Beef Burrito Bowl with Easy Queso Sauce
Tender shredded beef, cilantro lime rice, sautéed fajita veggies, and easy queso sauce? Sign me right up. This beef burrito bowl is simple to make, bursting with flavor, and makes great leftovers.
Welcome back to my Cook Once Eat Twice series! This recipe is designed to yield plenty of delicious, Mexican shredded beef so you can make another easy recipe, enchilada pie! Get ready for a week of good eats.
Erica’s Thoughts
Hoooo baby, do I have a banger of a recipe to share with y’all today! I had a question box in my Instagram stories the other day, and someone asked me, ‘If you HAD to pick a fast food restaurant to eat for a week straight, what would you pick?’ And my answer was Chipotle. Now, some people got mad and said that Chipotle isn’t ‘real fast food,’ but c’mon, how is it not!?
Today’s beef burrito bowl is giving Chipotle energy. We’ve got fluffy cilantro lime rice, sauteéd veggies, incredible shredded beef, and a quick and easy queso sauce. This recipe is slightly more time-intensive than many of my dinner recipes, BUT it’s part of my Cook Once Eat Twice series, which means our subsequent dinner, an awesome enchilada pie, is beyond easy.
And we’re using an Instant Pot, which shaves off a lot of time. Pop the beef in the Instant Pot and let it pressure cook while you prep the other burrito bowl components. Everything comes together seamlessly and you can customize the bowl per your preferences, just like at Chipotle. If you don’t have an Instant Pot, don’t worry, I’ve put directions for the oven and crockpot in the recipe card notes.
Things I’m loving about these homemade burrito bowls:
- Each bowl is balanced and vibrant with quality protein, a variety of veggies, and energizing carbohydrates. It’s great for meal prep or an easy weeknight dinner. The leftovers are fabulous, and we’re using leftover beef in an easy enchilada pie!
- The queso sauce uses cottage cheese! You might be skeptical of this but just trust. So easy, so good and another boost of protein.
- This is a dinner my whole family loves because you can customize it per your preference with your favorite toppings. This would be a perfect meal to serve for a crowd for the same reason, people can make their own bowl how they like it.
- This recipe features wholesome, simple ingredients, and while fast food is okay in a pinch, these flavorful and healthy burrito bowls are not hard to make at home!
What You’ll Need to Make this Beef Burrito Bowl
For the Beef:
Chuck roast: I suggest chuck roast for this recipe because it’s marbling throughout helps it to break down and tenderize really well and makes it easy to shred.
Seasoning: look for a great quality taco seasoning in the spice aisle of the grocery store. I like a jar of taco seasoning much better than the packets. It saves better if you don’t need a whole packet! If you want to make your own taco seasoning, here’s my recipe: 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon each cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and oregano. We use taco seasoning for the meat, veggies, and queso sauce, so pick one you really like.
Tomato paste: pro tip! Buy tomato paste in a tube instead of the can because you only need 2 tablespoons. Squeeze out what you need and the rest saves well in the fridge.
Fire-roasted green chiles: you can find these in a jar or can in the international foods aisle.
Orange juice: you may be skeptical about orange juice with beef but trust me, you do not taste orange at all. The citric acid from the juice helps to break down the tough proteins in beef making the meat so tender.
For the veggies:
Avocado oil: avocado oil has a high smoke point and neutral taste and works great for sautéing veggies.
Bell peppers: snag sweet peppers- yellow, orange or red.
Sweet onion: sweet onions are my preference because they caramelize so well.
For the queso:
Cottage cheese: I know, I know. If you’re a cottage cheese hater, I genuinely believe you won’t mind it here. It’s smooth, creamy and cheesy and makes the easiest queso sauce.
Sharp cheddar cheese: buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself, makes a world of difference! You can use pepper jack or monterey jack cheese if you prefer.
Pickled jalapenos: the hot and sweet jalapeños from Trader Joe’s are elite. If you don’t have TJs try to find a similar ‘sweet heat’ pickled jalapeño!
For serving:
Cilantro lime rice and black beans are a must for my family and then I like to do it up with avocado, fresh tomatoes, corn salsa, pickled jalapeños, and fresh herbs like cilantro and green onions.
How To Make Easy Beef Burrito Bowls
Start the beef
Use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the chuck roast into 3-inch chunks and trim away the large pieces of fat. Season the beef all over with salt, pepper and taco seasoning and place in the bowl of an Instant Pot. Add the tomato paste, diced green chiles, and orange juice, and give everything a little stir.
Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to sealing. Pressure cook for 45 minutes, followed by either instant or natural release until the pressure is fully released.
