The best Healthy Burrito recipe is loaded with seasoned rice, roasted veggies, cheese, cilantro, and fresh lime. Serve these delicious burritos with fresh salsa, ripe avocados or guacamole, sour cream, and another drizzle of lime.
Are Burritos Healthy?
You bet! My goal with this recipe was to create a healthy burrito that is both nutritious and bursting with flavor and texture. These burritos begin with a nutritious whole wheat tortilla. Instead of the usual meat, they are filled with nutrient-dense vegetables and protein-rich black beans. Finally, we incorporate fresh herbs, like cilantro, and a variety of spices for seasoning, foregoing the use of an unhealthy sauce.
Ingredients In These Healthy Burritos
- Whole Wheat Tortilla: Serves as the base and wrapper for the burrito, adding a hearty and fibrous element.
- Nutrient-dense Vegetables: Provide essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber, contributing to the overall healthiness and texture.
- Protein-packed Black Beans: Offer a rich source of protein and fiber, making the burrito satisfying and filling.
- Fresh Herbs (Cilantro): Add a burst of freshness and a distinct herbal flavor, enhancing the overall taste of your healthy burrito.
- Variety of Spices: Contribute to the depth of flavor, making the burrito more aromatic and flavorful without needing unhealthy sauces.
How To Make A Healthy Burrito
- Cook the Rice: Season with spices and simmer in broth until tender. Use brown rice for more nutrition.
- Roast the Vegetables: Toss your choice of small-chopped vegetables with olive oil and seasoning, then roast until crisp-tender.
- Assemble the Burritos: Fill tortillas with the seasoned rice, roasted veggies, black beans, Cheddar cheese, and fresh cilantro.
- Serve or Store: Enjoy the healthy burritos immediately or freeze them for a meal later on.
Switch Things Up
- For a lighter option, create a lettuce wrap using rice, veggies, black beans, and cheese, or serve these components over rice instead of in a tortilla.
- For extra protein, include shredded seasoned rotisserie chicken, which can also substitute for rice or beans.
- Swap in mushrooms, yellow squash, zucchini, or cubed butternut squash as alternatives in the veggie mix.
- Add kernels from leftover corn on the cob or defrosted frozen corn to the black beans.
- Transform the healthy burrito filling into a salad by adding it to lettuce and topping with cilantro lime dressing from this BBQ chicken salad recipe.
Storage
Freezing Instructions:
- Freeze: After enjoying fresh burritos for dinner, wrap the cooled leftovers tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and store in an airtight container in the freezer.
- Reheat: Unwrap and microwave frozen healthy burritos for 1-3 minutes per side until heated. For a crispy tortilla, brown the edges in a skillet.
More Healthy Vegetarian Meals
Healthy Burrito
The best Healthy Burrito recipe is loaded with seasoned rice, roasted veggies, cheese, cilantro, and fresh lime. Serve these delicious burritos with fresh salsa, ripe avocados or guacamole, sour cream, and another drizzle of lime.
Ingredients
Roasted Vegetables
- 1 cup sweet red pepper, cut into small 1/2 inch pieces
- 3 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 cup red onion, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons finely diced jalapeno
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder
- salt and pepper
Rice
- 1 teaspoon EACH: olive oil, 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 can (15 ounces) black beans drained and rinsed
- 12 whole-wheat tortillas
- Fresh cilantro and fresh lime juice
- Sour cream and salsa for dipping
- Optional: avocados or guacamole, for serving
Instructions
- ROASTED VEGGIES: Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Cut all the veggies into pretty small pieces, no bigger than 1/2 inch cubes. Add the 1 cup diced pepper, 3 cups sweet potato, 1 cup onion, and 2 tablespoons jalapeno to a very large sheet pan (full-sized sheet pan; 15x21 inches) or 2 smaller sheet pans. Add the 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, and salt and pepper. Toss and spread in an even layer (overlapping veggies will steam, not roast). Bake for 15 minutes, flip and stir, bake for another 10-15 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender. Remove and let cool to room temperature.
- SEASONED RICE: Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a small saucepan. Add in the 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1/2 tablespoon chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin. Season to taste with salt and pepper, I add 1/4 teaspoon each). Stir and cook for 30 seconds to a minute. Add in the rice and stir (without any liquid) for 1 minute. Mix in 2 cups chicken broth or water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the 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.
- BURRITO ASSEMBLY: 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 and then fold up the burrito. To fold up, fold 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 skillet 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 then 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.
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.
