Vegan Green Rice Burrito Bowl
Remember the lentil walnut taco meat that I shared with you on Friday? Well, now we’re putting it to good use in these green rice burrito bowls!
Herby green rice, spiced lentils and walnuts, roasted sweet potatoes, avocado, salsa and pepitas for crunch. These bowls are so delicious; a deconstructed version of my favorite burrito.
Have you had green rice before? This is one of my favorite ways to make rice and while it’s an extra step than plain rice, it makes a big flavor difference. You’ll blend together peppers and herbs with broth, then use that to cook the rice. I call for all parsley here, but you can sub in half parsley and half cilantro. That’s usually how I make it, but I didn’t want you to have to get two different bunches of herbs and then only use half of each.
I know I’m a dietitian and am supposed to be recommending brown rice but, to be honest, I don’t really like the taste. I’m much more partial to white rice and I’m fine with this- especially since we are adding so much fiber with the lentils, walnuts and potatoes.
One last thought- while this is a fairly simple meal to put together, there are also a lot of steps: cook the rice, cook the lentil meat, cook the potatoes. You can prep everything ahead of time if you’d like, or just get an earlier start. None of the steps are complicated or hard, but they do take time.
To make things easier, I’ll usually cook the lentils, make the green sauce and cube the sweet potatoes ahead of time. Then, when I’m ready to cook, I can easily make the rice, throw the potatoes in the oven and put together the lentil walnut taco meat.
Don’t forget to serve this with lots of salsa, avocado, hot sauce- you name it! My spicy jalapeno salsa also tastes incredible on this bowl. Whatever you like in a burrito or taco will taste delicious here.
Vegan Green Rice Burrito Bowl
Ingredients
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 2 sweet potatoes, cubed
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
Green Rice
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup packed parsley leaves
- 1 large poblano chili, seeded and roughly chopped
- 1 jalapeno, seeded and roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 batch Lentil Walnut Taco Filling
- Salsa
- Avocado
- Pepitas
Instructions
Make the roasted sweet potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss the potatoes with oil and spices, then place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast for 30-35 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
Make the lentil walnut taco filling
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the walnuts. Toast for ~2 minutes, stirring often until walnuts are lightly browned and fragrant, taking care not to burn. Place the walnuts in a small bowl and set aside. Add the oil to the same skillet along with the onion and spices. Cook for 5-6 minutes until onions are reduced and translucent but not browned. Add the cooked (or canned) lentils and walnut mixture along with the salsa or broth and cook another 2-3 minutes, gently mashing some of the lentils with the back of your spoon/spatula.
Make the green rice
- Puree the broth, parsley, poblano, jalapeno, garlic and salt in a blender or food processor until mostly pureed, with some chunks of herbs remaining.
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in the bottom of a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the rice and stir to just brown, about 1-2 minutes. Add the parsley mixture, stir together and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes or until rice is cooked through.
Assemble the bowls
- Layer the rice, roasted sweet potatoes, lentil mixture among 4 bowls. Top with avocado, salsa, hot sauce and pepitas.