Usually, if I ask Jay in the mornings what he’d like for dinner on any given night, I’m typically given a response along the lines of, “Umm, I don’t know…doesn’t really matter to me.”
Yeah. Considering this is usually my response, paired with the fact that I’m also probably one of the most indecisive people you’ll ever meet, that’s not exactly the answer I like to hear.
But this morning, I got a different answer. This morning, when I asked Jay what he’d like to have for dinner tonight, he hesitated slightly and then responded with hopeful, bright eyes,
“How about tacos?”
Tacos?!? How did he know that I’ve been craving some Chipotle in a bad way these past few days? I was in!
So while hubby got his tacos (ground beef and all), I hand-crafted a beautiful, amazingly delicious Chipotle-style burrito bowl for myself.
It was a thing of beauty. And, actually, quite easy to make. Here’s what you need to do…
First, you need to make the special Chipotle Cilantro-Lime rice. This is crucial. And if you want a great recipe, use this one from SkinnyTaste. It was perfect.
Next, make some pico de gallo. To make mine, I simply threw together:
- 1 diced tomato
- red onion (~1/8 cup?)
- minced garlic
- Juice from 1/2 a lime
- fresh cilantro
- salt & pepper
Once those two things were taken care of, I simply started tossing everything into the bowl, which included:
- Cilantro-lime rice
- shredded green leaf lettuce
- pico de gallo
- black beans
- some leftover corn and the last couple pieces of leftover Mexican chicken
- avocado
- sprinkle of shredded cheese
- dollop of salsa and plain Greek yogurt
I’m going to go right ahead and say that my burrito bowl was 10x better than Chipotle’s. Sorry, Chipotle. You ain’t got nothin’ on me!
I’m hoping that I’ll be able to stay up late enough for some Jersey Shore action tonight, but I’m not sure whether or not my eyelids are quite on board. We’ll see how that goes!
Question for the Evening:
Have you ever tried to re-create any of your favorite restaurant meals at home? How did it compare to the real thing?
Ashley @ My Food 'N' Fitness Diaries says
Yum! I LOVE Chipotle’s burrito bowls, so I’ll have to give this a whirl!
Sweet and Savvy says
Wow! I have never been to Chipotle before, but I am loving this recipe idea.:)
chelsey @ clean eating chelsey says
I usually get the same response when it comes to dinner. But the Husband’s eyes light up if I mention mexican or spaghetti!
Samantha @ Running and Cupcakes says
That looks almost exactly like my salad from last night that was inspired by your salad from earlier in the week! LOL
Next time I’m totally trying it with the cilantro lime rice though, that sounds delicious! I’ve never ever been to Chipotle, am I missing out?
Courtney says
It is pretty awesome…definitely worth checking out, in my opinion ;)
Erica @ For the Sake of Cake says
Now I’m craving Chipotle!!!
Melissa says
Looks awesome! I make a homemade version of Panera’s turkey artichoke panini that is delicious! Better than the real deal, IMO! :D
Jay says
No Jersey Shore tonight! FOOTBALL IS ON!
Erin @ The Grass Skirt says
Your dinner looks so good! I love Chipotle, so I need to try making this at home. There’s a restaurant near me called Sullivan’s, and I’ve recreated their marinated mushrooms. They weren’t as good, but they were close! According to my husband, I’ve also recreated the Burger King secret sauce. I just didn’t know it!
Clare @ Fitting It All In says
Faux-chipotle was my favorite thing to make for my boyfriend. He got chicken, I got black beans, we both got happiness!
Lauren (Healthy Delicious) says
I love chipotle bowls! we had tacos last night and I had something very similar with the leftovers (minus the rice) for lunch today.
Lindsay@ In Sweetness and In Health says
Um, is comment 8 from your hubby?? haha…and your burrito bowl looks absolutely amazing! I’m pretty indecisive myself and so is my bf- that can make it really hard to figure out what we want to do.
Courtney says
LOL, yes it is. He’s quite a character :)
Faith @ For the Health of It says
I actually made my own batch of Chipotle-style rice the other night! I didn’t go off of a recipe, but it was delicious. Chipotle’s guac had mine beat by a long shot though – that stuff is the bomb!
Mary @ Bites and Bliss says
Haha, a girl on the transit today was talking to her friend and said “Tacos? Tacos sound freaking ammazzing now.” Guess tacos were the theme tonight for a few people! ;)
Ari @ Ari's Menu says
I love Chipotle and the one by me has brown rice now which meant I went there like 4 times in 2 weeks when I found out haha. I always want to recreate it at home, but I am totally incapable of cooking rice. It’s the weirdest thing. I cook way harder things that come out great, but my rice (and even quinoa) without fail is always crunchy.
Molly says
all the time! and i find that what i recreate at home is (often) much better than what I had at the restaurant! This is probably because I know exactly what is put into it and know it’s super healthy!
Emmarie @ Bananas and Beer says
You need to get your hands on this cookbook. And healthify some of the recipes.
http://www.amazon.com/Top-Secret-Restaurant-Recipes-Creating/dp/0452275873/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1315532152&sr=8-3
I don’t make alot from it because the recipes are pretty involved, but its still fun.
kristen says
haha im watching jersey shore while I read this post (great minds think alike haha)
dinner looks delicious!
