Weeknight · One mug + a microwave · About 4 minutes

Mug Burrito Bowl

Name: Mug Burrito Bowl
Total time: 4 min
Yield: 1 serving
Ingredients: 150 g cooked rice; 100 g canned black or pinto beans; 60 g salsa; 30 g shredded cheese; pinch ground cumin; Optional toppings: canned corn, avocado, sour cream, cilantro, hot sauce, a squeeze of lime

A warm, hearty burrito bowl in a mug — rice, beans, salsa, and cheese, all from the pantry, hot in a few minutes. Filling and genuinely nutritious for a no-spoons night.

~4 min total 1 mug + a microwave 1 serving

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VegetarianGluten-Free

Servingscale up for a bigger mug or a bowl

Units

Ingredients

Heat the rice and beans first, then melt the cheese on top. Cold rice from the fridge needs a head start, so warm the rice, beans, and salsa together until steaming, then add the cheese and give it just enough time to melt. Everything's already cooked — you're only heating it through.

Easier, if you like

A microwave rice pouch + a can of beans + a jar of salsa is the whole thing — three shelf items plus the cheese.

Method

Cook's notes

Cooked rice is the shortcut. Leftover rice or a 90-second microwave pouch makes this instant; from scratch, see Instant Pot Rice & Grains.

Make it heartier: add a few spoons of canned chicken, leftover taco meat, or extra beans.

Toppings are the fun — salsa, avocado, sour cream, pickled jalapeños, hot sauce, cilantro, lime.

Pantry-only. Rice, canned beans, jarred salsa, and cheese all keep, so this is a real meal when the fridge is bare (see Stock the Shelf).

Vegetarian; easy vegan and gluten-free

Vegan: skip the cheese or use a dairy-free one — the beans, rice, and salsa carry it.

Gluten-free: naturally — just check your salsa and any add-ins.