m fairly new to cooking quinoa, and the vegetable stock made it taste so much better.
YUM!
Trying this asap.
http://cheekychicxx.blogspot.com/
I made this last night but used brown rice instead. It was really delicious.
Yummm…this looks so good. A definite on my list of meals to cook regularly.
http://thelastcleantshirt.com/2014/03/31/postcard-from-mexico/