Southwest Steak Bowls

I came up with this recipe because I had half of a flank steak in my freezer that I needed to use up. As usual, I bulked up the meat with beans, rice, and other yummies, so that the one pound (or less, actually) covered four servings. I really had a hard time deciding what to put in these bowls because there were just SO many delicious possibilities. So, I’ll tell you what I put in mine below and then give you some other options!

I started the bowls with a base of brown rice cooked in chicken broth. The chicken broth makes a big difference in the overall flavor of the bowl. Feel free to use white rice, I just wanted to try to incorporate more brown rice into my diet lately. I topped the bowls with black beans, corn, freshly made pico de gallo, cumin-lime marinated flank steak, a dollop of sour cream, and a few sprigs of fresh cilantro. It was so. good. oh. my.

So here are some other ideas: avocado (or an avocado/sour cream sauce), your favorite salsa (instead of the pico de gallo), fresh or pickled jalapeños, satuéed onions & peppers (for a fajita style bowl), sautéed mushrooms, or shredded cheese. Basically, anything that you like in a burrito or on a taco would be amazing on this free-form bowl. Be creative!

Southwest Steak Bowls

5.0 from 2 reviews
Southwest Steak Bowls
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Prep time 20 mins
Cook time 45 mins
Total time 1 hour 5 mins
Total Cost: $10.50 Cost Per Serving: $2.63 Serves: 4
Ingredients For the Steak

• ¾ – 1 lb. flank or skirt steak $4.48
• 1½ Tbsp olive oil $0.32
• 1 clove garlic $0.08
• ½ tsp ground cumin $0.03
• ¼ tsp salt $0.02
• 1 medium lime $0.33

For the Rice

• 1½ cups uncooked brown rice $0.56
• 3 cups chicken broth $0.21*

Toppings

• 1 small onion $0.32
• 1 large tomato $1.06
• ½ bunch cilantro $0.50
• ¼ tsp salt $0.02
• 1 (15 oz.) can black beans $0.63*
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels $0.47
• 1 (8 oz.) container sour cream $1.47

Instructions

1. To make the steak marinade, mince the garlic and combine it in a bowl with the olive oil, cumin, salt, and the juice from half of the lime (1-2 Tbsp juice). Save the other half of the lime to use in the pico de gallo. Add the marinade and steak to a zip top bag or shallow dish, make sure the steak is well coated in the marinade, and refrigerate it for about 30 minutes while the rice cooks.
2. Cook the rice according to the package instructions, but substitute chicken broth for the water.
3. While the rice is cooking and steak is marinating, prepare the pico de gallo. Dice the tomato and half of the onion. Combine the diced tomato, onion, juice from the second half of the lime, ¼ tsp of salt, and a handful of roughly chopped cilantro in a bowl. Stir until combined, taste, and adjust the salt if needed.
4. Rinse the black beans in a colander and allow the corn kernels to thaw.
5. To cook the steak, heat a large skillet over medium-high until very hot. Add the steak and cook for 3-5 minutes on one side, or until deeply golden brown. Flip and cook in the same manner on the second side. Transfer the steak to a cutting board and allow it to rest for five minutes. If desired, thinly slice the second half of your onion and cook it in the skillet for a few minutes, or until they are caramelized.
6. Once the steak has rested for a few minutes, slice it thinly against the grain (look for the lines in the meat and cut across them). To build the bowls, lay down one cup of rice, ¼ cup each of beans, corn, and pico de gallo, a few slices of steak, a few sprigs of cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. Serve hot.

Notes *I used chicken base to make the chicken broth, which is much less expensive than buying canned or boxed broth.
*I used beans that I had cooked from dry, which is less expensive than canned beans.
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Step by Step Photos

The first thing I did was prepare the marinade so that the meat could be marinating while the rice was cooking. Just mince up a clove of garlic and combine it with the olive oil, cumin, salt, and juice from HALF of the lime. Save the other half of the lime for the pico de gallo.

I had this half of a flank steak in my freezer. I thawed it over night in the fridge and then just added the marinade straight to the bag. Massage it around a bit so that the marinade gets all over. You can also do this in a shallow dish, just make sure to coat the steak in the marinade. I put this back into the refrigerator to do its thing while the rice cooked.

Cook the rice according to the directions on the package except replace the water with chicken broth. This adds a LOT of flavor to your bowls. I like to use Better Than Bouillon because it’s less expensive than canned or boxed broths and I can make any amount that I need, then keep the rest of the jar in the fridge. It lasts forever.

I love fresh pico de gallo, but you could always just use your favorite salsa instead. To make the pico de gallo, dice half of a small onion and one large tomato. Roughly chop a handful of fresh cilantro. Squeeze the juice from the second half of the lime over top and add a 1/4 tsp of salt. Stir and you’re done!

To cook the steak, heat up a large skillet over medium-high heat until it’s really hot.There was a lot of oil in the marinade, so I didn’t find that I needed to add anymore to the skillet. If you’re using a metal (not non-stick), you may want a touch of oil, but again, there was a lot in the marinade and already coating the meat. Let the meat cook without touching it for about 3 minutes on one side. Peek underneath and see if it’s nice and brown. If it is, go ahead and flip it and cook the same on the other side. Skirt steak can be tough if over cooked, so we’re aiming for nice and brown on the outside and light pink on the inside.

After the steak is browned on both sides, let it sit for a few minutes before slicing (this will keep it juicy).

I didn’t want to waste the other half of the onion that I used for the pico, so I sliced it thin and sauteed it up really quickly in the skillet. It picked up all of the yummy bits of meat left over from cooking the steak. YUM.

Now you can slice the steak. Look for the lines or the “grain” of the meat and slice it in the opposite direction. This helps keep the steak tender and easy to chew by cutting across the connective tissue. I love skirt steak. omgomgomg.

Also, while all that is going on, drain and rinse the beans. Take the corn out of the freezer and let that thaw, too.

Now the rice is probably done so you can fluff that up and build your bowls! Put a cup or so of the rice in a bowl and top with about 1/4 cup each of beans, corn, and pico de gallo. Add some of the sliced steak, a few sprigs of fresh cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. And that’s that!

I think the sour cream really adds something great to the bowls… I thought about making an avocado/sour cream sauce, but wanted to keep it simple. That would be awesome, though.

And when it all starts mixing together… oooooooh. Go make it now!

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