Quick, easy, and totally flavorful, these chipotle lime shrimp bowls with brown rice, black beans, tomatoes and avocado have just the right level of adobo spice with a touch of honey to sweeten up meal prep for any lunch or dinner.
Healthy Shrimp Bowl
When I looked over and read what her t-shirt said, I thought of several people I know who spend at least part of every day feeling exactly the same way.
Hangry. Hungry + angry = Hangry.
Personally, its rare that I ever get to the hangry stage because I work from home, so when I’m hungry, I can dart into the kitchen to make a quick lunch, grab a handful of almonds, or whip up my fave afternoon yogurt + berries + granola snack. But it’s highly likely I’m in the minority.
Enter #hangry.
This healthy chipotle bowl bowl recipe comes from the new cookbook aimed at solving that dreaded meal-time dilemma of getting nutritious meals in the belly when time isn’t always on your side. The Weekday Lunches and Breakfasts Cookbook: Easy and Delicious Home-Cooked Meals for Busy Families by Mary Younkin of the food blog Barefeet In the Kitchen, serves up super-simple breakfasts and lunches that work for everyone at the table. Or if you’re like me, easy to eat at the desk too.
Filled with recipes for quick, easy, and make-ahead breakfasts and lunches, this is the busy person’s cookbook with freezer storage suggestions and easy to reheat directions galore.
Over on my Instagram stories I took a poll and asked your opinion which recipe I should make from the book, and not surprisingly, this Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls came out on top.
What’s in These Shrimp Bowls?
One of the things I love most about meals in a bowl is how creative you can get with them. I love all things chipotle-flavored and even created a chipotle shrimp burritos (the avocado crema is the best!) a few years back. It’s time to return to the chipotle shrimp train.
Here’s what you’ll need for this healthy shrimp recipe:
- Shrimp
- Canola oil
- Lime juice
- Chipotle peppers and adobo sauce
- Garlic
- Honey
- Ground cumin
- Kosher salt
- Cayenne pepper
- Brown rice
- Black beans
- Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Green onion
- Red onion
- Fresh cilantro
How to Make These Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls
The sautéed shrimp are first quick-marinated with lime juice, garlic, chipotle peppers and adobo sauce and sweetened with honey—chipotle’s favorite pairing. It only takes 15 minutes for the marinade to flavor the shrimp, and you’ll definitely want to keep it under 30 minutes or the shrimp will begin to break down and become mealy when cooked.
Once the shrimp have had time to marinate, simply sauté in a little oil until they’re pink all over.
Then, assemble your healthy chipotle bowls with your choice of grain and toppings.
Can I Use Different Shrimp Bowl Toppings?
Of course! Assembling the shrimp bowls is incredibly easy and super adaptable to whatever you have in the fridge, freezer, or pantry. All you need is a grain, protein, and vegetables. Here, the chipotle marinade carries the flavor and so no additional dressing is even needed, except of a squeeze of fresh lime for that fresh flavor hit.
Here’s a list of Mexican rice bowl ingredienys that pair well with the chipotle shrimp to make these bowls your own:
- Brown or white rice, or try another grain like as farro or quinoa
- Black beans
- Tomatoes
- Avocado
- Corn
- Jicama
- Bell peppers
- Shisito peppers
- Crunchy lettuce such as romaine or even shredded iceberg
- Red onion, white onion, or green onion
- Fresh sliced jalapeño
- Cilantro
- Sour cream or cotija cheese
- Always a squeeze of lime!
Can I Meal Prep Shrimp Bowls?
Yes! This dish is just begging to go with you to work, school, or wherever your day takes you because it tastes just as good chilled as it does warm. I prepped a few and sent them to school with my Smudge, who when I asked if she wanted me to send an extra for her friends to snack on at lunch she made it clear that she wanted to keep them all for herself.
Who could blame her? Not this shrimp lover who won’t be #hangry any time soon.
Tips for Making Chipotle Shrimp Bowls
Chipotle peppers are smoked jalapeños that are most often found canned in adobo sauce and deliver an earthy, smoky, spicy bite and are found in Tex-Mex and Mexican flavored dishes. Chipotle peppers can add some serious heat to a dish, but are easy to control your by adding less or more of the pepper to whatever you’re making.
I always prefer pink shrimp (usually from Key West) for their sweetness over Mexican or Indonesian black shrimp. To keep this a quick recipe, purchase your shrimp already peeled and deveined.
These shrimp are equally delicious on their own as an appetizer, or in tacos or lettuce wraps or wherever your cravings take you.
More Easy Lunch Recipes to Eat On the Go
- 25 Super Healthy Bowl Recipes (some of my faves from some of my favorite bloggers!)
- Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowl with Broccoli and Tomato
- Healthy Albacore Tuna Buddha Bowls
- Sesame Shrimp with Asian Greens Rice Bowl (yes! more shrimp! more shrimp!)
- Healthy Mexican Street Corn Burrito Bowls
- Roasted Chicken, Butternut Squash and Guacamole Rice Bowls
- Orange Chicken and Broccoli Rice Bowls (yes! broccoli rice!)
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Chipotle Lime Shrimp Bowls
Ingredients
For the shrimp:
- 1 pound large shrimp , deveined and peeled
- 3 tablespoons canola oil , divided
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice , divided (about 1-2 medium limes)
- 1 to 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce , finely minced (about 1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon adobo sauce (the liquid from the can of peppers)
- 2 cloves garlic , pressed
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 3/4 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the bowls:
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 15.5 ounce can black beans , drained and warmed
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes , sliced
- 1 large avocado , pitted and chopped
- 4 green onions , chopped
- 1/4 cup red onion , chopped
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Place the shrimp in a bowl or gallon freezer bag, and add 2 tablespoons of the oil, lime juice, chipotle peppers, adobe sauce, garlic, honey, salt, cumin, and pepper. Massage the ingredients into the shrimp and let the shrimp rest on the counter for 15 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Spread the shrimp across the pan and discard any remaining marinade. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side or until they've turned lightly pink on the outside and the insides are turning white.
- Assemble the bowls with the rice, black beans, veggies and sprinkle with cilantro. Drizzle with more adobo sauce and a squeeze of lime if desired.
Notes
- These fresh and healthy bowls can be mixed and matched with other Mexican-inspired veggie ingredients as desired such as corn, jicama or bell peppers.
Nutrition
More Easy Shrimp Recipes to Try
- Pan-Seared Citrus Shrimp
- Peel ‘n Eat Beer Steamed Shrimp
- Shrimp Cocktail
- Grilled Shrimp Vietnamese Spring Rolls
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta
See more recipes from Barefeet In the Kitchen and purchase The Weekday Lunches and Breakfasts Cookbook here.
Craving more life balance, less stress, and better health? Check out my Nourished Planner, the daily planner to help create simplicity and under-schedule your life.
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