Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Burrito Bowls
Healthy burrito bowls made with roasted sweet potato, green rice and black beans! This delicious, vegan dinner reheats well for lunch.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 29, 2024
Cookie and Kate are finally back in the kitchen. I still wasn’t feeling in the mood up until a couple of nights ago, when I spent a few hours cleaning out the cabinets and the refrigerator. Turns out, everyday cooking doesn’t need to involve avalanches of dried pasta. Organization is key.
The past few weeks of kitchen avoidance have been heavy with introspection. I want to say that I’ve come out on the other side with clarity and a renewed zest for life. (Every sad story needs a happy ending, right?) The truth is, I’m still just one sappy coffee shop love song away from another fit of tearful existential despair.
It’ll pass. In the meantime, I’m treating myself right with these burrito bowls. Roasted sweet potatoes, seasoned black beans and cilantro-spinach brown rice combine in one bowl for a cozy vegan dinner. Oven-toasted pumpkin seeds, avocado and salsa verde make it totally irresistible.
More reasons to love this dish? You’ll have enough time while the sweet potatoes and rice cook to clean the kitchen before dinner’s ready. Oh, and these bowls reheat well for lunch, too. Burrito bowls for the win!
Watch How to Make Sweet Potato and Green Rice Bowls
Please don’t be intimidated by the length of the recipe—it’s pretty basic stuff. All you do is blend up the green rice seasonings and toast the rice before cooking it as usual. Roast some sweet potatoes, toast some seeds and warm some beans. Then you arrange it all in a bowl and make it look pretty. Or not. I assure you that my leftovers won’t look as pretty as shown here.
If you’re craving more spicy sweet potato recipes after this, check out my sweet potato burritos and tacos. Leftover green rice would be great in my kale and avocado burrito bowl, too. Lastly, don’t miss the burrito bowl recipe and sweet potato enchiladas in my cookbook!
Le Creuset 3 1/2-Quart Cast Iron French Oven
Wusthof 7-Inch Santoku Knife
Blendtec blender
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Spicy Sweet Potato and Green Rice Burrito Bowls
Healthy burrito bowls made with roasted sweet potato, green rice and black beans! This delicious, vegan dinner reheats well for lunch. Recipe yields 4 servings.
Ingredients
Green rice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ cups long grain brown rice
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cup baby spinach, lightly packed
- ½ cup cilantro (mostly leaves, stems are ok), lightly packed
- 1 jalapeño or serrano pepper, seeded, membranes removed and roughly chopped
- 1 medium shallot, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 garlic clove, peeled, roughly chopped
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, more to taste
Sweet potatoes
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes (3 to 4 medium sweet potatoes), peeled and sliced into 1-inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Seasoned black beans
- 2 cans (14 ounces each) black beans or 3 cups cooked black beans, with their cooking liquid
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sherry vinegar or lime juice
- Fine salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Additional garnishes
- ¼ cup pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
- ¼ teaspoon olive oil
- 1 avocado, pitted and sliced
- Jarred mild salsa verde
- Chopped cilantro
- Crumbled feta (optional, not vegan)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Line one large, rimmed baking sheet and one smaller sheet with parchment paper. Place the spinach, cilantro, jalapeño, shallot, garlic, salt and ½ cup of the vegetable broth in a food processor or blender. Blend until smooth.
- Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat until shimmering. Add the rice and stir to coat. Spread the rice in an even layer on the bottom of the pot and let the rice lightly brown. This happens quickly! When the rice starts to brown, stir it and spread it out in an even layer again so that more of the rice browns.
- When most of the rice has lightly browned, scrape the green purée into the rice. Stir until the rice is evenly coated with green purée and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for a minute. Add the rest of the vegetable broth to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the pot. Cook the rice on a very low simmer until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
- While the rice cooks, toss the sweet potatoes in the olive oil, smoked paprika and salt until the sweet potatoes are evenly coated in oil. Arrange in a single layer on your prepared baking sheet. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, tossing halfway, until the sweet potatoes are tender and caramelizing at the edges.
