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Grain Bowls
Recipe
1 hr 20 min

Skillet Burrito Bowl

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Skillet Burrito Bowl

To turn a fast-casual burrito bowl into an at-home dinner with a little elegance, we dressed up the simple rice and bean base with a creamy, spicy avocado sauce and rich flank steak.

Time

1 hr 20 min

Why This Recipe Works

Our Spicy Avocado–Sour Cream Sauce, full of ripe avocado, balances the heat from spicy jalapeño with creamy, cooling sour cream. The secret to a base with thick, creamy texture was to mix half of the sauce with our rice and beans, which we punched up with garlic and a dusting of cumin. Pan-seared flank steak proved to be the perfect protein—the inexpensive cut turned tender and flavorful in a skillet, and as a bonus it was easy to make ahead and reheat before building our bowl. For a final burst of flavor, we sprinkled on quickly-charred corn, cooked in the same skillet as our base, which brought out the kernels' hidden sweetness.

Ingredients

Rice

¾ cup long-grain white rice
2 quarts water
½ teaspoon table salt

Sauce

1 cup sour cream
½ ripe avocado, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoon lime juice

Flank Steak

8 ounces flank steak, trimmed
¼ teaspoon table salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil

Bowls

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
¾ cup fresh or frozen corn
¼ teaspoon table salt, divided
⅛ teaspoon pepper
2 cups cooked white rice
½ cup canned black beans, rinsed
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup Spicy Avocado–Sour Cream Sauce
1 recipe Pan-Seared Flank Steak
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image

    Rice

  1. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Stir in rice and salt and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well.

    2. Sauce

  2. Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    3. Flank Steak

  3. Pat steak dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add steak and cook, turning every minute, until well browned on both sides and meat registers 130 degrees (for medium), 10 to 14 minutes. Transfer to cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice thin against grain before serving.
    Recipe Tip
    We like this bowl with either warm or room-temperature steak.

    4. Bowls

  4. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add corn, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until kernels begin to brown and pop, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to bowl, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm, and set aside until ready to serve.
  5. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add rice, beans, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Toss rice mixture with half of avocado sauce to coat then season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide among individual serving bowls then top with seared corn, steak, and onion. Drizzle with remaining avocado sauce and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve.

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Skillet Burrito Bowl

Recipe By

Published on August 27, 2026

Time

1 hr 20 min

Skillet Burrito Bowl

Ingredients

Rice

¾ cup long-grain white rice2 quarts water½ teaspoon table salt

Sauce

1 cup sour cream½ ripe avocado, cut into 1-inch pieces1 jalapeño chile, stemmed, seeded, and chopped1 teaspoon lime juice

Flank Steak

8 ounces flank steak, trimmed¼ teaspoon table salt¼ teaspoon pepper1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil or vegetable oil

Bowls

2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided¾ cup fresh or frozen corn¼ teaspoon table salt, divided⅛ teaspoon pepper2 cups cooked white rice½ cup canned black beans, rinsed2 garlic cloves, minced½ teaspoon ground cumin½ cup Spicy Avocado–Sour Cream Sauce1 recipe Pan-Seared Flank Steak½ cup thinly sliced red onion¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

    Rice

  1. Bring 2 quarts water to boil in large saucepan. Stir in rice and salt and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain well.

    2. Sauce

  2. Process all ingredients in food processor until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    3. Flank Steak

  3. Pat steak dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Heat oil in 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add steak and cook, turning every minute, until well browned on both sides and meat registers 130 degrees (for medium), 10 to 14 minutes. Transfer to cutting board, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice thin against grain before serving.
    Recipe Tip
    We like this bowl with either warm or room-temperature steak.

    4. Bowls

  4. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add corn, ⅛ teaspoon salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until kernels begin to brown and pop, 6 to 8 minutes; transfer to bowl, cover with aluminum foil to keep warm, and set aside until ready to serve.
  5. Heat remaining 1 teaspoon oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add rice, beans, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt and cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cumin and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Toss rice mixture with half of avocado sauce to coat then season with salt and pepper to taste. Divide among individual serving bowls then top with seared corn, steak, and onion. Drizzle with remaining avocado sauce and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve.
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