Mexican Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls (Easy Meal Prep)
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These easy Mexican Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls are filled with tender seasoned pork, cilantro lime rice, black beans, corn, cheese, and fresh toppings. They are colorful, filling, and perfect when I need a meal prep lunch that will still taste great several days later.
I make burrito bowls often because everyone can choose the toppings they like, and the individual containers make busy weekdays much easier. This version is one of my favorite ways to turn fully cooked or leftover pulled pork into an entirely different meal.
When I am planning lunches for the week, I also like to rotate in my Honey Garlic Chicken Meal Prep Bowls, Cheeseburger Rice Bowls, and Easy Chicken Tikka Masala Bowls. These easy bowl recipes give me plenty of variety without making meal prep complicated.
Table of contents
- Why I Love These Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- How to Make Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls
- My Best Tips for Meal Prep Burrito Bowls
- What to Serve With Pulled Pork Rice Bowls
- Pulled Pork Burrito Bowl Variations
- How to Store and Reheat Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls
- Frequently Asked Questions
- How can I use these bowls for dinner instead of meal prep?
- More Easy Meal Prep Bowls to Try
Why I Love These Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls
These pulled pork rice bowls have everything I want in a make-ahead lunch. They are hearty, flavorful, easy to assemble, and simple to customize with different toppings.
Using boxed cilantro lime rice saves me time and adds plenty of flavor without requiring me to measure several additional seasonings. Fully cooked pulled pork is another helpful shortcut. Once the rice is cooking, I can season the pork, warm the beans and corn, and have all four meal prep bowls assembled in about 40 minutes.
I also love that the cold ingredients are stored separately. The rice, pork, beans, corn, and cheese can be reheated together, while the pico de gallo, sour cream, cilantro, and lime stay cool and fresh.
Ingredients You’ll Need
These easy burrito bowls use convenient ingredients that provide a satisfying combination of protein, rice, vegetables, cheese, and fresh toppings.
Cilantro Lime Rice
- Old El Paso Cilantro Lime Seasoned Rice: This seasoned rice is my favorite shortcut because the cilantro and lime flavors are already included. If you cannot find it, you can use another cilantro lime rice mix, but check its package directions because the required water and cooking time may be different.
- Water: The water cooks the seasoned rice and allows it to become tender. Use the exact quantity called for with the two boxes of rice.
- Butter: Butter adds richness to the rice and helps keep the grains from tasting dry. Salted or unsalted butter will work.
Burrito Bowl Ingredients
- Fully cooked pulled pork: Use plain or lightly seasoned pulled pork rather than pork covered in a sweet barbecue sauce. Leftover smoked pork, slow cooker pulled pork, or refrigerated prepared pulled pork will all work well.
- Chili powder: Chili powder gives the pork warm, savory flavor without making it especially spicy. You can use mild chili powder if you are serving someone who is sensitive to heat.
- Ground cumin: Cumin adds an earthy flavor that works especially well in pulled pork burrito bowls.
- Garlic powder: Garlic powder distributes evenly through the pork and adds flavor without requiring fresh garlic.
- Water: A small amount of water helps the seasonings coat the pork and keeps it moist while it reheats.
- Black beans: Black beans add fiber, protein, and classic burrito bowl flavor. Drain and rinse them before warming to remove the excess canning liquid.
- Frozen corn: Corn adds color, texture, and a little natural sweetness. Drained canned corn can be used when frozen corn is not available.
- Shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese: Cheese melts slightly when the bowls are reheated and adds a creamy, savory finish. Cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or a Mexican style cheese blend can be used.
- Pico de gallo: Fresh pico de gallo adds tomatoes, onion, and bright flavor. Keep it in a separate container so it stays cold while the rest of the bowl reheats.
- Sour cream: Sour cream is optional, but I like the cool, creamy contrast it adds. Plain Greek yogurt can be used as a substitute.
- Lime wedges: A squeeze of fresh lime wakes up all the flavors just before serving.
