The best Healthy Burrito features seasoned rice, roasted veggies, cheese, cilantro, and lime. Serve with salsa, avocado or guacamole, sour cream, and a lime drizzle.
Are Burritos Healthy?
You bet! I wanted to make a healthy burrito that’s full of flavor and texture.
These burritos start with a whole wheat tortilla, filled with veggies and black beans instead of meat. Fresh cilantro and spices add flavor, and I skip the unhealthy sauce.
I’ve been making these healthy burritos for years, so it was time to perfect the measurements and make it easy to share. Here it is!
Ingredients In These Healthy Burritos
- Whole Wheat Tortilla: Warm it a little to make it easier to wrap.
- Vegetables: Cut evenly so they cook at the same rate.
- Rice: Rinse rice before cooking for fluffier rice.
- Protein-packed Black Beans: Drain and rinse beans before using.
- Fresh Herbs (Cilantro): Chop just before adding for the best flavor.
- Variety of Spices: Adjust the spices for more or less heat.
How To Make A Healthy Burrito
- Cook Rice: Season with spices and cook in broth until soft.
- Roast Veggies: Toss chopped veggies with olive oil and seasoning, then roast until tender.
- Fill Burritos: Fill tortillas with rice, roasted veggies, black beans, cheese, and cilantro.
- Serve or Store: Enjoy right away or freeze for later.
Switch Things Up
- Use a lettuce wrap with rice, veggies, black beans, and cheese, or serve over rice.
- For more protein, add shredded rotisserie chicken, which can replace rice or beans.
- Swap mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, or cubed butternut squash for the veggies.
- Add leftover corn or frozen corn to the black beans.
- Turn the filling into a salad by adding it to lettuce and topping with cilantro lime dressing.
Storage
Freezing Tips
- Freeze: After enjoying healthy burritos, wrap the cooled leftovers in plastic wrap and foil, then store in a container in the freezer.
- Reheat: Unwrap and microwave frozen burritos for 1-3 mins per side until hot. For a crispy tortilla, brown the edges in a skillet. Reheat instructions here.
More Veggie Filled Meals
- Healthy Tacos with an easy corn salsa
- Vegetarian Fajitas in a bowl
- Sweet Potato Burrito Bowl made in one pot
- Vegetarian Chili hearty and filling
- Pesto Vegetable Bowls with roasted veggies
Healthy Burrito
The best Healthy Burritos are packed with seasoned rice, roasted veggies, cheese, cilantro, and a squeeze of lime. Pair with salsa, avocado, sour cream, and an extra lime drizzle for a delicious meal in under 30 minutes!
Equipment
- Large sheet pan 15 x 21-inches
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 cup sweet red pepper cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 3 cups sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup red onion peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons finely diced jalapeño
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and pepper
Rice
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 cup uncooked white rice
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
Assembly
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 12 whole-wheat tortillas
- 1 lime
- Fresh cilantro
- Sour cream and/or salsa for dipping
- Avocados or guacamole, optional, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut all the veggies into small pieces, no bigger than 1/2-inch cubes. Add the diced pepper, sweet potato, onion, and jalapeno to a very large sheet pan (full-sized sheet pan; 15×21 inches) or 2 smaller sheet pans. Add olive oil, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Toss and spread in an even layer (overlapping veggies will steam, not roast). Bake for 15 minutes, flip, stir, and bake for another 10–15 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender. Remove and let cool to room temperature.
- Add the olive oil to a small pot. Add in minced garlic, chili powder, and cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper; I add 1/4 teaspoon each). Stir and cook for 30 seconds to a minute. Add the rice and stir (without any liquid) for 1 minute. Mix in chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer, cover the pan, and simmer for 10–15 minutes or until rice is cooked through and water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork. Let cool to room temperature.
- Warm tortillas in the microwave for 10–15 seconds to make them more pliable (optional). To the bottom half of the tortilla, add 1/4 cup cooked rice, 1/4 cup drained and rinsed black beans, 1/3 cup of the roasted veggies, and 1/4 cup shredded cheese. Add a few sprigs of cilantro and a drizzle of lime juice, then fold up the burrito by folding the side over the bottom 1/3 of the tortilla (right on top of the filling). Pull the filling back toward the bottom third of the tortilla. Make two folds on either side of the large fold. Now tightly roll. As you roll, use the tips of your fingers to tuck and press all the filling into a tight cylinder. Either cook (see next step) or wrap in parchment paper and then foil; freeze.
- To Cook Fresh: Spray all sides of the burrito with cooking spray. Place the burrito, seam-side down, into a large pan on medium heat and cook for about 2–3 minutes on each side. Remove and enjoy immediately with an optional side of extra salsa and low-fat sour cream. Serve optionally with guacamole or avocado and additional lime/cilantro as desired.
- To Cook Frozen: Remove foil. Microwave burrito in the parchment paper for 1 minute and 30 seconds; flip and microwave another 1 minute and 30 seconds. Remove, let cool, and enjoy with toppings, or crisp the edges in a skillet by following the directions in step 4.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Wrap cooled leftovers tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and store in an airtight container in the freezer. To reheat, unwrap and microwave frozen burritos for 1–3 minutes per side until heated. For a crisp tortilla, brown the edges in a skillet.
Nutrition
Serving: 6servings | Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 56.9g | Protein: 10.6g | Fat: 9.1g | Sodium: 520.6mg | Fiber: 11.9g | Sugar: 6.2g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
