Carnitas Burrito Bowls
This Carnitas Burrito Bowls recipe is a fun, delicious riff on Chipotle takeout. With tender carnitas, cilantro lime rice, pico de gallo, corn salsa, and more, it’s an easy meal prep dinner that’s fully customizable – perfect for the whole family!
Easy Carnitas Burrito Bowls
My family goes crazzzzzzzy when I make carnitas. We stuff pork carnitas into tacos, quesadillas, nachos, mac & cheese – and these awesome Carnitas Burrito Bowls! My riff on the Chipotle burrito bowl is fun and delicious, with cilantro lime rice, crunchy romaine, sauteed sweet peppers, corn salsa, pico de gallo, guac, black beans, cheese, and sour cream. It’s exactly how I order my carnitas bowl at Chipotle…except they don’t offer me pickled red onions. They should really get on that!!
Recipe Ingredients & Variations
Here’s what you’ll need to make your very own DIY Chipotle burrito bowl. Find the exact ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
- Fresh greens – I like to use crunchy romaine lettuce, but iceberg lettuce, spring greens, arugula, and spinach would also be good choices.
- Cilantro lime rice – Use my recipe for cilantro lime rice or make a batch of white rice or brown rice.
- Carnitas – My carnitas recipe has been extremely popular throughout the years. It’s really REALLY good!
- Sauteed sweet bell peppers – My carnitas recipe includes how to make the sauteed peppers. You could also just add some thinly sliced fresh (raw) bell peppers.
- Black beans – Make sure to rinse and drain the beans before using them. Or use pinto beans or white beans.
- Pico de gallo – For a bit of wonderful fresh tomato flavor, here’s my easy pico de gallo recipe. Or you could make my easy blender restaurant salsa or just add some fresh diced tomato. If you wanted to go fruity, try my pineapple salsa – it’s wonderful with carnitas!
- Corn salsa – You can make roasted chili corn salsa for these bowls, or purchase your own corn salsa.
- Guacamole – Use my homemade guacamole recipe or your own favorite store brand. Or simply dice up some fresh avocado for your bowls.
- Sour cream – Full-fat or low-fat sour cream works interchangeably.
- Monterey Jack cheese – Sub another cheese if you wish, such as shredded cheddar cheese or crumbled cotija cheese. Pepper Jack would also be fun. You could even drizzle some queso blanco over the top of your bowl!
- Pickled red onions – I have a huge heart for this crunchy, tangy condiment. I am rarely without a jar of pickled red onions! Another great option would be pickled jalapenos.
- Lime wedges – A squeeze of fresh lime juice is the final delicious touch!
How To Make Carnitas Burritos Bowls
These pork carnitas burrito bowls are all about the layering. And it starts with slow-roasting a big ol’ pot of carnitas. Not only is the pork super tender and flavorful, but it’s also one of those fabulous big-batch recipes that just keeps on giving – so easy to use in all kinds of meals, plus it freezes really well!
See how we make our bowls in the photos below. Find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Layer in base ingredients. To each individual bowl, layer in the lettuce, cilantro lime rice, carnitas, sweet peppers, and black beans.
- Add toppings. Then top the bowls with pico de gallo, corn salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and pickled red onions. Add a little sprinkle of coarse salt over the top if you like. And don’t forget to add a lime wedge or two!
My Best Meal Prep Tips
This Chipotle burrito bowl copycat comes together easily with a bit of meal prep. For the most part, all the ingredients will keep well for 4-5 days when stored properly in the fridge. This will give you several delicious, fun meals to look forward to during the week. Here are a few tips for you:
- Make ahead. Smart meal prep comes in extra handy when you’re entertaining or simply want everything prepared and ready to assemble into bowls. So go ahead and make the carnitas, cilantro lime rice, sauteed peppers, pico de gallo, and corn salsa the day before serving. They’ll all keep perfectly. Then all you need to do is warm up the pork, rice, and peppers before serving.
- Store each ingredient separately. To keep flavors separate, store each of the ingredients in their own separate container.
- Or store assembled bowls! If you’d rather have some grab-and-go meals in the fridge, layer the carnitas bowl ingredients into a lunch container. I love having leftovers when we eat at Chipotle – this concept is really no different!
Serving Suggestions
Carnitas bowls are a fantastic one-bowl meal. But if you’d like to add to it, here are some ideas:
- Fruit. Everybody loves this fruit salad.
- Lemonade. Try my strawberry lemonade or blueberry lemonade – both drinks are such a treat!
- Cocktail. You can’t go wrong with a classic margarita at any Mexican meal. A watermelon margarita or rhubarb margarita are also fun.
- Dessert. My tres leches cake recipe is easy and deeeeeelicious. But if you’re more of a chocolate fan, make my super quick & easy chocolate mug cakes!
Proper Storage
You can make a couple of carnitas bowls in advance and save them for lunch later in the week – just a tip from me to you. Here’s how to store them:
- Fridge – Place any leftover assembled carnitas bowls in an airtight container in the fridge and store them for up to 4 days. If you have individual ingredient leftovers, store each one in their own separate container for 4-5 days.
- To Reheat – You can eat the carnitas bowls cold (I like!), or heat them briefly in the microwave at 30-second intervals until warm. Add more toppings, like sour cream and salsa, if you wish.
More Tex-Mex Recipes To Try
Carnitas Burrito Bowls
Ingredients
- 4 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 4 cups cilantro lime rice
- 2 cups carnitas
- 1 cup sauteed sweet peppers, from the carnitas recipe
- 1 cup black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- 1 cup corn salsa
- 1 cup guacamole
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- ½ cup pickled red onions
- 4 lime wedges
Instructions
- In 4 low wide bowls, layer the lettuce with cilantro lime rice, carnitas, sweet peppers, and black beans, dividing the ingredients evenly amongst the bowls.
- Then top the bowls with pico de gallo, corn salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, and pickled red onions, dividing the ingredients evenly amongst the bowls. Tuck a lime wedge into each bowl, for squeezing over the top.