- Meanwhile, transfer the beans and their cooking liquid (don’t drain the beans) to a medium pot. Stir in the cumin and chili powder and warm over medium heat. Once the beans are simmering, cover the beans and reduce heat to maintain a very gentle simmer until you’re ready to serve.
- Once the rice is done cooking, remove the pot from heat. Uncover the pot and place a clean tea towel over the pot, then recover. The towel will help absorb excess liquid as the rice continues to cook in its own steam. (If you don’t have a clean towel, you can skip this step, just cover normally.) Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Once the sweet potatoes are done cooking, toss the pepitas with ¼ teaspoon olive oil and a sprinkle of salt on the small baking sheet. Toast the seeds in the oven for 4 to 5 minutes, until they’re turning lightly golden and making little popping noises. Set aside to cool.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and season with salt if necessary. Remove beans from heat, stir in the vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Assemble your bowls: First add green rice, then use a slotted spoon or fork to transfer beans to the bowls. Top with sweet potatoes and add a few slices of avocado to each bowl. Sprinkle with toasted pepitas and cilantro and optional feta. Serve with salsa verde on the side.
Notes
Green rice adapted from Simply Recipes. Burrito bowls inspired by my sweet potato and black bean tacos.
Change it up: I think butternut squash would be great in place of the sweet potato! You could also substitute another grain for the rice, although you’ll need to adjust the cooking method and amount of liquid for said grain.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
When I got the e-mail with this recipe and saw the words “green rice,” I thought “Oh great, there’s another color of rice that I now have to stock in my pantry?” Then I read more carefully–whew, pantry overhaul averted! This one is going to be in the rotation next week. Belated thanks for posting your favorites, particularly the brussels sprouts/tofu dish–it was a big hit.
Haha, thanks Anne! I love finding new ways to play with standard ingredients. So glad you enjoyed the brussels sprout dish, hope you love this one, too!
Hi Kate,
I’ve been catching up on your blog tonight, and I can’t wait to try this recipe. I (somewhat selfishly) hope that internet trolling and other hard things don’t keep you away from the kitchen and the internet for too long. I just love your blog and approach to eating well.
Hey Kim, thank you for your sweet comment. A breakup got me down but I’m feeling better by the day. Happy new year!
Made this and it was great! I rinsed the bean but added a bit of stock to keep the sodium down.
Thanks, Curtis! Glad you enjoyed it.
Wow!!!! The rice is genius!
Thanks, Stephanie! :)
Kate! Happy New Year. Thank you for such a beautiful and delicious recipe. I made this for my girls- 3 1/2 and 1 1/2 and all of us loved the bowl. The rice is definitely my favorite part of the dish. It’s the way we cook Spanish rice. We always toast the rice before adding the spices and tomatoes. My 1 year old loved the sweet potatoes and my 3 year old loved the beans. Thank you!
Thank you, Flor! Your girls are far more adventurous eaters than I was at their ages. I’m impressed! Glad you all enjoyed it.
Just made this for this evenings dinner. Just awesomly delicious. Even my husband (die hard meat eater) was pleasantly surprised and loved it. He is glad there is left overs for tomorrows lunch. This is a winner.
Thank you, Margaret! Delighted to hear that you both enjoyed this dish so much.
I forgot to rate the recipe when commenting previously! A definite 5 stars from me and my husband!
Made this last night and it was fantastic! Thank you, thank you.
Hooray! Thank you for letting me know, Wendy.
This recipe is AMAZING!! I could live on it. You’ve done it again ;)
Hooray! Thank you, Mika. :)
This was amazing!!! Thank you.
Great! Thank you, Alice.
Oh my goodness, this looks so, so very tasty. All my favorite ingredients. Thank you so very much for sharing, I always get excited to try a new Cookie and Kate Recipe!
I made this dish last night and was pleasantly surprised to find that I absolutely loved it!things that say vegetarian or vegan scare my family lol! The question I have is what are the calories for this dish?I have subscribed to your blog and look forward to trying more of your recipes thank you in advance
Hi Sonia! I’m sorry, I don’t provide nutrition details. They vary widely depending on serving size, actual ingredients used, etc. I would hate to provide inaccurate information to my readers.