Brittany says
I just had a similar salad the other night! With black beans and corn. I’ve only had Chipotle once, and I wasn’t impressed. So I’d definitely rather make it at home. So much better! :D
Claire says
You are my hero, Courtney! I love how you’re like, “I just threw this together. Simple.” If I “threw” something together it would just be in regards to me taking the trash out to the can haha. That burrito bowl looks phenom. I think the rice is the key there :-)
Lindsay@bikingbeforebed says
I have made very similar burrito bowls… they are always delicious! There was a “copycat” recipe in Food Network magazine a few months ago for the Chipotle corn salsa that I have been wanting to try. That stuff is so addicting!
Courtney says
Oooo, really? I’ll have to check that out! ;)
Danica @ It's Progression Not Perfection says
That recipe looks SO good–I’m definitely trying it soon!
I try to recreate a lot of restaurant salads and also pasta dishes sometimes, since those are typically the easiest : )
Gina @ Running to the Kitchen says
I LOVE chipotle’s burrito bowls, I’ve never tried recreating them at home but definitely should. I’m gonna check out that rice. It sounds delicious!
katie @ the purposeful woman says
Oh my! That looks so fresh and good! Will have to make that rice sometime–i love Mexican flavors!!
Alba&Dilek @TwoBaklavaStory says
That looks soo so fresh! love the greek yogurt on top!
Liz @ Tip Top Shape says
That burrito bowl looks so good!! Definitely a great choice to recreate at home! I recently made one of my favorite restaurant salads at home. The key was the Goddess dressing. Once I put it on, I didn’t feel like it was just something I threw together.
Kelsey @ Snacking Squirrel says
HOLY BURRITO BOWL! haha, this looks WAAAAAAY better than anything ive seen :)
Brittany @ Life of a Bama Girl says
I love Chipotle burrito bowls and yours looks even better! I must try making the rice. I have made chicken lettuce wraps before and they turned out great! I have not ordered them at PF Changs since.
Khushboo says
I’ve been making something similar this whole week- my tastebuds can’t get enough of Mexican! The combo of salsa, Greek yog and avocado is unbeatable! Try this recipe for taco burgers the next time Jay or you crave tacos: combine mince (I use veggie but ground beef, chicken, turkey would be fab too) with oats, chopped onions, carrots and red peppers. Stir in taco seasoning and form into pattie shapes and grill for 5 mins on both sides, or till golden brown- Soo freaking yum!
Michelle (The Runner's Plate) says
My husband says the same thing when I ask him what he wants for dinner. I don’t think guys think ahead like we do. Food is always on my mind!!
Jen M. says
MMMMMM, I love Chipotle and I love burrito bowls! I do them all the time!!! I always get the vegetarian burrito bowl at Chipotle, rice, beans, fajita veggies, pico, salsa, lettuce, cheese, sour cream, GUACAMOLE!!! I luuuuurve their guacamole, so so so yummy!
I recreate restaurant meals at home all the time. The other night I did a healthified pasta with sausage and peppers — chicken basil sausage from New Seasons (they make it in house, so it’s super fresh and healthy) cooked up with water to keep it from sticking to the pan since it doesn’t produce oil like Italian sausage does, tomato sauce, garlic, dried oregano, fresh ground sea salt & peppercorns, red pepper flakes, and then then brought that all to a boil, then threw in some red, green, and yellow peppers and red onions that I had sauteed/steamed in just a bit of chicken stock the night before and had leftovers of, and whole wheat rotini (I always cook my pasta in a salty pot of water though, something I’ve noticed you tend to omit, I just can’t stop though, I think it really changes the flavor of the pasta when it’s cooked in salted water!), and then just before serving, threw in a bunch of fresh basil, and then topped with some mozzarella… seriously JUST as satisfying as similar dishes at Italian places but guilt-free! And best thing was, it was done in like a half hour!
Glad you’re feeling better!!
Heather says
THANK YOU!!! We don’t have Chipotle up here in Canada but I LOVE it when I’m visiting the US. I can’t wait to make this now! ((I made your pumpkin spice muffins as a loaf for my co-workers and I became very popular! Thanks for that too!))
Hope says
This burrito bowl does look a million times better than Chipotle’s! It looks delicious! Now, I really want Mexican food and it’s not even 9am yet! Haha!
heather says
I hate trying to decide what to cook! My hubby does the I don’t care thing too, so frustrating! I have tried recreating a few things….mainly desserts!
Jodi says
I love taco/burrito salads! You can eat alot and not feel super-guilty about it! Your lucky your husband will eat ANY veggies at all because mine won’t…
Ahh..Jersey Shore! I can’t peel my eyes away from that show. Have a great weekend!
Janae Jacobs says
THAT LOOKS AMAZING, I NEED THAT IN MY LIFE RIGHT NOW!
e@thisnotedlife says
burrito bowls are my absolute favorite!
Shannon says
that salad looks so good and colorful :)