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Fiesta Rice Bowl

A Fiesta Rice Bowl is a fantastic weeknight dinner idea because each person can customize it with whatever toppings they like best. We’re adding lots of fresh ingredients to this easy recipe. You are going to love all the flavors in this easy recipe. Perfect for a Mexican night or lunch.

Fiesta Rice Bowl

We created this Fiesta Rice Bowl recipe loosely based on a dish at our local bar and grill restaurant.

They have several different rice bowls and this is by far our favorite.

Our homemade version really amps up the flavors while using the same basic flavor profile of the original.

Disclosure – I may get a small commission for purchases made through affiliate links in this post.

Mexican Fiesta Rice bowl Recipe

🔑 Key to Success #1 – Finely Dice the Veggies

I know it’s a pain to chop veggies, but it’s so important to get a fine dice on your peppers and red onion.

The original recipe has the vegetables chopped into perfect tiny cubes and we tried to get the same dice on our vegetables at home.

Use a super sharp paring knife to cut the vegetables into tiny cubes.

Finely diced peppers and onions will ensure that easy bite is perfectly balanced when it comes to the flavors.

And you won’t have to worry about getting a giant piece of red onion in your mouth.

It’s worth it to take a little extra time to get the vegetables small enough.

And this step can be done a day or two in advance.

You can meal prep on Sunday and then make this dish much faster during the week.

Mexican Rice bowl Recipe

🔑 Key to Success #2 – Simmer Rice Until the Water is Absorbed

We’re using two packets of Knorr Mexican Rice in this recipe because we love the blend of herbs and spices that they use.

But you can feel free to use any type of rice that you prefer. A bowl of jasmine rice would work well in this recipe.

Start by bringing the water to a boil then add in both packets of Mexican rice.

Reduce the heat to low and let the rice simmer for 7 to 10 minutes until all the water is absorbed.

If you can still see water in the pot, allow the rice to continue simmering for a few more minutes.

Once all the water is absorbed into the rice, remove the rice from the heat and allow it to sit for 2 minutes covered.

Fluff the rice with a fork and you’re ready to serve.

Fiesta Rice Bowl

🔑 Key to Success #3 – Make Sure the Meat, Beans, and Corn are Warm

When you are ready to assemble your Fiesta Rice Bowls, make sure that the ground beef, black beans, and corn are warm.

We’re adding raw red onion and raw red and green bell peppers so these ingredients will be cold or room temperature.

All the other ingredients need to be warm or very warm so that your entire rice bowl will be warm when you start eating it.

It’s okay to put your individual Fiesta Rice Bowl in the microwave for 30-60 seconds to make sure it is extra warm.

This step is completely optional though.

If you are going to heat the rice bowl in the microwave, make sure you do it before topping it with the avocado.

You don’t want to heat up the avocado while you heat up your rice bowl.

Fiesta Rice Bowl

📌 Get the Printable Recipe for Fiesta Rice Bowls

Save this Fiesta Rice Bowl recipe to your favorite Mexican Night board or your Cinco de Mayo board.

Fiesta Rice Bowl
Fiesta Rice Bowl

Fiesta Rice Bowl

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Fiesta Rice Bowls are inspired by a dish from one of our favorite local diners. They are easy to customize with whichever veggies and protein that you like. Great recipe for quick Mexican lunch.

Ingredients

  • 2 pkgs (5.4 oz) Knorr Mexican Rice
  • 3.5 cups water
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 pkg (12 oz) frozen corn
  • 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups Fiesta blend cheese, finely shredded
  • 2 avocados, sliced

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine water and vegetable oil and bring to a boil. Add both packages of rice. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 7-10 minutes, until all water is absorbed. Remove from heat and allow to stand for at least 2 minutes.
  2. In a medium skillet, combine ground beef, cumin, and salt. Cook over medium-high heat until beef is browned and cooked through. Drain well.
  3. Add corn to a microwave-safe bowl and heat on HIGH power for 7 minutes until warmed through.
  4. Place black beans in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on HIGH power for 1 minute until the beans are warm.
  5. Serve this meal family-style where everyone can design their own Fiesta Rice Bowl with ingredients that they like.
  6. Suggested order: rice, ground beef, black beans, corn, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, red onion, cheese. Stir to combine. Top with half of a sliced avocado.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 600Total Fat: 63gSaturated Fat: 20gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 37gCholesterol: 148mgSodium: 1570mgCarbohydrates: 56gFiber: 16gSugar: 7gProtein: 54g

Nutrition Information Provided For Educational and Informational Purposes Only.

Did you enjoy this recipe? Have suggestions for improvement?

Your feedback helps us create better recipes for you. Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts!

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linda

Monday 24th of October 2022

what about adding the beans and corn to the cooked beef to warm up all together ?

Jennifer

Monday 24th of October 2022

YES! That would work great. These bowls are SO delicious.

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