Easy one-pan Vegetarian Burrito Bowls made with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, and other healthy veggies. A perfect meal prep recipe that’s completely plant-based and gluten-free, these vegan burrito bowls are a hit with the whole family.
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Do you love an easy healthy dinner?
Do you love not doing more dishes than absolutely necessary?
Do you love plant-based recipes?
Well then you are in the right place at the right time!
These easy Vegetarian Burrito Bowls are a dinner time dream come true. They’re un-fancy, un-fussy, and unbelievably delicious. And if you can chop up some veggies and throw them into a pan, then you, dear reader, are highly qualified to make this recipe.
What’s in Vegetarian Burrito Bowls?
Truly, my friend, the world is your burrito bowl oyster. I’ll show you what I did to make my version of vegan burrito bowls and then you can run with it and make it your own. Here’s what you need:
- Sweet potatoes –> This is the starchy component of our burrito bowls.
- Zucchini –> Support crew!
- Red peppers –> Or green – you do you.
- Red onion –> Yellow is totes fine too!
- Jalapeno peppers –> Bringing some heat.
- Black beans –> Bringing some protein!
- Cilantro –> Yes please!
- Lime juice –> For a little zing.
- Spices –> Smoked paprika, chili powder, and cumin.
- Salt and pepper –> As one does.
Equipment:
You’ll need a good sharp knife for dicing up all those veggies, and a nice big roasting pan. The one I use is actually a lasagna pan (it’s this one), but it’s big enough to hold all of the veggies and has nice high sides to keep everything contained.
How to make this recipe:
You’ll find detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post, but let’s start by walking through it step-by-step.
Step 1: (not pictured) Get chopping! Chop your sweet potatoes, zucchini, red pepper, red onion, and jalapeno.
Step 2: (above) Dump all of your chopped veggies into your roasting pan, along with the smoked paprika, chili powde,r cumin, salt, and pepper, and a bit of olive oil.
Step 3: (above) Mix it up, right into the pan!
Step 4: (above) Place the pan into a pre-heated oven and roast those veggies until just tender. This will take about 20-30 minutes, depending on how small you diced them.
Step 5: (above) Remove the pan from the oven. Add the black beans, cilantro, and lime juice.
Step 6: (below) Mix it up!
Step 7: Spoon the mixture into bowls, add desired toppings, and serve.
Vegetarian Burrito Bowl Topping Ideas:
I don’t know about you, but in my world, burrito bowls are all about toppings. Here are a few ideas:
- Sliced avocado halves
- More cilantro
- Pickled jalapenos
- Lime wedges
- Sliced tomatoes
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Tortilla chips
I find these burrito bowls don’t need an additional starch, but if you’re looking for a heartier meal you are of course welcome to serve over rice. My friend Sarah has a recipe for Cilantro Lime Rice that I think would be excellent with these. If you wanted to add more beans to the party, give my Spicy Instant Pot Black Beans a try.
Prefer your burritos wrapped up? Good news, this vegetarian burrito bowl filling is also delicious wrapped up in a tortilla with a bit of cheese. Or, try my Black Bean and Quinoa Freezer Burritos instead.
This burrito bowl filling would also be a great way to spruce up my Air Fryer Nachos.
What’s the deal with sweet potatoes?
Glad you asked!
Orange fleshed sweet potatoes are incredibly rich in beta-carotene, a pre-curser to vitamin A. In fact, some studies have shown that sweet potatoes contain even more bioavailable beta-carotene than leafy green vegetables.
Sweet potatoes also contain storage proteins called sporamins which have unique antioxidant properties. Also valuable for their anti-inflammatory benefits and blood sugar regulation, sweet potatoes are loaded with fiber, which helps steady the pace of digestion and regulate glucose uptake.
They’re also a great source of vitamin C, manganese, vitamin B6, potassium, dietary fiber, niacin, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and phosphorus complex carbohydrates.
Other recipes you might enjoy:
Vegetarian Breakfast Burritos
Vegan Sheet Pan Fajita Bowls
Vegan Poké Bowls
Veggie Burger in a Bowl
One-Pan Vegetarian Burrito Bowls
Equipment
- Sheet pans
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 2 medium jalapeño peppers de-seeded and finely diced
- 1 large red pepper diced
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cans black beans 14oz / 400g cans, drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- juice of one lime
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C / 400°F.
- Peel and dice the sweet potato. Dice the zucchini and red pepper, and red onion. Finely dice the jalapeños.
- In a large roasting pan, combine sweet potatoes, jalapeños, red pepper, zucchini, and red onion. Add olive oil, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and a touch of salt and pepper. Give this a good mix so that everything is well seasoned.
- Place in the oven and roast for about 20 - 30 minutes, stirring once about half way through. The sweet potato should be just tender when the vegetables have finished roasting.
- Remove the roasting pan from the oven and add the black beans, cilantro, and lime juice directly to the pan. Stir to combine.
- Spoon the mixture into bowls and serve warm. Top with diced avocado, jalapeños, or other desired toppings.
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
- Leftover burrito bowls will last about three days in the fridge.
- Or, wrap in a tortilla and pop into the freezer for another day.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published January 12, 2015. It was retested, re-photographed, and most recently updated on January 5, 2021.
This was so damn good, Katie. It tastes like nachos in a bowl, without the chips. (Doug made amazing microwave potato crisps to go with this, though!)
