I have really been craving burrito bowls, so I decided to highlight them in the meal prep series this week. If you’re a meal prep pro, you’re probably very familiar with burrito bowls. They’re often the first meal the people learn how to meal prep because they’re just so easy and versatile. Despite being kind of a meal prep no-brainer, I’ve decided to feature them here for all my meal prepping newbies or those who are still just thinking about venturing into the meal prep world. I’m calling these the Easiest Burrito Bowl Meal Prep because this version requires the least amount of work, no ingredients packed alone or on the side, and nothing to get soggy or limp as the bowls are stored in the fridge. This is where you start and I’ll provide some suggestions for customizing or taking your burrito bowl meal prep to the next level below.
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Swaps and Add-ins for Your Burrito Bowls
As I mentioned above, all the ingredients in the “Easiest” Burrito Bowl Meal Prep can be stored in one container without fear of anything getting “yucky.” You can prepare this meal in about 30 minutes and there is only one item that requires slicing. It’s really that easy. You can use brown rice to make things a bit healthier, or even quinoa. And of course, you can adjust the portion of any of the ingredients to meet your taste buds or dietary needs.
Want some ideas for swaps or add-ins? How about these:
- Grape tomatoes
- Tortilla chips (pack separately)
- Sour cream (pack separately)
- Grilled zucchini
- Roasted sweet potato cubes
- Taco sauce
- Jalapeños
- Black olives
- Cilantro
- Shredded lettuce (pack separately)
- Shredded chicken
- Pico de gallo
Containers in pictures: Pyrex 3-cup Glass Storage Containers with Lids
Burrito Bowl Meal Prep
Servings 4Ingredients
- 4 cups cooked rice ($0.99)
- 1 lb. ground turkey or beef ($3.99)
- taco seasoning* ($0.67)
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels ($0.38)
- 1 15oz. can black beans ($0.59)
- 4 oz. cheese (about 1 cup shredded) ($1.00)
- 1 1/3 cup salsa ($1.30)
- 2 green onions ($0.13)
Instructions
- Cook the rice first. You will be able to prepare all the rest of the ingredients as the rice cooks. Cook the rice according to the package directions. To yield about 4 cups white rice, I use 1.5 cups uncooked rice and 2.5 cups water, but this may vary depending on your rice variety, so be sure to check the package.
- While the rice is cooking, add the ground turkey or beef to a skillet and cook over medium heat until it is cooked through. Depending on the fat content of your meat, you may need to add a little oil to the skillet to keep it from sticking.
- Once the meat is fully cooked, add the taco seasoning and 1/2 cup water. Stir and simmer the meat and spices until the water reduces to a saucy consistency (about 5 minutes). Turn the heat off and set the meat aside.
- Thaw the corn kernels, rinse and drain the black beans, shred the cheese, and slice the green onions.
- Once the rice is finished, fluff it with a fork and divide it between four containers. Divide the remaining six bowl ingredients between the containers as well (taco meat, corn, beans, cheese, salsa, and green onions).
- Reheat the bowls for 1-2 minutes before eating to melt the cheese and heat the meat and rice through.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Burrito Bowl Meal Preps – Step by Step Photos
Start by cooking your rice because you can prepare the rest of the ingredients in the 20-30 minutes that it takes for the rice to cook. Cook the rice according to the directions on its package. There are usually guides on the package about how much rice and water to use to yield a specific amount of rice. You’ll want about 4 cups of rice once cooked. I used 1.5 cups of rice and 2.5 cups water. (I like to use slightly less than a 1:2 ratio of rice to water, but that’s a personal preference.)
While the rice is cooking, prepare the taco meat. Cook one pound ground turkey or beef in a large skillet until it’s cooked through. Add the taco seasoning and a 1/2 cup water, then simmer until it’s reduced to a slightly saucy consistency. I used my homemade taco seasoning blend (with cornstarch), but you can use a store-bought packet of taco seasoning.
And this is what it looks like when it’s finished. Set the meat aside.
Then prepare and gather the rest of the burrito bowl ingredients. Thaw 1 cup frozen corn kernels, rinse and drain one 15oz. can of black beans, shred 4 oz. of cheddar, gather 1.3 cups salsa, and slice two green onions.
And then once the rice is finished cooking, it’s time to build the bowls! Just divide all the ingredients up evenly between four containers, pop them in the fridge, and you’re done! This really is the EASIEST burrito bowl meal prep you’ll ever make. Yes, there is a whole cup of rice in each, it’s just under some of the other ingredients ;)
Burrito bowl heaven. 😍
CANNOT believe how easy this is. I definitely thought you were exaggerating, but it really is so simple. I even messed up the rice the first time, so I had to cook it again.. and it still was so quick and easy! Thank you for saving meal prep!
