Donna Walsifer
healthier eating
While our daughter was staying with us, she prepared a very hearty and healthy supper, “The Easiest Healthy Burrito Bake (gluten free)”. This recipe is from the food blogger Rachel Mansfield with a blog of the same name. Ms. Mansfield says her recipes contain “just the good stuff,” meaning few ingredients, little prep work and you don’t need to be an experienced chef to prepare. You’ll find on her website many gluten-free, dairy-free and recipes with no refined sugars. This recipe that my daughter prepared is quite forgiving.
For the recipe you’ll need one pound of grass-fed beef (for the recipe you can substitute another ground meat), cooked rice or grain, chunky salsa, corn, black beans, avocado ranch dressing, shredded cheese.
I selected basmati for this preparation, Jersey corn off the cob and Wegmans Light Ranch Dressing. When my daughter prepared this dish, we added diced zucchini and red pepper into the mix. For mine, I added one medium diced onion and a ¼ to ½ cup of shredded carrots.
Before browning the meat, I started off by sautéing the onions until they were softened; then I added the carrots stirring for 1-2 minutes. I removed them from the pan then browned the meat. Once the meat was browned, I added the rest of the ingredients. The mixture was topped with shredded cheddar cheese. Fifteen minutes in the oven and 1-2 minutes under the broiler and dinner was done.
This hearty dish was quite satisfying. I only wished I remembered to get tortilla chips. The meat was moist and tasty. The addition of some seasonal vegetables would also be delicious. For the record, I used a half pound more ground turkey and a whole can of black beans. It would have been too difficult to mix all the ingredients in my 10-inch skillet let alone have it cook all the way through in the oven. I decided to go with a Corning Ware casserole dish for baking.
If you were to follow Ms. Mansfield recipe, this burrito bake is made in cast iron skillet or another oven friendly skillet as a one pan meal. By the way, dinner was done in approximately 30 minutes! If you do have dietary restrictions, you may find www.rachlmansfield.com a terrific resource.
I selected basmati for this preparation, Jersey corn off the cob and Wegmans Light Ranch Dressing. When my daughter prepared this dish, we added diced zucchini and red pepper into the mix. For mine, I added one medium diced onion and a ¼ to ½ cup of shredded carrots.
Before browning the meat, I started off by sautéing the onions until they were softened; then I added the carrots stirring for 1-2 minutes. I removed them from the pan then browned the meat. Once the meat was browned, I added the rest of the ingredients. The mixture was topped with shredded cheddar cheese. Fifteen minutes in the oven and 1-2 minutes under the broiler and dinner was done.
This hearty dish was quite satisfying. I only wished I remembered to get tortilla chips. The meat was moist and tasty. The addition of some seasonal vegetables would also be delicious. For the record, I used a half pound more ground turkey and a whole can of black beans. It would have been too difficult to mix all the ingredients in my 10-inch skillet let alone have it cook all the way through in the oven. I decided to go with a Corning Ware casserole dish for baking.
If you were to follow Ms. Mansfield recipe, this burrito bake is made in cast iron skillet or another oven friendly skillet as a one pan meal. By the way, dinner was done in approximately 30 minutes! If you do have dietary restrictions, you may find www.rachlmansfield.com a terrific resource.
The Easiest Healthy Burrito Bake (Gluten-Free)
By Rachl Mansfield
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Yield: Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. grass-fed beef (or sub another ground meat)
2 cup cooked rice or “grain” of choose (I used a chick pea lentil rice from trader joe’s and have used basmati rice…anything works)
1 cup chunky salsa
1/2 cup corn from a can
1/2 cup black beans from a can
1/4 cup Tessemae’s ranch or avocado ranch (plus more to drizzle)
1 cup shredded cheese of choice or non-dairy cheese
Avocado for topping if desired
INSTRUCTIONS
NOTES
*Store leftovers in airtight container for 5 days. I like to reheat either in oven or microwave (usually microwave for convenience)
By Rachl Mansfield
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 25 mins
Yield: Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. grass-fed beef (or sub another ground meat)
2 cup cooked rice or “grain” of choose (I used a chick pea lentil rice from trader joe’s and have used basmati rice…anything works)
1 cup chunky salsa
1/2 cup corn from a can
1/2 cup black beans from a can
1/4 cup Tessemae’s ranch or avocado ranch (plus more to drizzle)
1 cup shredded cheese of choice or non-dairy cheese
Avocado for topping if desired
INSTRUCTIONS
- Begin making the beef by greasing a cast iron skillet (or oven-friendly skillet) with avocado oil and add beef
- Mash with a fork or wooden spoon to break into crumbles and cook over medium heat until brown
- While beef cooks, preheat oven to 375 degrees
- Once the beef is finished, add in the rice, beans, corn, ranch and salsa and mix well
- Sprinkle cheese on top and bake in oven for 15 minutes then broil for 1-2 minutes so the cheese bubbles
- Serve with sliced avocado, jalapeños anything! Plus extra dressing for drizzling
NOTES
*Store leftovers in airtight container for 5 days. I like to reheat either in oven or microwave (usually microwave for convenience)