You can look up the recipe on myfitnesspal.com if you’d like to see their estimates. If you do, please feel free to share your results in the comments section for the recipe!
I put the recipe on myfitnesspal and it came out at a whopping 702 calories a serving! SO YUMMY but may have to cut back on the serving sizes sadly :( Wish I did this before portioning out into 4 lunches for the week lol. So glad its vegetarian though, can’t imagine how lethargic I’d feel if it had meat in it!
Thanks so much for the recipe!!
That seems much higher than I would have expected! It’s a well-balanced meal, for what it’s worth!
Jessica – to make the recipe a little lighter, I toast the rice without the olive oil and that cuts a lot of calories! I also only use one can of black beans :)
Slam Dunk for dinner tonight!!! I am so happy there is some left over for lunch tomorrow :) And I realized I forgot the pepitas- will toast some for the leftovers. I served it deconstructed on my kids’ plates and they all gobbled it up, even mixing and matching a little. Will definitely be keeping this in the rotation.
Thanks, Mary Beth! So glad you all enjoyed it.
I made this yesterday night and am still happily enjoying the leftovers. It is so fantastic! I’m sure I’ll be back to it soon.
Excellent! Thanks, MM!
I made this today and loved it- especially the green rice! I had fun popping the pepitas :)
Hooray! Thanks Emma!
I made these bowls for dinner last night and they were TERRIFIC! My only change was to chop up the avocado with some tomatoes, cilantro, and lime – a little “salsa” that brought a bright, juicy note to the dish. Thank you so much for another winning recipe, Kate!
Awesome! Thanks Nik!
Hi Kate,
I made this for dinner last night and was a bit disappointed – it didn’t have quite the punch of spice and flavour I was hoping for. I think all the right elements are there but next time (and I will cook it again as I love all the ingredients and it was v easy to make) I would only add a small drop of liquid to the green mix and I would add it to the rice after it cooked, so it would be a dressing rather than a cooking liquor as I think the lovely green mixture lost all its flavour in the cooking and ended up seeming a bit of a waste of such a lovely vibrant looking mix.
I’d also add some more chopped green chilies to the black beans to spice them up a bit and would warm them through very quickly rather than simmering them for so long as they got a bit mushy.
Sorry, I don’t want that to sound negative and it’s maybe just a case of needing to adjust the spice level to my personal taste. I usually love your recipes, and I always love your blog posts, and thought perhaps other readers might benefit from my suggestions.
Laura xx
Laura, I’m sorry you didn’t love this recipe. I’ve tried making green rice as you described and it tasted pretty raw, but maybe you will disagree.
Oh yeah, another thought—did you add salsa verde as suggested? I thought the dish wasn’t quite flavorful enough until I did.
OMG this looks amazing. xx
Long time follower, first time commenter.
Oh no! the rest of my comment got deleted. :( Sorry.
Basically… THANKS for all your hard work with this website. My husband and I had a goal of eating healthier in the new year, especially since I’m pregnant with our first child.
Your site makes it SO EASY. I love how you have all the similar recipes linked at the bottom so we can do simple meal planning and grocery shopping. The ingredients are relatively inexpensive and easy to find, even in Guatemala (where we live and teach).
I don’t know what we would do without your blog. Your recipes are all simple and tasty, and come together very easily instead of being too intricate.
Also, the rice was perfect. I’ve never tried doing rice in this style and it turned out delicious – moist but not too soggy, and tons of flavor.
Thanks again!
Danielle, thank you! Thank you so much for your kind comment. I am really glad to hear that you appreciate my work! I hope you’re feeling well, congrats on your first! All my best.
Another huge hit in our household. Thanks Kate, your recipes have never failed me!!
Hooray, thank you Sarika!
Just made this dish tonight and it was excellent! Green rice was amazing, both my husband and I loved it!!!
Thanks, Cecilia!