- Fresh cilantro: Chopped cilantro adds a fresh finishing touch. It can be omitted if you do not care for cilantro.
How to Make Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls
The rice takes the longest to prepare, so I start it first and work on the remaining ingredients while it cooks. This allows all four meal prep burrito bowls to come together efficiently.
My Best Tips for Meal Prep Burrito Bowls
- Choose the right pulled pork. Plain or lightly seasoned pork works best. Sweet barbecue sauce can compete with the chili powder, cumin, cilantro lime rice, and fresh toppings.
- Taste the pork before adding salt. Packaged and smoked pulled pork can already contain plenty of salt and seasoning, so these bowls may not need any additional salt.
- Keep the cold toppings separate. Do not place pico de gallo or sour cream directly on the rice before refrigerating the bowls. They should be removed before reheating.
- Do not overheat the pork. The pork is already fully cooked, so it only needs to be seasoned and heated through. Cooking it too long may make it dry.
- Fluff the rice before portioning it. This helps distribute the cilantro lime seasoning and keeps the rice from becoming compacted in the containers.
- Let the hot ingredients cool slightly. Covering the containers while the ingredients are still steaming can create excess condensation. Do not leave the food at room temperature for more than two hours.
- Arrange the containers before assembling. One trick that works for me in my kitchen is setting all four containers in a row before I begin portioning. I add the rice to each container first, then move down the row with the pork, beans, corn, and cheese. It helps me divide everything evenly and prevents one bowl from ending up with all the best toppings.
What to Serve With Pulled Pork Rice Bowls
These pulled pork burrito bowls are filling enough to serve as a complete meal. Each bowl contains rice, pork, beans, corn, cheese, and fresh toppings, so I usually do not need to add anything else.
For a larger dinner, serve the bowls with tortilla chips and salsa, guacamole, queso, or a simple green salad. A side of fresh fruit also works well for an easy lunch.
I like to place extra toppings on the table when I serve these for dinner. Everyone can finish a bowl with avocado, guacamole, pickled jalapeños, diced tomatoes, salsa, crushed tortilla chips, extra cheese, cilantro, or lime.
Pulled Pork Burrito Bowl Variations
Spicy Pulled Pork Bowls
Add sliced or pickled jalapeños, hot salsa, pepper jack cheese, or a dash of hot sauce. You can also add a small pinch of cayenne pepper when seasoning the pork.
Pulled Pork and Avocado Bowls
Add sliced avocado or guacamole after reheating. A squeeze of lime will add flavor and help fresh avocado retain its color.
Lower Carbohydrate Burrito Bowls
Replace some of the prepared cilantro lime rice with cauliflower rice. Keep enough of the seasoned rice to provide the cilantro lime flavor while reducing the overall quantity of rice.
Extra Vegetable Burrito Bowls
Add sautéed bell peppers and onions, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, or roasted zucchini. Keep lettuce and fresh tomatoes in the cold topping container so they do not need to be microwaved.
Pulled Pork Taco Bowls
Add crushed tortilla chips immediately before eating for a crunchy taco bowl texture. Do not add the chips during meal prep because they will soften in the refrigerator.
Creamy Burrito Bowls
Drizzle the finished bowls with avocado crema, cilantro lime dressing, or a mixture of sour cream and salsa.
How to Store and Reheat Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls
Store the rice, pulled pork, black beans, corn, and cheese in four covered meal prep containers in the refrigerator for up to four days. Keep the pico de gallo and sour cream in small separate containers so they stay cold and do not make the rice soggy.
Remove the cold toppings before reheating. Microwave one bowl for 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 minutes, or until the pork and rice are heated through. Microwave ovens vary, so stir or rearrange the ingredients if necessary and continue heating in short intervals.
Add the refrigerated toppings, fresh cilantro, and lime juice after reheating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Plain or lightly seasoned fully cooked pulled pork is the best choice. Leftover smoked pork, slow cooker pulled pork, and refrigerated prepared pulled pork all work. Avoid pork heavily coated in sweet barbecue sauce because it may not pair as well with the cilantro lime rice and Mexican inspired seasonings.