This looks and sounds amazing. Can you freeze this? If you don’t, how long can you stack them in the fridge. I’m looking to prepare them for a college student.
I’d say refrigerate 4 day, max! But they do freeze well!
Just chiming in several years from publishing date to say THANK YOU! This recipe kept me alive for my whole first year of cooking for myself, and it was delicious and nutritious the entire time! I still come back to it – it’s so filling and yummy and easy to make! Cheers Beth + everyone Budget Bytes!
These look fabulous!!
Quick and easy to prepare, filling, and delicious! I also added sour cream, same amount as the salsa, and didn’t include the green oinions.
Made this for dinner tonight, it was delicious! After the meat was finished cooking, I added the black beans and corn to heat through. Then put the rice in a bowl, layered the meat mixture on top, and then the rest of the ingredients.
This was delicious! I used turkey. This would make a great dish to take to a party too!
Made this for dinner tonight; kids gobbled it up and asked to make again! Thanks for a healthy, easy family meal!
I subbed golden hominy for the corn and OMG… this was the perfect recipe to bust a bad habit of sneaking out for lunch!
I ate this for lunch all week and was still craving it on the last day. So yummy! And your homemade taco seasoning has the perfect amount of kick to it.
Do you have macros on this meal?
We only recently brought on a Registered Dietician to our team. She’s working hard behind the scenes to update the entire recipe database, over 1500+ recipes, with nutritional information. She’s working her way from the newest recipes back and it takes some time to update them all. Stay tuned!
This takes the cake for easy and tasty. I am moving and everything is just an overwhelming mess. We’ve eaten out so much so I wanted something homemade FAST. I made this whole meal prepping another meal and from prep to cleanup both meals came together in probably 45 minutes. I ended up not having cilantro or lime (both had gone bad) so I cooked the rice in chicken broth. I also only had salsa verde instead of picante sauce and stirred that in instead. I LOVE lime and I did miss it from the meal but the seasoning from the meat more than made up for it. Very fast and flavorful regardless of my missing ingredient.
Good luck with your move Anna! Happy to hear this helped you through!
Have never done meal prep or burrito bowls before, just have a question – is there a reason you have all the ingredients separated within the containers when you store them? Does it get soggy if you mix it all together to store?
It was really just for illustration purposes, so people can see what’s in them. The cheese may absorb some moisture from the salsa if it’s all stirred together, but that wouldn’t matter if you plan on reheating it because the cheese will just melt.
made this twice now and it’s great! thanks for the awesome tips – I’ve been trying to get better at cooking and your site is great.
I am so happy I found this site! My hubby is a very picky eater that has maybe 5 foods he likes to eat. I’ve been slowly introducing him to new foods and getting creative and this site has helped me tremendously with ideas. This burrito bowl is another hit that has pleased everybody. Thank you for the clear pictures and concise techniques that makes these recipes easy to replicate. These flavors come together for a really filling and satisfying meal with enough leftovers to have a nice nacho appetizer/snack later.
Do you think these would freeze ok? I appreciate that it makes four servings but I don’t want to eat it four days in a row. Loving your site, btw!
Yes, I’ve frozen dishes very similar to this and they reheated well.
I’m a total noob at cooking it came out real delicious (even if it took me like twice as long to make lol)! I’m definitely going to be making this to bring to work so I don’t have to go get fast food on my breaks
I will definitely be making this again. Perfect proportions, quick and tasty.
I made this again!! It has become my favorite lunch!!
Just wanted to say how much I love these meal prep posts — I’ve been making my week’s lunches in advance for well over a decade, but you’ve been giving me lots of ideas for how to expand my rotation.
These were so good I actually made them two weeks in a row! I’m a vegetarian and substituted Trader Joe’s Beefless Ground, but I bet their Soyrizo would be great too. Since TJ’s meat substitutes come precooked, the only thing I needed to bust out the oven for was the rice. Thanks again for the fresh ideas!
Just bought the ingredients and rubber make containers. Will be my first time doing meal prep! I am excited!How long can you refrigerate these?
I like to keep it to four days, max.
We made this up last night and made six serves so we can have it for lunch today and tomorrow as well. We did cauliflower “rice” to cut some carbs and calories, and bulked up the veg count by adding onions and tomatoes to the corn and black bean mix. It was super tasty and I’m already looking forward to having it for lunch!
