Today I’m going to share with you one of my favorite anti-inflammatory diet meals: my Easy Mexican Cauliflower Rice Bowl. This is another crowd-pleaser in our house. The boys eat it up with a big spoon!
Reasons why I love this Easy Mexican Cauliflower Rice Bowl:
- It’s sneakily healthy – swapping out cauliflower rice for white or even brown rice means that you’re eating lots of veggies in each bite…and you don’t even know it!
- It’s a simple, quick weeknight recipe. I typically make a double (or even triple) batch of this during the week and it’ll take me less than 30 minutes from beginning to end. Cauliflower rice cooks so quickly and you can just throw all the ingredients together!
- This is a low-carb, low-calorie option if you’re looking for go-to low-carb or low-cal recipes!
- It’s versatile – I can easily make this meal with shredded chicken, ground beef or turkey, or vegetarian. I’ve also easily swapped cooked white rice for the cauliflower rice when making this for large groups (with people who may or may not like cauliflower rice!) and it’s so yum.
- My boys love it – Tyler loves this recipe because it’s super filling while also being low-calorie. Both Finn and Justus will gobble this down as soon as I put it on their plates.
- Toppings galore – this dish is easily personalized depending on what toppings you like. I love to put avocado, an extra squeeze of lime juice and more cilantro on mine. Tyler appreciates covering it in cheese and sour cream, and Finn does all of the above! Whatever your eaters like, this meal can offer it.
How to cook cauliflower rice
There are three options for making cauliflower rice:
- Buy cauliflower heads, chop them and put them in a food processor to make the “rice.” This is the most time-intensive option.
- Buy a pre-chopped cauliflower head. With this option, the cauliflower is already “riced” for you. Typically you can find this in the produce section where you would find other bags of pre-chopped vegetables. This is the simplest, quickest option.
- Buy frozen cauliflower rice. This option allows you to save the cauliflower rice for longer – I usually buy a large bag from Costco so I can use it whenever I want to. However, it takes slightly longer to cook all the way through (about 10 minutes instead of 5).
Any of these options work – obviously if you want to rice the cauliflower yourself, it will take longer. Also, if you purchase fresh cauliflower (either a whole cauliflower head or a bag of fresh cauliflower rice) it will cook quicker than the frozen cauliflower rice.
Whatever form of cauliflower rice you choose, cooking it is the same: heat about 1tbsp of oil on a pan on medium-high heat. Cook the cauliflower rice, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes if it’s fresh and about 10 minutes if it’s frozen. You’ll know it’s done once the cauliflower goes from bright white to a softer, more translucent color. I find it’s similar to sautéing a white onion. You want the cauliflower to be soft but not mushy. It should still maintain its shape within the meal.
If you’re looking for simple anti-inflammatory meals that you can make on a weeknight for the whole family, check out my 7-Day Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Plan & Guide!
Now…on to the Healthy Mexican Cauliflower Rice Burrito Bowl Recipe!
Easy Mexican Cauliflower Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced or pressed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey or beef/chicken
- 3 cups cauliflower rice see note above about how to make or buy cauliflower rice
- 1 can black beans
- 1 can corn
- 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 jar salsa approximately 1/4 cup
- salt & pepper
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- dash cayenne pepper
Toppings
- cilantro
- avocado
- sour cream
- shredded cheese
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat large pan to medium high heat. Dice onion and press/mince garlic. Add olive oil and saute onion and garlic.
- Add ground turkey. Season with salt, pepper, chili powder, paprika and cumin. Brown meat until mostly cooked through.
- Stir in cauliflower rice, salsa, black beans and corn. Slowly add broth until the mixture is moist enough to stir easily. You don't want the broth to puddle so add just enough to moisten the dish.
- Lower heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is translucent and soft (but not mushy). Note: if you use frozen cauliflower it will take a few minutes longer to cook.
- Top with cilantro, avocado, cheese and sour cream! Enjoy!
For a variation of this recipe, check out this Instant Pot Mexican Quinoa Bowl meal:
If you like this meal, you should check out my Anti-Inflammatory Butternut Squash Curry recipe – it can also be made in the Instant Pot!
2 Comments
This was super easy, healthy and delicious! Checked all the boxes for me! Thanks, Tiff!!
I’m so glad to hear it!!