Southwest Steak Bowls

$10.50 recipe / $2.63 serving
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.89 from 18 votes
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I came up with this recipe because I had half of a flank steak in my freezer that I needed to use up. As usual, I bulked up the meat with beans, rice, and other yummies, so that the one pound (or less, actually) covered four servings. I really had a hard time deciding what to put in these bowls because there were just SO many delicious possibilities. So, I’ll tell you what I put in mine below and then give you some other options!

I started the bowls with a base of brown rice cooked in chicken broth. The chicken broth makes a big difference in the overall flavor of the bowl. Feel free to use white rice, I just wanted to try to incorporate more brown rice into my diet lately. I topped the bowls with black beans, corn, freshly made pico de gallo, cumin-lime marinated flank steak, a dollop of sour cream, and  a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. It was so. good. oh. my. 

So here are some other ideas: avocado (or an avocado/sour cream sauce), your favorite salsa (instead of the pico de gallo), fresh or pickled jalapeños, satuéed onions & peppers (for a fajita style bowl), sautéed mushrooms, or shredded cheese. Basically, anything that you like in a burrito or on a taco would be amazing on this free-form bowl. Be creative!

Southwest Steak Bowls

Top view of a Southwest Steak Bowl

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Southwest Steak Bowls

4.89 from 18 votes
These Southwest Steak Bowls have everything you love about burritos in a quick and easy bowl. 
Southwest steak bowl with rice and veggies.
Servings 4
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 45 minutes
Total 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

For the Steak

  • 1 lb. flank or skirt steak ($4.48)
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
  • 1 clove garlic ($0.08)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin ($0.03)
  • 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
  • 1 lime ($0.33)

For the Rice

  • 1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice ($0.56)
  • 3 cups chicken broth* ($0.21)

Toppings

  • 1 small onion ($0.32)
  • 1 large tomato ($1.06)
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro ($0.50)
  • 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
  • 1 15oz. can black beans* ($0.63)
  • 1 cup frozen corn kernels ($0.47)
  • 8 oz. sour cream ($1.47)
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Instructions 

  • To make the steak marinade, mince the garlic and combine it in a bowl with the olive oil, cumin, salt, and the juice from half of the lime (1-2 Tbsp juice). Save the other half of the lime to use in the pico de gallo. Add the marinade and steak to a zip top bag or shallow dish, make sure the steak is well coated in the marinade, and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes while the rice cooks.
  • Cook the rice according to the package instructions, but substitute chicken broth for the water.
  • While the rice is cooking and steak is marinating, prepare the pico de gallo. Dice the tomato and half of the onion. Combine the diced tomato, onion, juice from the second half of the lime, 1/4 tsp of salt, and a handful of roughly chopped cilantro in a bowl. Stir until combined, taste, and adjust the salt if needed.
  • Rinse the black beans in a colander and allow the corn kernels to thaw.
  • To cook the steak, heat a large skillet over medium-high until very hot. Add the steak and cook for 3-5 minutes on one side, or until deeply golden brown. Flip and cook in the same manner on the second side. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and allow it to rest for five minutes. If desired, thinly slice the second half of your onion and cook it in the skillet for a few minutes, or until they are caramelized.
  • Once the steak has rested for a few minutes, slice it thinly against the grain (look for the lines in the meat and cut across them). To build the bowls, lay down one cup of rice, 1/4 cup each of beans, corn, and pico de gallo, a few slices of steak, a few sprigs of cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. Serve hot.

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Notes

*I used chicken base to make the chicken broth, which is much less expensive than buying canned or boxed broth.
*I used beans that I had cooked from dry, which is less expensive than canned beans.

Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 782.85kcalCarbohydrates: 97.75gProtein: 42.7gFat: 28.45gSodium: 971.85mgFiber: 16.05g
Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
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Top view of a Southwest Steak Bowl with staged ingredients on side

Step by Step Photos

Marinade ingredients in mixing bowl with forkThe first thing I did was prepare the marinade so that the meat could be marinating while the rice was cooking. Just mince up a clove of garlic and combine it with the olive oil, cumin, salt, and juice from HALF of the lime. Save the other half of the lime for the pico de gallo.

Marinade and steak in ziplock bag I had this half of a flank steak in my freezer. I thawed it over night in the fridge and then just added the marinade straight to the bag. Massage it around a bit so that the marinade gets all over. You can also do this in a shallow dish, just make sure to coat the steak in the marinade. I put this back into the refrigerator to do its thing while the rice cooked.

Package of rice and jar of better than bouillon Cook the rice according to the directions on the package except replace the water with chicken broth. This adds a LOT of flavor to your bowls. I like to use Better Than Bouillon because it’s less expensive than canned or boxed broths and I can make any amount that I need, then keep the rest of the jar in the fridge. It lasts forever.

Pico de Gallo in bowl with fork I love fresh pico de gallo, but you could always just use your favorite salsa instead. To make the pico de gallo, dice half of a small onion and one large tomato. Roughly chop a handful of fresh cilantro. Squeeze the juice from the second half of the lime over top and add a 1/4 tsp of salt. Stir and you’re done!

