Burrito Bowl!!

Game on, Homegaters!

Although I'm still mourning the end of the football season, I don't have much time to wallow in my sorrow because a couple of pals are coming over this weekend to watch hockey. Ah yes, there are more sports out there to enjoy! Turns out our local hockey team is pretty good this season (as opposed to how dreadful our football teams were), so we have something to cheer about. While I could serve them leftovers from last week's Super Bowl party (which I froze), I really don't want to do that because a couple of the same people are coming over. I can't rehash the same menu 2 weeks in a row because that's just not cool. I'm sure those folks are a little finger-fooded out from Sunday anyway, so I went with a Burrito Bowl.

A Burrito Bowl is a bowl of meaty, cheesey, ricey goodness. You can make it with pretty much the kitchen sink if you want, but I went simple with ground beef, onions, red jalapenos, red beans, chili powder, garlic powder, tomato paste, Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce, dried cilantro (I keep that on hand if I can't find fresh - which I couldn't right off of Super Bowl weekend), brown rice and cheddar cheese. You can add sweet peppers, corn, avocado, sour cream guac,...anything you can think of. It's up to you. Once you make the rice (which you can do ahead of time), preparing this dish is relatively easy and will take you under an hour to whip together and serve.

Burrito Bowl
(serves 4)

Doesn't this rock?

1 lb lean ground beef
1 medium onion, minced
2 tbs canola oil      
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tbs chili powder
1 medium red (or green) jalapeno, minced
1 tbs dried cilantro (or 2 tbs of fresh, minced)
1 tbs tomato paste
1 tbs Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce
1 cup canned beans (red or black), drained
1 1/2 cups pre-cooked rice (white or brown)
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese - plus more for topping
salt & pepper

Method:

1.  Pre-heat your oven to 350-degrees. In a large skillet or cast iron frying pan, heat the oil on medium heat and saute onions until translucent. Add the ground beef and brown. Break up the meat until it becomes granular. Salt and pepper to taste.

2.  Add the garlic powder, chili powder, jalapeno, cilantro, tomato paste and Tabasco Chipotle Pepper Sauce. Mix thoroughly and heat through.

3.  Add the beans and rice. Continue to heat through.

4.  Sprinkle the cheese into the mixture and heat until the cheese is completely melted.

5.  Place mixture into 6 individual ramekins* and top each with the remaining shredded cheese. Place the ramekins on a baking sheet and place in the oven for 5 minutes, or untl the cheese is melted.

*(Alternately, if you're using an oven-proof skillet or cast iron frying pan, sprinkle the additional cheese over the top of the whole mixture and place in the oven until the cheese is melted. You can serve it family style that way.)

There you have it! This recipe is quick to make. It's delicious and satisfying! Hope you try it!

See you next week!!