Savory, delicious and satisfying, try this Shredded Beef Burrito Bowl with Cilantro Lime Rice and black beans for another family dinner win!
Burritos are a classic go-to meal. The challenge is that the good stuff you want inside your tortilla requires you to have a REALLY big tortilla, otherwise it’s ripping and falling out with every bite, and that gets frustrating. Not to mention a really big tortilla can easily add 350+ calories to your meal, without adding a whole lot more satisfaction. I say forget the tortilla and just have the good stuff from the inside!
This meal is so easy because the beef is slow-cooked in the crock pot. The rice is cooked up in a rice cooker. The black beans are canned. Pair it with a generous helping of chopped greens, tomatoes, peppers and avocado, add a little cheese, salsa and lime juice and you’ve got a healthy meal loaded with nutrition.
For the beef, I recommend a boneless chuck roast. Beef is pricey—which is why I don’t use it very often. But the chuck roast in the crock pot will turn out tender and juicy, and you can get it under $6/pound, which is a little easier to swallow than the $10-$17 per pound of other beef cuts.
The best way to prepare the beef roast is to season and sear the outside in a fry pan on the stove top. This helps to lock in some of the flavor and moisture as it cooks. Then place the roast into a crock pot with about 3 cups of beef broth. Let it cook for a minimum of 12 hours (but up to 20 hours is good too) and it will fall apart. I typically start this just before going to bed and let it cook until dinner time the next day.
I recommend using a 3 lb roast, although that will likely be more than you need for serving up this meal. But the left overs are great over salad, or as a BBQ beef sandwich, or in chimichangas too.
If you haven’t noticed, I really like these types of meals that are easy to separate out. It makes feeding kids such a breeze! My kids definitely liked this one. One kid loved the beans, avocado and cheese. Another liked the beef, rice and lettuce. The other liked the beans, rice and avocado. But they all ate some of everything and it was a great way to get them more familiar with some of these staple foods that I love!
The Meal:
3 oz shredded Slow-Cooker Beef Chuck Roast
½ cup Cilantro Lime Rice
¼ cup black beans
½ oz finely shredded cheese
1 ½ cups chopped romaine
¼ medium avocado
¼ cup tomato
1/8 cup chopped peppers
2 Tbsp salsa
2 wedges of watermelon
Recipes Used in this meal:
Shredded Beef Burrito Bowls
Serving size: 1 bowl
Servings per Recipe: 6
Ingredients
14 oz Slow-Cooker Beef Chuck Roast (shredded, cooked portion)
3 cups Cilantro Lime Rice
3 oz shredded cheese
1 ½ cups black beans, drained and rinsed
1 ½ medium avocado
9 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 ½ cups tomatoes, diced
¾ cup bell pepper, diced
Directions
Assemble the burrito bowls by portioning onto plates or bowls: 3 oz portion of beef, ½ cup rice, ½ oz shredded cheese, ¼ cup black beans, ¼ avocado, 1 ½ cups chopped romaine, ¼ cup of tomatoes and 1/8 cup chopped peppers.
Serve immediately. Top with salsa if desired.
Slow-Cooker Beef Chuck Roast
Serving size: 3 oz (cooked portion)
Servings per Recipe: 12
Ingredients
3 lb Beef Chuck Roast
1 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
3 tsp beef bouillon
3 cups water
Directions
Pat dry the chuck roast with a paper towel. Shake salt, pepper and garlic powder over the surface of the roast and press in with your fingers.
Lightly spray a large fry pan with cooking spray, then heat on high. Sear the chuck roast on all sides in the hot pan. Cook on each side until browned, and slightly caramelized. Place in slow cooker.
In the same large fry pan, add 3 cups of water. This will incorporate all the browned bits in your pan into the beef broth. Bring water to a boil, remove from heat and add the beef bouillon. Stir to combine then pour over the chuck roast in the slow-cooker.
Cook on low for at least 12 hours, but up to 20 hours max. Shred before serving.
Cilantro Lime Rice
Serving Size: ½ cup cooked
Servings per Recipe: 6
Ingredients
1.5 cups white rice
½ Tbsp olive oil
3 cups of water
2 ½ tsp chicken bouillon or soup base
1 Tbsp cilantro (fresh/chopped)
2 ½ Tbsp lime juice
Directions:
Saute rice in a fry pan with 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil. Watch closely, and keep it moving as it can easily burn (This step is not essential, but it does add to the final flavor)
Pour rice into rice cooker, add water and bouillon. Start rice cooker
Rinse and chop cilantro.
Once rice is done cooking, stir in cilantro and lime juice.
Nutrition Facts Label for Entire Meal:
Nutrition Facts Label for Shredded Beef Burrito Bowl (no watermelon, no salsa):
Nutrition Facts Label for Slow-Cooker Beef Chuck Roast:
Nutrition Facts Label for Cilantro Lime Rice:
