Charred-Salsa Veggie Burrito Bowls

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A fast-casual burrito bowl where the vegetables actually earn top billing: peppers and onions blistered hard in a dry skillet, black beans simmered with cumin and a splash of their own liquid until saucy, and a smoky charred-tomato salsa thinned into a pourable dressing that soaks into every bite of cilantro-lime rice. Everything comes together in about 50 minutes with one skillet and one pot.

Ingredients

• 3 plum tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 1/2 white onion, cut into 2 thick slabs
• 3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 1 jalapeño, halved and seeded
• 1 chipotle chile in adobo, plus 1 tsp adobo sauce
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp sugar

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice, rinsed
• 2 1/4 cups water
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tsp lime zest

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 2 15-oz cans black beans (do not drain)
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp lime juice

• 2 tbsp neutral oil, divided
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 poblano pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 large red onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
• 1 medium zucchini, cut into half-moons
• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen (thawed)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco or cotija
• 1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
• 2 cups shredded romaine or green cabbage
• 1 lime, cut into wedges
• pickled jalapeños, for topping (optional)

Instructions

1. Make the charred salsa base first. Heat a dry cast-iron or heavy stainless skillet over medium-high for 3 minutes. Lay in the tomato halves cut-side down, the onion slabs, the unpeeled garlic, and the jalapeño halves. Cook without moving for 5 to 6 minutes, until deeply blackened in spots, then flip everything and char 4 to 5 minutes more. Pull the garlic out early if it starts to smell scorched.
2. Transfer the charred vegetables to a blender, peeling the garlic first. Add the chipotle chile, adobo sauce, olive oil, lime juice, salt, and sugar. Blend 20 to 30 seconds to a pourable, slightly rustic dressing; add 1 to 2 tablespoons water if it is thicker than heavy cream. Taste and adjust salt. Set aside.
3. Start the rice. In a medium saucepan, warm the neutral oil over medium heat, add the rinsed rice, and stir 1 minute until the grains look chalky. Add the water and salt, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to the lowest heat. Cook 15 minutes, remove from heat, and let stand covered 10 minutes.
4. While the rice cooks, make the beans. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over medium, add the diced onion, and cook 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and oregano and stir 45 seconds until fragrant.
5. Pour in both cans of black beans with their liquid and add the salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally and mashing about a quarter of the beans against the side of the pot, for 12 to 15 minutes until thick and saucy rather than soupy. Stir in the lime juice and keep warm.
6. Wipe out the charring skillet and set it over high heat with 1 tablespoon of the neutral oil. When it shimmers, add the bell peppers, poblano, and red onion in a single layer. Cook undisturbed 3 minutes to blister, then toss and cook 3 to 4 minutes more, until the edges are blackened but the vegetables still have bite.
7. Push the peppers to one side, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, and add the zucchini and corn. Cook 3 minutes without stirring so the corn picks up color, then toss everything together with the chili powder and salt and cook 1 minute more. Remove from heat.
8. Fluff the rested rice with a fork and fold in the cilantro, lime juice, and lime zest.
9. Build the bowls: divide the cilantro-lime rice among four wide bowls, then arrange the smoky black beans, charred fajita vegetables, and shredded romaine in sections on top. Spoon 3 to 4 tablespoons of charred salsa dressing over each bowl.
10. Finish with avocado slices, crumbled queso fresco, a spoonful of sour cream, and pickled jalapeños if using. Serve with lime wedges and the remaining dressing on the side.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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