It’s going on the dinner rotation list right now.
Thank you again for the inspiration.
These are on regular rotation in my lunch prep list. Delicious and so satisfying. Thanks Katie.
I really love your recipes and can’t wait to try some. This looks divine. I have already earmarked your creamy cauliflower pasta bake for this evening as I have been dreaming about it all week. I’ve never made a creamy sauce with cauliflower so am anxious to see how it turns out. Many thanks!
The creamy cauliflower sauce is amazing! I hope you’ll let us know how it turns out 🙂
Just made these tonight for dinner – so yummy! We wrapped them in tortillas and baked them for 10 minutes with cheese! The best part is we have so much left over for lunches this week:) Thanks!
Yum! That cheese / tortilla bake sounds like a great dinner. I wrapped up some of the leftover mix and tossed it in the freezer as freezer burritos, makes a great lunch!
Just finished eating these, dang so good! We added a little melted cheese and then crumbled a few blue corn chips on top plus a dollop of salsa. Amazing and absolutely loaded with real food.
Glad you like them! I also enjoy them with a bit of cheese all wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla. So good!
I’m gradually learning to use a tripod more and more. I don’t really like it and find it a bit of a pain but it definitely does help to get better quality shots and, like you, I don’t have to take so many in the hopes that I managed to to make one a little less blurry than the others! I love the idea of these burrito bowls – they’re definitely going to go into our dinner rotation!
Hmm. Maybe I should give it a try. I’m not convinced, but I think it would be worth it to borrow one and see how it goes before I commit to buying one.
I make a similar recipe I found that uses Squash roasted with a bit of maple syrup in place of the Sweet Potato. The mixture is then stuffed & wrapped into tortillas baked in the oven with a special tomato sauce and cheeses. I make it often and just made it on Saturday! So yummy to have this filling as a side dish too.
That recipe sounds great! I love the idea of squash and maple syrup, and that special cheese sauce sounds delish. Yum!
I know it’s not for everyone, but the tripod has seriously been a game-changer for me. I save SO much time by having the camera stationary and just tweaking one or two things – I totally recommend it! I used to take mega photos for all my posts too, but sometimes now I just take a few and that’s all I need! I have GOT to put burrito bowls back into my dinner rotation….not sure where they fell out, but I love this idea!
Just a few?! Can this be true?! Okay, you may have convinced me to borrow a tripod and give it a try! Definitely get back into the burrito bowl game, you won’t regret it!
Oh yeah, love this meal. Its a win win recipe…esy to dish up nd good to eat 😀
Aren’t one-pan meals the best?!
I love this idea and miraculously, I have all of the ingredients at home! my one question is how do you warm them up when you take them out of the freezer?
Hi Shelly! When I warm up freezer burritos I either unwrap them and defrost / warm up in the microwave (if I’m at work) or leave them in the foil and place in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350°F until they’re warmed through. Or I just let them thaw and eat them at room temperature!
Katie, this looks fabulous. So colorful and healthy! I would be lost without my tripod, it’s worth the investment. Every time I take my camera into my hands to shoot a photo it turns out slightly blurry. I must have super shaky hands. Having said that, I think your pictures are beautiful!
I think I might borrow a tripod and try it out. I do have a fairly small apartment kitchen, and I’m not sure whether I’d find a tripod more efficient or whether it would be a pain for me. Only one way to find out!
I love your approach for the new year. I often find myself taking way to many pictures and simply cannot manage to get a good shit without the tripod. You are so brave. I also struggle with editing. It’s a process though and I feel like with practice I’ll improve. This recipe is great. Love a one pot dish!!
I haaaate the editing! I’m actually giving myself a break from editing RAW photos as to be honest, I don’t notice a huge difference except in the time I spend editing. Bad blogger, I know!
I think your 200 photo shoot paid off, because before I read anything about it I scrolled past that first photo and thought it looked awesome. Seriously, all of the photos look great, and this sounds delicious – like a perfect winter warm up meal. 🙂
Thanks Alissa! This is one of my favourite quick and easy and totally delicious healthy dinners.
This looks delicious. I bookmarked it so I won’t forget where I found it when I want it. Cool! Thanks for sharing. Blessings to you…
Thanks Carol! I hope you like it!
Of course I love this, Katie. All of those deep phytochemical-rich colours, lush tastes and the ease. I am soon to blog a sweet potato recipe but for once we aren’t telepathic. It is Korean. And excuse me if I correct you. Your photos are AWESOME, very clear, And don’t faff with getting a tripod. I find mine a bloody pest in the small space of my kitchen so it lives under a bed somewhere. You’d be better off getting a good soft daylight box to reduce any blur you feel you have with low light (although In don’t see it in your pix). Unless you are blessed with space I would just stick with the great pix you already create without a tripod. Streamline your clicks, yes (200 is a bit bonkers) but don’t change a thing.
Aww, thanks Kellie. You are, as usual, too kind. I think the first thing is to streamline my clicks (I mean, 200, how does that even happen?!) and then go from there. Although a lot of the commenters here are pro-tripod, I suspect I might be like you and find it a pain. I think I’ll borrow one for a small amount of time and see whether or not I like it before doing anything too crazy. Looking forward to your Korean sweet potatoes! If instagram is any indication, a delicious recipe is in our future!