Southwest Steak Bowls

Overhead view of a southwest steak bowl.

4.91 from 21 votes

These Southwest Steak Bowls are a fresh, budget-friendly dinner made with smoky cumin-lime steak, brown rice, black beans, sweet corn, pico de gallo, and sour cream. Packed with protein, fiber, and bold Southwest flavors, they're an easy all-in-one meal perfect for busy weeknights.

Prep Time20

Cook Time45

Total Time1 5

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Total Cost: $18.50 recipe / $3.70 serving

Servings: servings

Calories: 643kcal

Author: Beth Moncel

Equipment

Medium Pot
Small Bowl
Medium Bowl
Colander
Large 12" skillet

Ingredients

For the Steak

1 lb. flank or skirt steak 16oz., $12.32
1½ Tbsp olive oil $0.26
1 garlic clove $0.06
½ tsp ground cumin $0.02
¼ tsp salt $0.01
1 lime $0.25

For the Rice

1½ cups brown rice uncooked, (300g) $0.54
3 cups chicken broth $0.48*

Toppings

1 small onion small dice, (225g, 2 cups) $0.57
1 large tomato small dice, (315g, 2 heaping cups) $1.30
½ bunch fresh cilantro chopped, $0.42
¼ tsp salt $0.01
15 oz. can black beans drained and rinsed, $0.92
1 cup frozen corn kernels thawed, $0.40
8 oz. sour cream $0.94

Instructions

Gather and prepare all ingredients.
To make the steak marinade, mince the garlic and combine it in a bowl with the olive oil, cumin, salt, and 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, ensuring the steak is well-coated in the marinade. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes while the rice cooks.
Cook the rice according to the package instructions, but substitute chicken broth for the water.
While the rice is cooking and the 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.
To cook the steak, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat 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. Thinly slice the second half of your onion and cook it in the skillet for about 3 minutes, or until they are caramelized.
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, caramelized onions, corn, and pico de gallo, a few slices of steak, a few sprigs of cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream. Serve hot.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.

Notes

*I use Better than Bouillon chicken base to make the chicken broth, which is much less expensive than buying canned or boxed broth.

Nutrition