Mexican Rice Bowls with Shrimp

Mexican shrimp rice bowl with red peppers, lettuce, avocado, and cilantro lime cream sauce with queso fresco cheese.

4.72 from 7 votes

This Mexican Rice Bowls recipe is topped with garlic sautéed shrimp, avocado, beans, and a homemade sour cream cilantro lime dressing!

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Diet: Gluten Free

Keyword: rice bowls, shrimp rice bowls, Mexican shrimp, cilantro lime dressing

Servings:

Calories: 449kcal

Author: Christine Rooney

Ingredients

For The Rice Bowl:

1 lb. shrimp fresh or frozen
1 cup rice
2 cups water
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
½ tsp. adobo seasoning
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ tsp. pepper
1 bell pepper any color
1-2 avocadoes
2 cups lettuce or greens of choice
1 can pinto beans or beans of choice
½ cup queso fresco optional

For The Dressing:

1 cup sour cream
1 heaping cup fresh cilantro
3 limes split
1 tsp. honey or sweetener of choice
1 clove garlic
¼ tsp. kosher salt

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

For The Rice Bowls:

Start by preparing 1 cup of rice according to package instructions (most long-grain white rice calls for 1 cup rice to 2 cups water). Once the rice is finished, remove from the stove top and set aside.
Prepare 1 15 oz. can of pinto beans (or any canned beans of choice) on the stove top according to package instructions. Once the beans are heated through, remove from the stove top and set aside.
Dice 1 bell pepper (any color), cut 1-2 ripe avocadoes into slices or cubes, and roughly chop 1-2 cups of fresh lettuce or greens of choice.
Mince 4 cloves of garlic.
Thaw 1 lb. shrimp if frozen. Remove the peels, veins (if necessary), and tails and discard.
Place a skillet on the stove top and heat to medium-high. Add 1 Tbsp. of olive oil to the skillet. Once heated, add 4 cloves of minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
Add the thawed and peeled shrimp to the skillet along with 1 tsp. cumin, 1 tsp. chili powder, ½ tsp. Adobo seasoning, and ¼ tsp. each of kosher salt and pepper. Sauté for 2-3 minutes on the first side, flip, and sauté for another 2-3 minutes on the second side.
The safe internal temp for shrimp is 145 degrees Fahrenheit. This can be checked with a food thermometer if you like.
Make sure the cooked shrimp are completely coated in the oil, garlic, and spices. Remove from heat and set aside. Squeeze the juice of ½ lime over the shrimp.

For The Dressing:

Add 1 cup of sour cream, 1 heaping cup of fresh cilantro, the juice of 2 large limes, 1 tsp. honey, 1 clove garlic, and ¼ tsp. kosher salt to a food processor.
Blend all of the ingredients together until completely combined. The dressing can be set aside or placed in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To assemble: Add a generous amount of cooked rice (or grain of choice) to a bowl. Top the rice with the heated beans, diced bell peppers, chopped lettuce, sliced avocadoes, and sautéed shrimp. Drizzle a generous amount of the dressing over the bowls.
Garnish with a squeeze of lime, some queso fresco cheese, and more cilantro (optional).

Notes

You can substitute brown rice for white rice if you like. Wild rice, quinoa, or any gluten free grains be used in place of white rice.

Feel free to use any sweetener you like in place of honey when making the cilantro lime dressing. Sugar, agave syrup, brown rice syrup, or maple syrup are all great options.

The rice may be made ahead and frozen until ready to use. See the copy above for instructions on how to freeze and thaw rice.

Nutrition