Searing Steak in hot skillet To cook the steak, heat up a large skillet over medium-high heat until it’s really hot.There was a lot of oil in the marinade, so I didn’t find that I needed to add anymore to the skillet. If you’re using a metal (not non-stick), you may want a touch of oil, but again, there was a lot in the marinade and already coating the meat. Let the meat cook without touching it for about 3 minutes on one side. Peek underneath and see if it’s nice and brown. If it is, go ahead and flip it and cook the same on the other side. Skirt steak can be tough if over cooked, so we’re aiming for nice and brown on the outside and light pink on the inside.

Letting cooked steak restAfter the steak is browned on both sides, let it sit for a few minutes before slicing (this will keep it juicy).

Caramelizing onions in skillet I didn’t want to waste the other half of the onion that I used for the pico, so I sliced it thin and sauteed it up really quickly in the skillet. It picked up all of the yummy bits of meat left over from cooking the steak. YUM.

Slicing steak into thin slices Now you can slice the steak. Look for the lines or the “grain” of the meat and slice it in the opposite direction. This helps keep the steak tender and easy to chew by cutting across the connective tissue. I love skirt steak. omgomgomg.

black beans in colander to rinse Also, while all that is going on, drain and rinse the beans. Take the corn out of the freezer and let that thaw, too.

Top view of building a Southwest Steak Bowl with ingredients Now the rice is probably done so you can fluff that up and build your bowls! Put a cup or so of the rice in a bowl and top with about 1/4 cup each of beans, corn, and pico de gallo. Add some of the sliced steak, a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. And that’s that!

Adding a dollop of Sour Cream to top of bowl I think the sour cream really adds something great to the bowls… I thought about making an avocado/sour cream sauce, but wanted to keep it simple. That would be awesome, though.

Fork in bowl of Southwest Steak BowlAnd when it all starts mixing together… oooooooh. Go make it now!

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  1. Just wanted to say as someone completely new to cooking, I really love your website. I’m telling all of my friends about it! I love the step by step photos, and easy explanations. Also, I really appreciate your upbeat attitude, and how you respond to everyone’s comments. Thank you!

  2. This recipe looks amazing! I’ve had great success with tons of your recipes.

    Anyone find the nutritional facts on it? Particularly the calories.

  3. Made these tonight and they were awesome!!!! I need you to come out with a cookbook bc I love all of your meals!!! I use your website for probably 3/4 of the meals I prepare each week! Keep up the amazing work!! :)

    1. The cookbook is scheduled for release Feb. 4, 2014! It will go on presale before then, so stay tuned for updates! :D

      1. YAY!!!!! That is soooo exciting! I saw your post yesterday with the first print and I was so excited!! Good for you! I know it will be amazing and I can’t wait to order my copy!! =)

  4. Hy. I don’t even know Who you are, but I don’t care! You post things that my boyfriend actually is likely to get as dinner when he comes home. This stuff could have been made right here, in the smallest kitchen of Switzerland, I tell you! Had I not just had a cucumber/tomato/mozzarella salad I would be making this with tuna!! And everything I see in here looks really interesting and simply appealing! I can’t wait to know everything by heart. How nice to se some recipes I have never seen before, and are simple! Thanks person! You are Good!

  5. beans and rice with veggies: classic vegetarian meal. southwest flavors and combos: delicious! for folks like me, who will leave the meat out of this dish, i’d spice up the beans and definitely add a sprinkle of cheese. sauteed zukes would be great, too.

  6. ahhhh this looks so delicious! the bf and i love making burritos/burrito bowls but usually use egg or chicken as the meat. flank steak would be an awesome change up- thanks for the recipe!

  7. This looks amazing! Do you think using a different cut of steak would be possible? I wasn’t sure if I could swap it out for something else or not.

    1. Yep, you could probably use any type of steak you want, although cooking times will differ depending on the size/thickness.

  8. My one complaint about Better Than Bouillion is the sodium content. But, in the organic aisle at Rouses, I found Lower Sodium BTB! It makes no sense that it has to live on a different shelf, but it was still a good find.

    1. Awesome! I was just thinking about the sodium in BTB today when making this :D You rock!

  9. Any idea if these bowls could be made and then frozen, for a quick “pop it in the microwave” meal? Would the rice and beans get mushy?

    1. Yes, these should be fantastic to freeze! Beans and rice freeze really well with very little texture change after thawing/reheating. The steak will cook further upon reheating, which means it won’t be so tender, but I’d sure gobble them up just as quickly!

  10. This looks great! I’ve been looking for a way to use up the flank steak in my freezer. How much olive oil did you use in the marinade?

    1. Oh, thanks for catching that! I forgot to type it in… I used 1.5 Tbsp. And, I just realized that I put the price for 2 Tbsp, but oh well. Better to over estimate price than under estimate :)

  11. Another total winner! What I most love about these ‘bowls’ is how easy they make entertaining large groups of people. I mean you just set everything out and everyone chooses what THEY love and everyone is happy. My gluten free friends will be happy. My picky friends will be happy. I do love foods that make entertaining both easy and YUMMY!