Fajita bowl Cathy’s Vegan Kitchen

Skip the tortillas and put your fajitas in a bowl. This is vegetarian Fajita bowl The recipe includes cilantro-lime rice, roasted vegetables and sassy pinto beans, topped with lettuce, cilantro, tomato, avocado, lime and vegan southwest dressing.

Do you like vegetable fajitas? I do! But, I tend to eat too many tortillas. So, I created a vegan fajita bowl recipe! Whenever I create a new vegan bowl recipe, I focus on combining my favorite raw and cooked vegetables. This vegan fajita bowl layers grilled marinated vegetables over cilantro lime rice and sassy pinto beans. Then, I added greens, cilantro, avocado and topped it with my favorite vegan Southwestern dressing.

As a general rule, I always like to marinate everything overnight, but a few hours will do. Although I grilled my vegetables, vegetables are also good roasted in the oven.

On another note, adapt this recipe to meet individual preferences. For example, if you don’t care for mushrooms, eggplant is a great option.

How to Marinate Vegetables for Fajitas

I chose my favorite combination of vegetables for this vegan fajita bowl recipe. However, add other vegetables or alternative vegetables of your choice.

• Mushrooms: I love portobello mushrooms because they are firm and meaty.
• Baby Bell Peppers: Baby bell peppers come in a variety of colors and have a sweet flavor.
• White Onion: White onions are sharp in taste; However, it is sweet when cooked.
• Zucchini: Zucchini is fresh this time of year and adds a fresh crunchy texture to the fajita bowl
• JFrequency: Roasting or grilling jalapeños without their seeds and veins makes them sweeter than hot.

As a rule, I like to marinate almost everything overnight. In my opinion, marinating overnight gives the vegetables time to absorb the flavor of the marinade, making it perfect for grilling without oil.

Once the three magic ingredients are mixed, pour the marinade over the chopped vegetables, cover them and toss everything together. Then, refrigerate overnight or as long as you can wait.

How to roast vegetables

1. Preheat grill to 400 degrees
2. Using a grill basket, place all the marinated vegetables in the base of the basket.
3. Reserve any leftover marinade in the bottom of the pot for later use
4. Place the grill basket directly on the grill
5. Close the cover and cook for 20 minutes, making sure to open the grill and toss the vegetables every 5 minutes.
6. Return the roasted vegetables to the pot with the remaining marinade.

How to Roast Fajitas on a Sheet Pan

1. In a large bowl, toss together the chopped vegetables, hatch chiles, lime juice, and cilantro and mix until well combined in a bowl or Ziploc bag.
2. Refrigerate overnight.
3. Spread the marinated vegetables in a single layer on two sheet pans. (Line pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mat for easy cleaning.)
4. Roast for 30 minutes until tender and lightly browned.

Bean ingredients

• Pinto Beans: Pinto beans are highly nutritious. Packed with protein, fiber, and many other essential nutrients, pinto beans can help promote bowel regularity, regulate your blood sugar, and reduce your risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. Their affordability and versatility make them a great staple in your pantry.
• Yellow Onion: The yellow onion flavor has a nice balance of pungency and sweetness, becoming sweeter the longer it is cooked.
• Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
• Chipotle Seasoning: Chipotle powder is made from just one ingredient: dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. They are then crushed into powder form into pure, simple flavor glory.
• Cholula Hot Sauce: Cholula Hot Sauce has a complex chili profile that raises the bar on flavor among mass-market hot sauces. It’s an incredibly versatile blend of smoky, nutty, tangy and every-so-slightly spicy.
• Vegetable Broth: I used organic vegetable broth.

Substitute bean ingredients

• Black beans substitute for pinto beans in many recipes.
• White onion is an excellent substitute for yellow onion in this bean recipe.
• A clove of garlic is equal to about ⅛ of a teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Smoked paprika has all the smoky flavor you want, making it a great alternative to chipotle.
• Choose your favorite hot sauce.
• Water or Yondu Water substitute mixed with vegetable broth.

Another one of my favorite additions to vegan bowl recipes is cilantro lime rice. I like to cook with brown rice but choose the rice of your choice.

Cilantro Lime Rice Ingredients

A few ingredients are all you need to make coriander-lime rice. Rice is like a sponge, so it’s a bland base to absorb any flavor. Again, this bowl tastes great with plain brown rice, but it adds a bit more flavor while adding some extra flavor.

• Long Grain Brown Rice: Brown rice is a rich source of dietary fiber, which may reduce your risk of death from heart disease. Brown rice also contains high levels of magnesium, which can help reduce your risk of heart disease and stroke.
• Low-sodium vegetable broth: The vegetable stock adds flavor to the rice while cooking.
• Lime Juice and Zest: I like to use fresh lime.
• cilantro: A delightful combination of flavors similar to parsley and citrus, this herb is a common ingredient in many cuisines worldwide; However, some think it tastes like soap.
• Garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor.
• Cumin: Rich and hearty, earthy and warm, with an edge of citrus; Cumin adds instant depth to any dish. Use ground cumin instead of whole cumin in recipes where you want the flavor to spread evenly.