Prepare the queso
In a small blender or food processor, combine 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1 teaspoon taco seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 4-5 roughly chopped pickled jalapeños, 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeño juice, and 1/4 cup warm water. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and season with pinches of taco seasoning or salt, per your taste. You may also want to adjust the consistency with an extra tablespoon or so water.
Sauté the veggies
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the avocado oil. You could also use olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the bell peppers and onion. Sauté until softened and caramelizing around the edges, about 15 minutes. Season the veggies with the taco seasoning.
Make cilantro lime rice
Rinse 1 cup of jasmine rice until the water runs clear. Combine rice, 1 ¾ cups water, and a big pinch of salt in a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Without taking the lid off, turn off the heat and let the rice sit for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and fold in ½ cup finely chopped cilantro and the zest and juice of an entire lime.
Finish the beef
Remove beef from the Instant Pot and shred using two forks. It should be tender and fall apart easily. Return the meat to its juices.
Assemble your bowl
Build a big bowl with cooked rice or grain of choice, shredded beef, bell pepper and onion, black beans and sliced avocado. Top with a drizzle of queso, tortilla chips, pickled jalapeños, tomatoes, fresh veggies and a squeeze of lime.
Expert Tips
- Look for taco seasoning in the spice aisle! I like the kind in the jar so much better than the packets.
- Cut beef into large chunks, this helps it cook a bit quicker. Trim away large pieces of fat, doing this pre-cooking means you can avoid gristly pieces after its cooked.
Variation Ideas
- This recipe would also be great with my chipotle sauce, pico de gallo, green onions, sour cream or Greek yogurt, queso fresco, diced red onion, romaine lettuce, kidney beans or pinto beans, refried beans, or any of your favorite burrito toppings!
- Up the spiciness by adding a big pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the meat or queso, or both.
- If you don’t have an Instant Pot you can make the beef in the oven or crockpot. See the recipe notes for details.
- I have a brilliantly easy idea for how to use leftovers coming very soon, but if you feel like rolling leftovers up into a burrito, I wouldn’t be mad about it.
FAQs
I recommend beef chuck roast, top sirloin, bottom round, or top round roast.
Sure. You could make this with pork shoulder in the instant pot. OR try lean ground beef, ground chicken or ground turkey in a large skillet seasoned with taco seasoning, a squirt of tomato paste and splash of water.
A couple options: 1) store each fully assembled beef burrito bowl in an airtight container in the fridge 2) store the components in separate containers and assemble when ready to eat or 3) use the leftovers to make enchilada pie. 😉
Of course! You could sub in Mexican rice easily here. Cauliflower rice, standard white rice, brown rice or quinoa are all good options. Prepare your rice alternative according to package instructions and then add cilantro, lime juice, and lime zest, if desired.
Not to worry! There are instructions on how to make the meat in the oven or in a crockpot in the recipe notes!
You can, but the beef will not be as tender. The citric acid in the juice works to tenderize the meat and make it fall apart tender.
If you love this beef burrito bowl, you’ll love these other Mexican food-inspired recipes:
Don’t ya wanna dive in headfirst!?
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
Print
Beef Burrito Bowl with Easy Queso Sauce
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 bowls + leftover meat 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Instant Pot
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Balanced burrito bowl featuring tender shredded beef (with enough leftovers for another meal), cilantro lime rice, vibrant veggies and easy queso sauce. YUM.
Ingredients
For the beef
- 3–3.5 lb beef chuck roast
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning OR 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon each cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and oregano
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 4oz can diced fire-roasted green chiles
- 2/3 cup orange juice
For the veggies
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 2 bell peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
For the queso
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated (about 1 cup)
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
- 4–5 pickled jalapenos, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeno juice
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup warm water
For serving: cilantro lime rice (see notes), black beans, avocado, pickled jalapeños, tomatoes, lime wedges, green onions, cilantro, tortilla chips
Instructions
- Start the beef: use a sharp chef’s knife to cut the chuck roast into 3-inch chunks, trimming away the very large pieces of fat. No need to be precious, just trim away the very large pieces of fat. Season the beef all over with 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper and 2 tablespoons taco seasoning and place in the bowl of an Instant Pot. Add the tomato paste, diced green chiles, and orange juice, and give everything a little stir. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the valve to sealing. Pressure cook for 45 minutes, followed by either instant or natural release until the pressure is fully released.
- Make queso: while the beef is cooking, prep the queso. In a small blender or food processor, combine 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup grated cheddar cheese, 1 teaspoon taco seasoning, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 4-5 roughly chopped pickled jalapeños, 1 tablespoon pickled jalapeño juice, and 1/4 cup warm water. Blend until smooth and creamy. Taste and season with pinches of taco seasoning or salt, per your taste. You may also want to adjust the consistency with an extra tablespoon or so water.