Idk if this was already asked or listed and I may be missing it, but what’s the calorie count for one bowl?
I made this tonight and it’s definitely going in my rotation. As a grad student nearing the end of the semester and who also works, I’m more than relieved to have some solid meals ready to go in the fridge for the rest of the week. Toast and cold cereal only go so far. It took less than an hour from start to finish, and most of that was cooking the rice and meat. If I were to use parboiled rice and actually remember to take my meat out of the freezer in the morning, it probably would be much less time. Next time, I’ll probably add some jalapenos or something to give it some spice. All in all, another Budget Bytes winner for me.
Thanks for sharing. This was lunch last week and I enjoyed it.
For everyone freaking out about Rice, the USDA food safety and inspection service says rice is good 3-4 days after cooking and cooling properly
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/shelf-stable-food-safety/ct_index
Looks good! 2 quick questions: 1) Why thaw the corn? 2) Do you always make it look so “pretty”? :)
I guess you don’t need to thaw the corn after all! If you don’t plan on eating one same day you can definitely just add it to the bowl frozen, since it will thaw as it refrigerates. :) My primary reason for making it pretty is because it’s my job and my job depends on it. Hahah! ;)
https://www.nhs.uk/chq/Pages/can-reheating-rice-cause-food-poisoning.aspx?CategoryID=51
These look yummy, easy and appealing. As a vegetarian I’d leave out the meat and perhaps add extra veggies. You should make your readers aware of the toxins that lurk in rice, and encourage them to put the bowls in the fridge quickly, even better in the freezer. Thanks for the recipe.
Hey Mary, I am also vegetarian. You should try soyrizo if you can find it near you (they have it at Trader Joes). It tastes AMAZING. Alternatively, seasoned ground tofu chipotle style or even vegetarian “beef” crumbles.
What’s the size/volume of the glass containers? Also, what brand are they? Thanks.
Oops, I forgot to include that. They are the Pyrex 3-cup Glass Containers with Lids.
I love the presentation in the photos; the horizontal layering makes it look really good!
Minus the salsa and green onions, This would be something I’d happily make for the family… I don’t like salsa (but family does, and I’d do it for them, but not for mine)… And the onions seem like a froo froo thing to me. LOL. I might try it though.
I would definitely give the green onions a shot. Green onions (in my opinion) are a really specific flavour that adds a lot to taco/burrito type dishes.
Another tasty alternative to using a jarred salsa would be to add some pico de gallo.
This looks delicious and I’m looking forward to making it! If I may ask: in the photos here, what storage containers are you using for each bowl?
These are the Pyrex 3-cup Glass Storage Containers with lids. :)
I love the mix of colors. What would be a good substitute for the ground beef/turkey to bulk it up a bit and make it vegetarian?
Alexis
http://simplehealthstyle.com
Personally, I am a big fan of Trader Joe’s Soyrizo. It has some good spice in it and it makes great leftovers (breakfast burritos, anyone?)!
Forgot to add that I would be reluctant to add additional taco seasoning to it, though, as it has plenty of flavor on its own.
Tempeh makes delicious taco “meat” thats pretty close to the texture of ground beef. I forget where I got the recipe from, but its basically break up the tempeh into small pieces and fry it with some onion, garlic, and taco seasoning.
My first choice would be more black beans! You can reheat them in a pan and add taco seasoning just like the meat directions. Lentils are another possibility. Finally there’s TVP — which you could rehydrate and season yourself or let Lightlife do it for you and pick up a package of the Smart Ground taco-seasoned filling. (TVP is usually soy protein.)
I was thinking of making lentils and adding taco seasoning to them and then mashing them up a little too for the texture. Ive made a taco salad that way and it was delicious!
I made these last night for lunches this week! I didn’t have any salsa but I did have a can of diced tomatoes and a can of jalapenos, so I added those to the turkey as it was cooking. I also added 1/2 of an orange bell pepper. I only used half of the turkey mixture because it seemed like enough (I put the other half in the freezer for next week’s lunch).
I took your add-on suggestion and brought along some romaine lettuce to go with it. Can’t wait for lunch time!
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Looks delicious and simple! Do you think these burrito bowls would freeze well?
Deb
Yes, I think these would freeze decently. THere’s nothing in there that really degrades much in texture from freezing and thawing. :)
If you’re going to freeze them, I wouldn’t thaw out the corn. Just use it frozen. Less chance of it becoming mushy and weird textured.