Cilantro replaces the rice ingredient

• Choose short-grain brown rice, jasmine rice or rice.
• Use water instead of vegetable broth to further reduce sodium.
• Try bottled lime juice and add ½ teaspoon more to replace the lime zest.
• If you don’t like cilantro, choose a different herb, such as parsley, basil, or your favorite herb.
• If you buy pure garlic powder, it is quite easy to substitute it for fresh cloves. A clove of garlic is equal to about ⅛ of a teaspoon of garlic powder.
• Substitute cumin in coriander recipes.

Recipe FAQs

advice

• If you don’t have a grill, use the sheet pan option instead.
• Don’t cut or add the avocado until just before serving to prevent it from browning.
• Add tofu sofritas to the bowl for extra protein.
• Use plain pinto or black beans instead of making spicy pinto beans.
• Instead of cilantro lime rice, use brown rice mixed with your favorite fresh salsa for a shortcut.
• Add vegan sour cream for an added creamy element.
• Guacamole goes well with fajita bowl ingredients.
• Vegan nacho cheese sauce is a great way to add vegan cheesy flavor to bowls. Or sprinkle with our favorite shredded vegan cheese blend.

This fajita bowl recipe is full of fresh veggies, rice, and beans!

More Vegan Mexican Recipes

If you like this vegan fajita bowl recipe, give us a 5-star review and comment below. We would love to hear from you.

📖 Recipe

Fajita Bowl

Cathy Carmichael

Skip the tortillas and put your fajitas in a bowl. This bowl is filled with cilantro-lime rice, roasted fajita veggies, sassy pinto beans, lettuce, cilantro, tomato, avocado, lime, and vegan southwest dressing.

Q. Time 20 minutes minutes

cooking time 30 minutes minutes

total time 50 minutes minutes

course entry

cuisine mexican

serving 4 serving

calories 665 kcal

instructions

Fajita vegetables

• Combine the marinade in a measuring cup and stir together.

• Add all the chopped vegetables to a bowl with the marinade. Place a cover on top and toss gently to coat all the vegetables.

• Marinate overnight or at least a few hours.

Cooking Vegetables: Grilling

• Preheat grill to 400 degrees

• Drain the marinade from the pot, and set aside to use after cooking. .

• Place the marinated vegetables in the grill basket.

• Place the grill basket directly on the grill grates.

• Close the cover and cook for 20 minutes, making sure to open the grill and toss the vegetables every 5 minutes.

• Return the roasted vegetables to the pot with the remaining marinade.

Cooking vegetables: Sheet pan

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

• Drain excess marinade from vegetables, but reserve excess marinade in a bowl after cooking.

• Place the vegetables in a single layer on the baking sheet as much as possible.

• Using a spatula, toss the vegetables after 15 minutes, then bake 5-10 minutes longer until tender and lightly browned.

• Remove from oven and add to a large bowl; Add remaining marinade and toss for extra flavor.

Cilantro Lime Rice

• Add rice, water, or vegetable broth and lime zest to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

• Reduce the heat and cook for 30-35 minutes or until the water is completely absorbed and the rice is tender.

• Take off the heat and stir in the lime juice, cilantro and garlic. Season with cumin to taste and serve immediately.

Sassy Beans

• In a wok, fry onion and garlic.

• Add pinto beans (or black beans), seasonings, hot sauce, and vegetable broth.

• Bring to a simmer, and allow the liquid to dissolve and thicken.

• Set aside.

How to Make Fajita Bowls

• Place ¼ of the cilantro-lime rice in the center of the bowl.

• Add a serving of sassy beans, roasted (or roasted) veggies, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado.

• Drizzle with vegan Southwestern dressing.

• Serve with lime wedges.

Comment

• Substitute plain back or pinto beans for sassy beans as a time saving option.
• Another way to save time is to serve plain brown rice instead of cilantro-lime rice.
• If cooking in the oven instead of the grill, place the baking sheet in the oven and preheat it before adding the vegetables to cut the cooking time in half and you won’t have to turn the vegetables.
• Marinate the vegetables overnight for a deeper flavor or at least a few hours.
• After cooking, reserve the marinade to toss back onto the vegetables.
• Make cilantro-lime rice and reheat it for a time saver.
• Set up a buffet and allow your guests or family to make a fajita bowl with their favorite ingredients.
• Add guacamole, vegan refried beans and plant-based sour cream for extra toppings.

nutrition

Calories: 665kcalSugars: 107gProtein: 20gFat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fats: 2gSodium: 427mgPotassium: 2021mgFiber: 21gSugar: 17gVitamin A: 11258IUVitamin C: 137mgCalcium: 189mgIron: 6mg

Oh! My name is Kathy, I am a retired high school English teacher and vegetarian and blogger. My entire blog is completely plant-based vegan. I truly believe that what we eat and how we live determines our health and the preservation of our planet! 🙂