Chipotle Burrito Bowl Copycat Recipe

I've been watching my carbs here and there, as I always do when my weight creeps up and it's time to reign it in. I don't go NO-carb (I still think that sets me up to put on weight FAST when I do add carbs back in — see more about that here: Lowering the Glycemic Index of the Foods You Love), so I just watch it more, eat GOOD carbs (no sweets, limited grains), and mostly keep my portions in check. Real food tastes SO good, I can be a pig pretty easily. So when I find a good lower-grain or grain-free recipe, I'm a happy girl. 🙂 Here's my latest favorite, not grain-free (as the picture says, before I was corrected in the comments), but gluten-free, and you can adjust how much rice you use. You could also do no rice at all, and just make it a big yummy burrito salad. The kids loved it too — our daughter said, “This is better than Chipotle's burrito bowls!” You can make these as jam-packed or as simple as you want, depending on how much time you have or what's on-hand. No need to stress. This will be a hit with your family, because you can let them put whatever they want on theirs!

Flavor-packed Burrito Bowls – Gluten-free

Author Kelly the Kitchen Kop

Ingredients

Whichever pastured meat you prefer: pork, chicken, or ground beef — cooked with seasonings… (Find safe, healthy meat here.)
Seasonings for the meat — use this homemade taco seasoning mix, or just stir in spices like sea salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, you really can't hurt it! Add red pepper if you want it to have a kick. Use 1/2 teaspoon of each to start, you can always add more if you think it needs extra flavor.
Cooked rice — the amount depends on how many you're feeding, just follow the directions on your rice. I like this kind, and LOVE that velcro closure.
Organic refried beans, heated — (You could also just use plain black or pinto beans.)
Salsa — your favorite kind, or try my fresh homemade salsa
Sour cream — I love this kind because it's from pastured cows
Limes, for squirting lime juice all over the top — yum!
Cheddar cheese, shredded
Parsley or cilantro for the top — this gives it an extra fresh taste

Veggies:

Organic lettuce of your choice, cleaned and chopped — I like anything with a good crunch
Different colored organic peppers, cut into strips
Onions, sliced, however many your family will eat
(For extra yumminess, fry the onions in about 4 Tablespoons of butter until caramelized nicely, add the peppers in just long enough to get soft, and serve that way, sort of fajita-style.)

Sauce ingredients:

8 Tablespoons butter
8 ounces organic cream cheese
Milk or cream — 1/2 cup or more
8 ounces tomato paste
More taco seasonings (see above)

Instructions

Cook the meat and rice. Heat up the beans, and chop the veggies. (Sauté the onions and peppers if desired.)

Make the sauce — note that it has no flour! Melt butter, cream or milk, and cream cheese in a medium saucepan. As it thickens, keep adding more milk or cream — I like it creamy, but not too thin. Add the tomato paste and more taco seasonings, again, about a half-teaspoon each until you see what else it needs – keep whisking it all as it blends together and the flavors “marry”, as the TV chefs say. Taste-test to see what it needs to be dreamy. More sea salt? More garlic powder?

If anything is done before you’re ready to assemble, just set it aside for a few minutes. You can keep the warm stuff on low heat on the stove.

Start assembling. Everyone can throw whatever they like into their burrito bowl. Start with lettuce and/or the rice, and go from there to the meat, veggies, cheese, lime juice, herbs, etc. Dollop the beans, salsa, sour cream, and sauce around the top.

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Enjoy!

If you want more traditional burritos, try these grass-fed burritos or these creamy Mexican wet burritos. 🙂

Let me know what you think and be sure to check out the bigger pictures here:

Chipotle Burrito Bowl Copycat Recipe — Gluten-free and Full of Flavor