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This vegan burrito bowl makes for a hearty weeknight meal that’s packed with flavor. With lentils, black beans, guacamole, and pico de gallo, there’s a tantalizing mix of tastes – bite after bite.
A few weeks ago I was able to visit Des Moines vegan restaurant, Brightside Kitchen. I ordered their special of the day, which was a burrito bowl.
(Read more about them on my list of Des Moines vegan options!)
Days later, I was still thinking about that bowl.
Instead of using beans alone for the protein-dense part of the bowl, they used a combination of lentils and black beans. It had been a while since I’d made my taco meat that way. I’d forgotten how good it is.
Lentils are one of my favorite foods – whether in creamy mushroom soup, marinated lentils, vegan lentil burgers, or with caramelized onions & pistachios.
So not surprisingly, brown lentils make a vegan burrito bowl that much more inviting.
They have a softer texture that vaguely reminds me of the ground beef-style taco meat I ate growing up. Except this version is vegan, of course, and uses whole plant foods instead.
I decided to make a vegan burrito bowl of my own…
Rather than gas up the car for a road-trip, I decided to make a vegan burrito bowl of my own, inspired by the one I’d had at Brightside Kitchen.
How to make a vegan burrito bowl
Start by sautéing onions and garlic in a skillet.
Add cooked black beans, brown lentils, spices, and just enough water to get the spices evenly mixed.
Then serve the lentil & black bean mixture in bowls with brown rice, spinach, guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapeño peppers, cilantro, and hot sauce.
(My favorite hot sauce of the moment is Wildbrine smoky jalapeño sriracha. Here are my other top hot sauces.)
Time saving shortcuts
You can make all of the elements of this bowl from scratch, or you can use some shortcuts to make it a super easy, weeknight friendly meal. I used some of my favorite vegan Trader Joe’s products to simplify dinner.
- Use pre-cooked frozen brown rice (store-bought or leftover from a previous meal)
- Use store-bought pico de gallo & guacamole
- Use pre-cooked lentils & canned black beans, instead of making them from scratch
After the bowl is complete, I like to give it a good stir, so that every bite has a mixture of tastes. It’s not quite as pretty that way, of course, but you can’t argue with delicious.
Serve it with chips for extra crunch and to scoop up the best parts. If you feel like upping the yum factor even more, I bet this bowl would be delicious with a drizzle of cashew queso.
This gluten free, vegan burrito bowl also packs beautifully for lunches. Just pack the hot & cold parts separately, so that it’s easy to warm the rice & lentil mixture on its own.
Have leftovers?
This makes a pretty sizable amount of lentil & black bean mixture. So if you have leftovers, consider using them in any of the recipes below.
Just swap the black bean & lentil mixture in for whatever the filling had been originally in the recipe, if necessary.
- Vegan walking tacos
- Vegan nachos with cashew queso
- Double decker tacos
- Vegan taco salad
- Vegan taco pizza
Vegan burrito bowl with lentils & black beans
Ingredients
For lentil taco meat
- 1/2 teaspoon organic canola oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 1/2 cups cooked brown lentils I used one package of Trader Joe's steamed lentils
- 1 1/2 cups black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon granulated onion
- Pinch salt
- 2 Tablespoons water Plus more if necessary
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce Adjust more or less to taste, depending on your preferences and the heat level of the sauce
For vegan burrito bowls
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 3/4 cup pico de gallo store bought or homemade
- 3/4 cup guacamole store bought or homemade
- Optional garnish: Cilantro, jalapeño pepper slices, hot sauce, cashew queso, vegan sour cream
Instructions
To make the lentil taco meat
- Bring a large non-stick skillet to a medium heat with organic canola oil.
- Add onion and garlic to the skillet. Sauté a few minutes, until fragrant and translucent.
- Add cooked lentils, black beans, ancho chili powder, cumin, paprika, granulated onion, salt, and water to the skillet.
- Stir until the spices are evenly combined. Continue cooking for a few minutes more, until the lentil mixture is fully heated. Add hot sauce to taste and combine. Taste for spices and add more if needed. If the mixture starts to stick to the skillet, add a splash of water a Tablespoon at a time. Remove from heat and set aside.
To make vegan burrito bowls
- In each bowl, put a few generous spoonfuls of lentil taco meat, 1/2 cup brown rice, a handful of baby spinach, 2 Tablespoons pico de gallo, 2 Tablespoons guacamole. Add any of the optional garnish options if using: cilantro, jalapeño pepper slices, hot sauce, cashew queso, and/or vegan sour cream. Repeat with the remaining bowls.
Notes
Nutrition
Susan says
I’ve been falling in love with lentils all over again recently. They are so versatile and delicious.
Cadry says
So true! It’s easy to forget about them, tucked away in the cupboard. But they are so tasty & filling!
Kathy Hester says
I love lentils too but never thought about pairing them with black beans. Great idea!
Cadry says
It adds really great texture & filling protein. You should give it a go sometime!
Dianne says
I love the idea of mixing lentils and black beans to make a taco filling, or to use in a bowl like this. This looks like such a yummy meal!
Cadry says
I could eat something taco or burrito-inspired almost daily. This helps with my quota! 😉
Sarah De la Cruz says
Bowl meals are my fave! They’re so easy to customize to everyone’s tastes!!! Your lentil version looks amazing!
Cadry says
Thanks, Sarah! I don’t know what it is about bowls, but they instantly make a meal more fun. So many flavors in every bite!
Kristin says
yum! i love burrito bowls. i like the idea of mixing the lentils and black beans together as the “meat.”
Cadry says
Thanks, Kristin! Why choose when you can have both, right? 🙂
Meredith says
Thank you for this! I was able to make this fairly quickly tonight for dinner. Substituted some salsa (Peach Mango Habanero 🙂 ) for the pico as the store near me did not have any pico but otherwise I followed the recipe. Very tasty! I will be using the lentil taco “meat” for future bowls I am sure!
Cadry says
I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it, Meredith. Peach mango habanero salsa sounds like a delicious substitution!