A homemade burrito bowl that beats the store-bought version on price and calories: tomato-cooked rice, cajun chicken, black beans, corn and peppers, topped with lettuce, sour cream and hot sauce. One bowl is 42.5g of protein for 457 calories.

Cooking the rice with diced tomatoes builds flavour into the base instead of relying on the toppings.

Ingredients

  • For the tomato rice
  • Brown rice — ½ cup dry [P 7 C 73 F 3]
  • Canned diced tomatoes — ½ cup [P 1 C 4 F 0]
  • Water (or broth) — 1 cup
  • Salt — for the rice
  • For the chicken
  • Chicken breast — 2, ~180 g each raw [P 74 C 0 F 8]
  • Olive oil — 1 tsp (or spray)
  • Salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, chilli powder — to taste
  • For the toppings
  • Onion — 1 small, sliced
  • Green bell pepper — 1 medium, sliced
  • Black beans — ¼ cup [P 3 C 10 F 0]
  • Frozen corn — ¼ cup [P 2 C 9 F 0]
  • Fat-free sour cream — ¼ cup [P 2 C 5 F 0]
  • Lettuce or spinach — 1 cup, chopped
  • Hot sauce — 1 tbsp

Method

  1. Cook the tomato rice. Simmer the rice, diced tomatoes and 1 cup salted water, covered, ~25 minutes.
  2. Cook the chicken. Season and pan-cook 6 minutes a side.
  3. Cook the veg. Remove the chicken, soften the onion and pepper 3–4 minutes, then warm the corn and beans.
  4. Build. Plate rice, chicken, veg and beans; top with lettuce, sour cream and hot sauce.

What to eat it with

  • Avocado or cheese — great additions (adds calories).
  • Extra hot sauce or salsa.
  • A squeeze of lime.

Variations

  • Vegetarian: double the beans, skip the chicken.
  • Lower carb: cauliflower rice.
  • Spicier: more chilli or jalapeño.

Honest notes

  • Fibre: about 7g a serving, from the beans, corn and rice.
  • Chicken weight: written for ~180g raw breasts — see [Baked Chicken Breast].
  • Macros: reconcile with the per-serving 457 cal / 42.5g protein listed; no correction needed.