Pregnancy · Dinner

Black Bean & Corn Burrito Bowls

Name: Black Bean & Corn Burrito Bowls
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 28 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 servings
Ingredients: 150 g brown rice; 480 g canned black beans, drained; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 200 g corn; 1 avocado, diced; 150 g cherry tomatoes, chopped; 1 lime, juiced; 80 g cheddar, grated; 100 g Greek yogurt; 10 g cilantro

Spiced black beans, charred corn and rice with all the burrito fixings in a bowl - assembly-line dinner that feeds the week.

A build-your-own bowl where the rice, beans and toppings arrive separately, so every plate can match the appetite it meets. That flexibility is the pregnancy fit: keep it plain on queasy days, pile it high on hungry ones, and let the beans quietly count toward folate either way.

Black Bean & Corn Burrito Bowls - Spiced black beans, charred corn and rice with all the burrito fixings in a bowl

Easy

Vegetarian FiberFolateIronAntioxidantsCalcium

Ingredients

for 2 people

150 gbrown rice
480 gcanned black beans, drained
1 tspground cumin
1 tspsmoked paprika
200 gcorn
1avocado, diced
150 gcherry tomatoes, chopped
1lime, juiced
80 gcheddar, grated
100 gGreek yogurt
10 gcilantro

Open this recipe in the interactive app to scale servings, switch to oz and cups, and tick ingredients off as you cook.

Per serving (approx.): 630 calories · 26 g protein · 74 g carbs · 26 g fat · 17 g fiber

Method

Rice. Cook the brown rice in a big saucepan of boiling water, uncovered, for about 25 minutes, until tender with a slight chew, then drain it well. Rice cooker: use the brown-rice setting.
Beans. While the rice cooks, warm the beans, cumin and smoked paprika with a splash of water in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 5 minutes, mashing a few beans against the side, until hot through and slightly saucy.
Char. Heat a dry skillet over medium-high heat, add the corn, and let it sit mostly undisturbed for 3 to 4 minutes, until dark spots appear. Tip it onto a plate.
Build. Toss the tomatoes with the lime juice in a small bowl until coated. Spoon the rice and beans into bowls, then top with the charred corn, avocado, dressed tomatoes, cheddar, a spoonful of yogurt and the cilantro.

Worth knowingBeans, brown rice and avocado make this one of the highest-fiber dinners here - the lime and tomatoes are stationed next to the iron.

Is this safe during pregnancy?

Yes - as written this fits the standard pregnancy food-safety rules. Cheddar is a hard cheese and the Greek yogurt is pasteurized, both on the safe list in NHS guidance on foods to avoid, and everything else is plants. Give the tomatoes, cilantro and lime a good wash, as with any fresh produce.

Substitutions & allergens

Swap the Greek yogurt for a plain dairy-free yogurt and skip the cheddar - removes dairy, though it trims the calcium this bowl is tagged for.
Brown rice can become white rice or quinoa when you want it on the table faster.
Any canned bean works here - pinto and kidney keep the folate and fiber story intact.
If cilantro tastes like soap to you, flat-leaf parsley steps in without a fight.

Storage & reheating

The beans and the rice part ways at storage time. Beans: cool and refrigerate within 1-2 hours, eat within 48 hours, and reheat once until steaming hot, per FSA chilling guidance. Rice is stricter: chill it fast, ideally within the hour, keep it no more than 24 hours in the fridge and never reheat it more than once, per the FSA fact checker. Both freeze if bagged on the day of cooking - defrost in the fridge and use within 24 hours - while the avocado, yogurt and tomato toppings are for adding fresh each time.

Checked against the public guidance we follow - see our sources & editorial standards.