Vegetarian Burrito Bowl Recipe with a Meaty Texture
A vegetarian burrito bowl is made with rice, beans, vegetables, and a meatless filling. This version uses cauliflower and walnuts cooked with taco seasoning, then adds lettuce and your favorite toppings. It’s a fresh, satisfying meatless dinner that is a hearty, plant-based meal that proves you don’t need meat for a great burrito bowl.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Simple and Savory
Sometimes when I make this, my family thinks the cauliflower and walnut mixture is ground meat. Chopped small and cooked down with the seasoning, it picks up that same crumbled, meaty texture you’d get from ground meat, no processed, packaged veggie crumbles needed.
Recipe Highlights
- Make-ahead friendly: Bowls are perfect for meal prep. Cook the cauliflower and walnut filling ahead when you have time, reheat, and build bowls when you’re ready.
- Built around pantry staples: canned beans, rice, and a spice blend you probably already have.
- Vegetarian: but not short on protein. Walnuts and beans do the work most people expect meat to do here.
- Flexible: Swap the protein or change the vegetables and you’ve got a completely different dinner.
Ingredient Notes
- Extra Vigin Olive oil or Avocado Oil – Either works, avocado oil has a higher smoke point and a more neutral flavor.
- Cauliflower – Adds texture more than flavor. If you taste it and aren’t a fan, chopped portobello mushrooms are a good swap.
- Walnuts – These give the mixture its meaty bite, plus protein and healthy fat. Swap them one-for-one with cashews or pecans, or leave them out and stir in cooked quinoa instead if you’re dealing with a nut allergy (a reader asked about this exact swap in the comments, and it works well).
- Taco seasoning – Use my taco seasoning blend which is made with chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. You can also use a store-bought blend, if that’s easier.
- Black beans – Pinto beans work just as well if that’s what’s in your pantry.
- Romaine lettuce – Boston, lettuce or field greens will also work as part of the base.
- Optional toppings – Any combination of these will add flavor to your bowls: fresh guacamole, sliced jalapeño pepper, lime juice, red onion, chopped cilantro, salsa or pico de gallo.
How to Make Vegetarian Burrito Bowls
Prepare: chop the cauliflower and walnuts into small, similar-sized pieces. Mix the taco seasoning, drain the beans, cook the rice.
- Cook the cauliflower in olive oil over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until it starts to soften.
- Stir in the walnuts and taco seasoning. Add the water, cover, reduce to low, and cook about 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.
- Build the bowls: lettuce on the bottom, then the cauliflower mixture, beans, and rice.
- Add whatever toppings you’re in the mood for.
Make it Your Way
Bowls are one of the easiest dinners to put together because they naturally break down into four simple parts: protein, vegetables, sauce or flavor, and an optional finish which makes it easy to adapt to what you have on hand or feel like eating. Here are some suggestions:
Base -The base is usually a combination of lettuce and rice. But any leafy greens or shredded cabbage will work. Rice is common but can be swapped with any whole grain. Skip the whole grain and double up on the leafy greens for a lower-carb bowl.
Protein – Season crumbled extra-firm tofu with taco seasoning, or for a meat version, ground beef, turkey, or chicken work as does any leftover cooked meat.
Vegetables – Add shredded carrots, corn, zucchini, or bell peppers, cooked or raw.
Sauce/Flavor – Homemade salsa or salsa verde are good choices, or for something brighter, sour cream or Greek yogurt for something creamier. A squeeze of lime if you don’t want to make a sauce at all. Switch from Mexican to Mediterranean with hummus, lemon juice, and garlic.
Finish – Cheese, or leave it off (or use a vegan cheese) for dairy-free. Avocado or slices, guacamole, jalapeño, or chopped fresh cilantro. Tortilla chips on top for crunch.
The texture of the cauliflower and walnuts is close to ground meat, which is why I make it this way. The nuts add protein and you get an extra serving of veggies from the cauliflower. Cashews work in place of the walnuts too. When I want a little more protein, I’ll mix in some ground chicken with the cauliflower and walnuts; it stretches further and you’d never know it’s half veggies.
If you want a system for building bowls out of whatever you’ve got instead of figuring it out from scratch every time, check out my free bowls dinner builder.
What to Serve with Burrito Bowls
These bowls are a full meal on their own, or add tortilla chips for scooping. And don’t forget the homemade garden salsa, pico de Gallo or salsa verde to drizzle on top with a scoop of homemade guacamole and sour cream or Greek yogurt and a squeeze of lime juice.
How to Store Leftovers
This filling keeps well, so it’s a good one to make ahead. Store the cauliflower and walnut mixture, beans, rice, and toppings separately in airtight containers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat the filling on the stove or in the microwave, then build the bowls fresh.
Serving Suggestions
Burrito bowls are a full delicious meal on their own but taste even better when homemade garden salsa, pico de Gallo or salsa verde is drizzled on top with a scoop of homemade guacamole and sour cream or Greek yogurt and a squeeze of lime juice.
Want to Save This Recipe?
Enter your email & I’ll send it to your inbox. Plus, get great new recipes from me every week!
By submitting this form, you consent to receive emails from Simple and Savory
Click on serving size to scale this recipe
Healthy Vegetarian Burrito Bowl
Equipment
- 4 Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower small to medium to equal 4 cups chopped
- 3/4 cup walnuts chopped
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1/4 cup water or vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 cups black beans cooked and drained
- 1 cup Cooked rice brown or white
- 1 head romaine lettuce
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 onion
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients: clean and chop the cauliflower and walnuts into small pieces. Set them aside separately. Measure the taco seasoning. Drain and rinse the black beans, cook the rice and prepare the toppings.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the cauliflower pieces and cook for about 5 minutes until it begins to soften.
- Reduce the heat to medium heat and stir in the chopped walnuts and taco seasoning blend. Add water or broth, reduce the heat to low heat. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes longer.
- Assemble the bowls: Add chopped lettuce, to each bowl and divide the cauliflower mixture into four portions and place it into bowls. Add beans, rice, chopped lettuce, tomatoes and onions and any variety of toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and can vary based on cooking methods and ingredients used
Vegetarian Burrito Bowl FAQs
This recipe is filled with healthy veggies, and you can add more. Burrito bowls are very filling; one bowl will have you feeling full and it’s made with all healthy ingredients.
Yes, but frozen cauliflower rice will have a softer texture than larger chopped pieces of cauliflower. Cook it until it is tender, then continue with the walnuts and taco seasoning.
Sign Up for Easy Recipes Straight in Your In-Box!
Any substitute for walnuts? We have nut allergy in out home.
Hi Rosa, You can leave the walnuts out, or you can replace it with cooked quinoa.