Such a fantastic recipe, Kate! I just made this today and can’t wait to have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. So great!
Thanks, Amanda! Enjoy!
I got hooked on your blog when trying to figure out what to do with the collard greens I bought and was really impressed with your West African Peanut Soup. Every time I go to your blog I find a new favorite recipe, but this one was spectacular. Since I live alone, there was no one to judge me as I licked the bowl :) Thanks for sharing, and I look forward to your next recipe!
Thank you, Becky! So glad you are enjoying my recipes. :)
Hi Kate, just made this last night and it was delicious!!! The green rice, beans and sweet potatoes were so flavorful and had just the right amount of spice. My boyfriend usually thinks a meal is not complete without meat, but he loved this as much as I did. We can’t wait to dig into the leftovers! I am new to your site and am excited to try more of your yummy recipes. Thank you!! :)
Thanks, Emily! So glad you both loved it. Hope you enjoy the other recipes just as much!
I made this recipe a few weeks ago and it was fantastic! So good right away and as leftovers. The only change I made was adding half a can of diced tomatoes I had lying around to the beans. Delicious!
That’s a great idea! Thank you, Cat.
This green rice sounds awesome — I love the combination of cilantro and serrano peppers, and that green hue is so pretty!
I just made this tonight, and it’s excellent! The only issue is that my green rice came out a bit crunchy. I did toast it longer than your recipe stated, but that’s because it wasn’t turning brown! Could it have been the pot I used? I used a heavy stock pot because it’s the best I have. The flavors are excellent, but I might reduce the toasting time on the next go ’round.
Hi Karen, hmm, sorry to hear that! I think your rice probably needed a bit more liquid, for whatever reason.
I absolutely LOVED this recipe, the green rice was a delicious addition and everything paired together so well. I made this recipe for my friends last night and they had nothing but good things to say, thanks for a new favorite Kate!
Hooray, thank you, Monica!
I cook a lot, and I mean a lot. I have cooked and tried just about every ethnic cuisine known to man. I am not a Vegetarian but was for two years a while back. My wife and I eat about 50% Vegetarian and 50% meat dishes now. I have to say that this flavor combination was phenominal across the board. We had this for dinner tonight. Hit the spot after a long 12 hour day in the cold. Very enjoyable meal and I’m pretty picky LOL. Great recipe, Ken
Ken, thank you! This is one of my very favorite flavor combinations, that’s for sure. I’ll be posting a hearty salad version tomorrow!
This looks DELICIOUS! Any suggestions for keeping a tasty flavor but eliminating some of the spice? I’m not a huge fan of spicy and my kiddos might eat this if it wasn’t spicy.
Thanks!!!
Hey Janet! I would skip the jalapeno and halve the spices. I suppose you could omit them entirely, since there are a lot of flavors going on here. It’s definitely a flavorful dish!
Kate, this was incredible! I found this recipe on Pinterest and just made it tonight! I used quinoa instead of rice and made an avocado salsa with tomatoes, cilantro, shallots, jalapeño and lime juice to go on top. I will be making this again and again! Thanks for sharing. :)
Glad to hear it, Steph! Thank you for letting me know!
This was so good!I found you via Pinterest and will definitely be back.
Thank you!
Hooray! Happy to hear that. Thanks for commenting, Sally!
Made this yesterday and my meat-loving teen son devoured most of it. He requested the leftovers for lunch today. This doesn’t happen often so this will definitely go into the rotation at our house.
Awesome! Happy to hear that, Veena. Thanks for letting me know!
I made this today and it was wonderful. As you said, it looks very involved but actually it was pretty easy. Thank you for this recipe. Delicious!
Thank you, Asha! Happy to hear it!
This is sooooooooo yummy. I had to make a little change because one of my sweet potatoes went bad–eek. I just roasted some peppers. I love the rice. You have become one of my go-to blogs for recipes. Thank you fo helping me and my hubby eat vegan and healthy. Yur recipes keep me sane some days. Hugs to Cookie!
