It’s 6:40 on a weeknight. The kettle’s just boiled, Miso is doing her one-lap-and-a-half of the kitchen, and you still haven’t decided what’s for dinner. That’s the moment this recipe earns its place in my routine.
It’s a sweet potato burrito bowl: roasted spiced sweet potatoes, bell peppers, brown rice, black beans, corn and chopped lettuce, all in one bowl, finished with a creamy avocado-cilantro-lime dressing I blend in about 30 seconds. One tray, one blender, and dinner is sorted. The first time I made it, I was after that takeaway-bowl feeling — you know the kind, rice and fixings in a big bowl — without the 40-minute queue. This does that, but everything is something I can name.
Why it works
A burrito bowl is simply a deconstructed burrito: all the fillings you’d normally wrap in a tortilla, served in a bowl over a bed of lettuce. No tortilla means lower calories and fewer carbs than a wrapped version, and you still get the texture of rice, beans, fresh veg and creamy dressing.
The sweet potatoes get the starring role. Cumin, garlic powder, paprika and a little chili powder, roasted until the edges caramelise. They turn a sensible bowl into something that actually feels like a treat.
It’s also a meal-prep machine. Cook everything on a Sunday and you’ve got four dinners that reheat in minutes — I keep the lettuce and dressing separate so nothing goes limp (more on that below).
Ingredients
Burrito bowls (makes 4 servings)
- 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 red bell peppers, sliced into ½-inch (1 cm) strips
- 1 × 15 oz (425 g) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1½ cups (about 300 g) cooked brown rice
- 1 cup (about 160 g) cooked corn — fresh, canned, or frozen (thawed)
- 2 cups (about 55 g) chopped romaine lettuce
- Optional toppings: fresh cilantro, avocado slices, lime wedges, sour cream, jalapeños
Spices for roasting the sweet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) cumin
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) paprika
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) chili powder (optional)
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
If you don’t have all those spices, a packet of taco seasoning (about 3 teaspoons) works fine.
Cilantro lime dressing
- ½ avocado, peeled and pitted
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Greek yogurt — plant-based Greek yogurt or vegan mayo for a vegan bowl
- 1 cup (about 30 g) cilantro, loosely packed leaves and stems
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) lime juice
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) honey — maple syrup or agave for a vegan bowl
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water, plus more as needed
5 simple steps
- Roast the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Mix the spices with salt and pepper, then toss the sweet potato cubes with the olive oil and spice blend on a lined baking sheet. Roast for 15 minutes, flip, then add the bell pepper strips, drizzle over a little more oil, and roast for another 10–15 minutes until the potato edges are caramelised and the peppers are crisp-tender.
- Blend the dressing. While the vegetables cook, put the avocado, yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, honey, garlic, salt and water in a blender or food processor and pulse until smooth. Thin with a splash of water if it’s too thick.
- Warm the rest. Heat the black beans, rice and corn in a pan over medium heat — or skip it and serve everything at room temperature. Both work, honestly.
- Assemble. Divide the sweet potatoes, peppers, rice, beans and corn between four bowls over the chopped lettuce.
- Finish. Drizzle with the dressing and add your toppings — avocado, fresh cilantro, a squeeze of lime, a few jalapeños if you like it hot.
Make it your own
My rule with a bowl recipe is this: it should flex to whatever’s in the fridge. A few swaps I actually use:
- Rice: white rice, basmati, jasmine, cilantro-lime rice or black rice all work. Quinoa is a great swap too — or go lower-carb with cauliflower or broccoli rice.
- Veggies: red onion, zucchini, fresh tomatoes, mushrooms or spinach all disappear happily into this.
- Protein: swap the black beans for chickpeas or pinto beans. Grilled chicken, steak, baked tofu or pulled BBQ chicken all work as add-ins.
- Heat: add ½ to 1 jalapeño (seeded) or a pinch of red pepper flakes to the blender for a spicier dressing.
- No blender? Prepared salsa, pico de gallo or guacamole are fine stand-ins for the dressing.
- On the go: wrap the bowl in a flour tortilla and you’ve got a burrito — great for a lunch bag.
Make it vegan: swap the Greek yogurt for a plant-based Greek yogurt or vegan mayonnaise, and the honey for maple syrup, agave or sugar. Everything else is already plant-based.
Meal prep, reheating and leftovers
This is one of the best meals I’ve ever prepped. I use sturdy meal prep containers — I keep a set of these glass storage containers (affiliate link, thank you for supporting my little blog) — and the rule is simple: store the sweet potatoes, rice, beans, corn and peppers together, keep the lettuce separate, and keep the dressing separate.
Stored in airtight containers in the fridge, the bowl keeps for up to 3 days. The dressing stays fresh for 4–5 days in its own sealed container.
To reheat: nuke the sweet potatoes, rice, beans, corn and peppers in a microwave-safe container in 30-second intervals, or warm them gently in a pan over medium heat. Then top with crisp lettuce and a fresh spoonful of dressing. If you want the sweet potatoes crisp again, reheat them in the oven instead — 400°F (200°C), spread on a sheet pan, about 10–15 minutes until warm all the way through.
FAQs
Are burrito bowls actually healthy? Yes — a bowl like this, with rice, beans, roasted vegetables and a little dressing, is a satisfying, balanced dinner. The combination of protein, fibre and vegetables fills you up properly, so you’re far less likely to be raiding the fridge at 9pm.
Can I serve it cold? Completely. Warm or room-temperature, both work — this isn’t one of those recipes where the cold version is a compromise.
Can I use frozen corn? Yes, frozen corn is fine — just thaw it first. I like fire-roasted corn (any brand works) for an extra hint of smoky flavour.
Start today:
- ✓ Buy the sweet potatoes and bell peppers — they’ll last you a week in the veg drawer.
- ✓ Check your spice shelf: cumin, garlic powder, paprika. That’s the whole roast.
- ✓ Set the blender on the counter where you’ll see it — friction kills recipes.
It’s not a perfect dinner. It’s a 30-minute one, made from things you can actually see, that also solves Monday to Thursday. That’s enough. That’s the whole point.
Today’s tiny step: tonight, pick one thing you usually order in — the takeaway bowl, the fast-food wrap — and make the bowl version instead. One tray. One blender. Four dinners, if you want them.
— E, your habit neighbor