Yes. This easy burrito bowl recipe is an excellent way to use leftover pulled pork. Reheat the pork in a skillet with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and water until it is hot and evenly seasoned.
Yes. The assembled bowls can be refrigerated for up to four days, making them a convenient option for make-ahead lunches. Store the pico de gallo and sour cream separately and add them after reheating.
The cooked ingredients taste best reheated, especially the rice, pork, beans, corn, and cheese. The pico de gallo, sour cream, cilantro, and lime should remain cold and be added after the rest of the bowl is hot.
Keep wet and cold toppings in separate lidded containers. Do not add pico de gallo, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, or diced tomatoes to the rice until you are ready to eat.
The rice, pork, black beans, and corn can be frozen in freezer-safe containers. Leave out the cheese and fresh toppings for the best texture. Thaw a bowl overnight in the refrigerator, reheat it thoroughly, and then add fresh cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, cilantro, and lime.
You can use another packaged cilantro lime rice prepared according to its directions. Plain white rice can also be used, although it will not have the same built in cilantro lime flavor as the seasoned rice in this recipe.
How can I use these bowls for dinner instead of meal prep?
Prepare all the ingredients as directed and arrange them as a burrito bowl bar. Let everyone build an individual bowl with rice, pork, beans, corn, cheese, pico de gallo, sour cream, cilantro, lime, and any additional toppings.
These easy Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls make weekday lunches something I can actually look forward to. If you need a simple leftover pulled pork recipe or a filling meal prep idea, give these bowls a try and let me know what toppings you added. I would love for you to leave a comment and tell me how they turned out!
Easy Pulled Pork Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
Cilantro-Lime Rice
- 2 boxes (6.2 oz each) Old El Paso Cilantro Lime Seasoned Rice
- 3½ cups water
- 2 Tbsp butter
Burrito Bowls
- 16 oz fully cooked plain or lightly seasoned pulled pork
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp water
- 16 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1½ cups frozen corn
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- ½ cup sour cream, optional
- Lime wedges, optional
- Chopped fresh cilantro, optional
Directions
- Add the contents of both rice boxes, water, and butter to a medium saucepan. Stir well and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
- Reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring once, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Remove the rice from the heat and let it stand, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
- While the rice cooks, place the pulled pork in a medium skillet. Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and water.
- Cook the pork over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until evenly seasoned and heated through.
- Warm the black beans and corn separately in the microwave or in small saucepans over medium heat.
- Divide the cilantro-lime rice evenly among four meal-prep containers.
- Top each portion of rice with pulled pork, black beans, corn, and shredded cheese.
- Divide the pico de gallo and sour cream among small, separate containers. Refrigerate the assembled bowls for up to four days.
- To serve, remove the cold toppings and microwave the burrito bowl for 1½ to 2½ minutes or until heated through. Add the pico de gallo, sour cream, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime before eating.
Notes
- I use two boxes of Old El Paso Cilantro Lime Seasoned Rice for an easy, flavorful shortcut.
- Use plain or lightly seasoned pulled pork rather than pork coated in sweet barbecue sauce.
- Leftover smoked pork, slow cooker pulled pork, or refrigerated prepared pulled pork will all work.
- Check the pulled pork before adding salt. Packaged and smoked pork can already contain plenty of seasoning.
- Divide the pico de gallo and sour cream among four small condiment containers, keeping the cold toppings separate from the assembled bowls.
- Allow the cooked ingredients to cool slightly before covering and refrigerating the containers. Refrigerate within two hours of cooking.
- For additional toppings, try sliced avocado, guacamole, pickled jalapeños, salsa, diced tomatoes, or crushed tortilla chips.
- For lower-carbohydrate bowls, replace some of the prepared rice with cauliflower rice.
Equipment
- 4 Small lidded condiment containers, optional
Nutrition Facts
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