- Sauté veggies: heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the avocado oil. When the oil is hot, add the bell peppers and onion. Sauté until softened and caramelizing around the edges, about 15 minutes. Season with taco seasoning.
- Finish up the meat: remove beef from the Instant pot and, using two forks to shred it. It should be super tender and fall apart easily. Return the meat to its juices.
- Assemble bowls: build your bowls with cilantro lime rice (see notes) or grain of choice, shredded beef, sauteéd veggies, black beans, and avocado. Top with a big drizzle of queso sauce, tortilla chips, pickled jalapeños, tomatoes, fresh herbs, and a squeeze of lime.
Use leftover beef (and beans, veggies and queso) for enchilada pie!
Notes
Cilantro lime rice: rinse 1 cup of jasmine rice until the water runs clear. Combine rice, 1 ¾ cups water, and a big pinch of salt in a small saucepan and bring to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to low, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Without taking the lid off, turn off the heat and let the rice sit for another 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork and fold in ½ cup finely chopped cilantro and the zest and juice of an entire lime.
Oven instructions: Preheat the oven to 325°F (163°C). Trim and season beef per the recipe. Place the beef in a large oven-safe Dutch oven. Add the tomato paste, diced green chiles, orange juice, and ½ cup water, stirring to coat the meat evenly.
Cover the Dutch oven with its lid and bake for 2.5–3 hours, or until the meat is fork-tender and easily shreddable. Check halfway through to ensure there is enough liquid; add a splash of water or orange juice if it looks dry. Remove the beef, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot, mixing it into the juices.
Slow cooker instructions: Trim and season beef per the recipe. Add the beef to the crockpot along with the tomato paste, diced green chiles, and orange juice, stirring to combine. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 4–5 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and falls apart easily. Remove the beef, shred with two forks, and return it to the crockpot, mixing it into the juices.
Refer to the above blog post for step-by-step photos, expert tips, and answers to frequently asked questions.
Would you like to save this?
We’ll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 burrito bowl- 1 cup rice + 3oz cooked beef + veggies + 1/4 avocado + 1/4 cup queso sauce
- Calories: 607
- Sugar: 13.3 g
- Sodium: 880.2 mg
- Fat: 19.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 59.3 g
- Fiber: 6.7 g
- Protein: 47.5 g
- Cholesterol: 117.7 mg
Hello, I plan to make this next week, and I was wondering if I can substitute the cottage cheese for Greek yogurt (we are not big fans of cottage cheese here 😉). Thanks
You can… but the sauce will be more sour/tangy and not as cheesy. I haven’t made this with Greek yogurt so I can’t promise it will be as delicious as the cottage cheese version but my theory is that it will still yield a yummy sauce. Another idea is to make my chipotle lime sauce as an alternative!
Thank you! The sauce with the Greek yogurt was pretty good, but thanks for the tip to use the chipotle sauce as an alternative, I am definitely going to try that one because it sounds very yummy!
This recipe was so amazing. My picky has been loved it. It is Super easy. The queso is bomb. Love love love! Make it tonight!
Victoria thank youuuuu! So glad you and the fam loved it!😍
This was sooo good, literally just finished our plates. I was surprised at how good the queso was, I did use shredded Colby Jack cheese.
Thank you!!
Woohoo! Thank you so much for trying and for your awesome review Jess!
This recipe is fantastic. I had a little malfunction with my instant pot, but the meat still turned out amazing. Love the combo of flavors, and it was a win with my family. The cottage cheese queso was so creative and yummy.
Phew glad it was crisis averted with the Instant pot haha! Thanks so much for making this and the enchilada pie Brittany! Good call on the corn tortillas 🙂
this was a hit! thank you
I tried these cook-once eat-twice recipes, but I cooked twice and fed twice as many people each time, instead! My hubby liked the meat especially, and I liked learning how to make it in the instant pot so quickly. Also learned that I prefer to trim the fat as much as possible before cooking rather than picking it out later. The cottage cheese “queso” didn’t go over super well but I enjoyed the leftover on broccoli. It was rather time consuming between making the meat, rice, queso, beans, and prepping other toppings, so I’ll probably simplify it next time.
SOOOO good! Made both of the meals (the enchilada pie) & they were both delicious! The queso sauce was amazing. Both meals are easy to make, especially the enchilada pie! Highly recommend.
this shredded mexican beef is honestly so good. i made this on saturday for my boyfriends family. cooked it in the crock pot. also made some spanish rice, fajita veggies and home made tortilla chips! will be making again this coming Saturday for my family. 100/10 will be making again (for the third time)
Wooohoooo! Happy to hear it, thank you Anna!
4-5 pickled jalepenos…like, whole jalepenos? Or 4-5 slices like that come in the TJs jar?
just 4-5 slices!