Thank you so much, Krista! Way to save your dish. I bet peppers were awesome with the other sweet potato! Thank you so much for your kind words about my work, too. I really appreciate your support!
Oh my goodness!! This is a Delicious recipe!! It’s become my go-to recipe! I add some grilled salmon too!
So good! Perfect blend of flavors.
So delicious! I added a fried egg on top and some cotija cheese for a huevos rancheros version. Definitely a new favorite.
Thanks, Gelsey! Your version sounds fantastic!
This dinner tonight was a revelation. So so so yummy! My picky picky preschooler loved the green rice and I was so happy to get spinach into him that way! We are going to put this into the permanent rotation and I’m going to go explore your archives…
That is so great to hear! Thank you, Ellen. Hope you both enjoy the other recipes just as much!
just made this tonight and it was FANTASTIC! Thank you Pinterest for bringing me to this blog.
I can’t wait to try more of your recipes. Thank you.
Hooray!!! Thank you for letting me know, Katie. I’m glad you found my blog and hope you enjoy the other recipes just as much!
This was super yummy! I did use chicken stock since I didn’t need to make it vegan but that was my only alteration. Thank you so much for sharing!
Thank you! Glad to hear it!
I made this last night for my meat-eater husband. We both loved it! What a great combo of flavors! Not fast to make but well worth the trouble! This would be a nice dish to serve to vegan friends and family for a special meal. Thanks for this great addition to my recipes!
Thank you, Trish! Happy to hear it!
whoa. oh.so.yummy! I made only the rice and beans last night (but made extra) for Chipotle style burrito bowls, but then I baked the sweet potatoes today and had this for lunch (exactly the way you wrote it) and it was to die for. so so so delicious! adding the avocado and salsa verde were the perfect finishing touches. all the unique flavors mix so wonderfully together! I am already craving lunch tomorrow and I just finished eating it 30 min ago. Thanks for sharing!!
Awesome! Thanks Wendy!!!
Wonderful meal! Thank you so much for sharing this delightful recipe.
Hooray, thanks Linda!
Would you lose anything by making the rice in a rice cooker?
Hey Erika, I think you’d be better off following the recipe as directed, since the method is different for this green rice than most other rice recipes. The flavor relies on toasting the rice, etc.
The green rice is amazing and totally necessary. I wouldn’t change that aspect. And what a great way to get in an extra couple of servings of veggies!
Kate, hello!!! Have you noticed an increase in visitors on your blog? You should! There’s a little Cookie&Kate Revolution happening in my little corner of CT. Why? Because I can’t shut up about your AMAZING RECIPES! This one was another major winner. LOVE the ingredients and I love the Simplicity of your dishes. So easy, fresh, healthy and delicious. When does your cookbook come out again? Next year!!!?? Please do not take down this blog. I’ve lost 6lbs in 6 days, just from eating fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, and legumes. I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to discover how delicious healthy can be!!! Excellent job, Kate! Seriously.
Tanya, your comment totally made my day! Thank you so much! THANK YOU for sharing my blog with your friends and family! The cookbook comes out in spring 2017, but I’ll be posting lots more recipes here in the meantime!
Just finished making this recipe. Delicious! 5 stars for sure. I think I’ll try it without the feta tomorrow..I think it made it a little too salty. I think my non-vegetarian husband is sad he chose spaghetti and meatballs over this!!
Thanks, Cindy!
This was delicious! So many flavours going on. I particularly loved the smoked paprika on the sweet potatoes. I made my own salsa (simply in the blender with tomatoes, coriander, lime, onion, garlic and jalapenos) to go with it and it really took it to another level. Also it was my first time making green rice and I am hooked.
Although it took me over an hour to make the dish, it is simple enough to be something I didn’t mind doing even after a full day of work. Will be making it again for sure.
Thank you, Pauline! So glad this dish turned out great for you and worthy of your time. Your salsa sounds great!
aaaaaaaaamazing!! Thank you!! And I’m so glad I still have some for tomorrow! ;) I will have to do this again and again for sure, that rice is just great!