What’s for dinner? 

When you’ve got a family to feed, this everyday question can feel daunting. 

You likely have multiple food preferences to consider and just want to get an easy meal on the table that would please a crowd - even your pickiest eaters. 

Finding a meal that is both versatile, easy to put together, satisfying AND tastes good can be a tall order. 

No wonder you feel intimidated standing in front of your fridge, wondering what to make for dinner. I feel ya, mama. 

As a mother of 5 myself, managing the chaos that is mealtimes comes with this circus. But having a few staple meals in my back pocket that I can rotate through has been life-saving - especially when I need to put something together fast to feed a hungry crowd. 

I want to share some of these ideas with you so that you too, can enter mealtimes with more ease and actually enjoy eating with your family. So with that, let me share one meal that has done just that for our family over the years. Enter: the burrito bowls. 

Easy Dinner Recipe for Family

Can something so simple actually fit the bill for what you’re looking for, especially for dinner? I’m here to convince you that is the case. 

Our kids range from 2 - 10, all with varying tastes and food preferences. We also have a couple selective eaters that have had a harder time with certain flavors and textures. And somehow, this meal seems to work for everybody. 

You see, the premise of simplifying family meals, for me anyhow, hinges on delivery. Whenever I can put together a meal that leaves the assembly to each family member, it actually makes it easier for me. 

Let me explain. 

A burrito bowl is simply a deconstructed burrito. I don’t know about you, but here in Southern California, burritos are a staple. 

But the process of actually making and assembling burritos is a bit more complicated - especially if you’re trying to do it for a crowd where everyone has different preferences of what they want in their burritos. 

The solution? The burrito bowl! 

It’s as easy as preparing the ingredients you would typically put in a burrito and serving them so that everyone can make their own bowl with their favorite burrito fixings. This includes things like rice, beans, meat/poultry, and toppings of your choosing, including salsa, guacamole, shredded cheese, and sour cream. 

The best part about burrito bowls is that the possibilities are endless. You can use whatever you have in your fridge and pantry to create a tasty and satisfying meal that everyone will love. It’s a one-stop shop for including multiple meal components that come together seamlessly.

A meal like this encourages family style dining, where you put out ingredients or food you’ve prepared, and allow your family to self-serve from what you’ve provided. 

Why is this beneficial? 

There are many helpful reasons for family style dining, especially if you have picky eaters and multiple people in your family you’re trying to feed. 

Here are some of the benefits of family style dining: 

• It’s less work for you to assemble and prepare individual plates

• It allows for individual family food preferences

• It gives more autonomy to your children and encourages them to be part of the family meal

• It supports your kids in developing fine motor skills (through serving themselves)

• It exposes your children to different foods while allowing them independence to decide on what they want to eat from the meal

• It creates a safe environment for your kids to explore food on their terms at mealtimes

Serving meals family style can be a powerful way to decrease stress at mealtimes, both for you and your children. It may seem like a surefire way to create chaos at dinnertime, but it can actually be a way to simplify meals and make them more enjoyable, for yourself and your family. 

Sometimes, I feel like half the battle is just finding a meal that everyone will eat and enjoy. That’s the beauty of an easy dinner meal like burrito bowls - they can easily be customized to everyone’s liking.

If you’re interested in learning more about how and why you should serve meals family style, be sure to check out this post here: “How Family Style Dining Makes Feeding Kids Easier at Mealtime”

Back to our burrito bowl - this is a meal that works perfectly for family style dining and actually involves very little prep work. You just need to get the ingredients for the burrito bowls on the table for your family, and that’s it!

Each family member can have a bowl and can assemble them as desired.

Once the ingredients are on the table, your children and other family members can decide what they want to put in their bowls for dinner. 

If you have a child who is more selective with food or a pickier eater, you can use a plate to help separate the ingredients your child wants. Many of my kids have gone through phases where they didn’t want their foods touching, and the idea of putting everything together in a bowl was not going to fly. So we’ve accommodated as necessary, using plates when needed so our more cautious eaters could easily see the ingredients on the plate.

Sometimes you need to keep foods separated to help your child feel safe, and that’s okay! 

If you have younger children who still need help with plating, you can put 2-3 of the food ingredients for the burrito bowl on their plate and allow them to choose what they’d like to eat. This can work especially well for babies who are transitioning to eating solids and younger toddlers who are learning how to eat. Ingredients like rice, beans, avocado and shredded cheese can all be highly nutritious finger-foods that are easy for your toddler to self-feed. 

As you can see, from babies to adults and everyone in between, burrito bowls can really be an easy meal for your whole family to enjoy.

Burrito Bowl Meal Prep

How can you streamline your burrito bowl meal prep in order to make this dinner a cinch to put together? 

First, you want to choose the ingredients you’re going to include in your burrito bowl for your family. When I’m putting this together super last minute, I decide what ingredients I’m using after taking a quick inventory of what we have available in the fridge and pantry. We usually have rice, canned beans, cheese, veggies, and some kind of protein to throw together. 

However, if you’re planning this out in advance, you can be more intentional about having ingredients on hand you’d like to include.

Once you’ve decided on the ingredients you’re going to serve for your burrito bowl meal, then you can finalize the meal prep work. Whether you’ve planned out your meal in advance or you’re throwing it together at the last minute, this meal is versatile enough to make the best use of whatever ingredients you have on hand.

Here are some ideas to help you get started, though keep in mind that you pick and choose foods to your liking to fit the preferences of your own family: 

Start With the Base Ingredients:

When you think about assembling a burrito bowl, think about it like layering, with your foundational ingredients toward the bottom and toppings layered on top. The core ingredients that make a good burrito bowl base include grains and legumes. There are so many different options here that you can mix and match for your family.

Options include: 

• White rice

• Brown rice

• Spanish rice

• Mixed rice pilaf

• Quinoa

• Lentils

• Legumes, including black, garbanzo, pinto and kidney beans

Because rice usually takes the longest to cook, I start with making that first. BUT - if you’re like me and you’re looking for short-cuts in the kitchen to simplify your meal prep, you can use microwaveable grains, including rice and quinoa. Many grocery stores sell ready-to-eat grains in the freezer sections that simply need to be reheated in the microwave, and you’re good to go! If you're cooking for a larger crowd, it may be easier (and less expensive) to cook up a big pot of rice - and this may stretch your dollar further on the grain. 

The same is true for your legumes/beans as well. You can cook your own pot of beans or lentils. Or you can take short-cuts and use canned beans. Grocery stores also sell packs of lentils, already cooked, which you can use and simply reheat. 

To spruce up your canned beans, try this simple method: 

• Heat a small frying pan with olive oil over medium heat

• Crush and finely chop 1 clove of garlic. Sautee briefly in the fry pan

• Pour in your can(s) of beans with liquid (do not drain) - pinto or black beans work well

• When beans are bubbling, use a potato masher to mash your beans. Turn your heat to low.

• Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Build with your middle layers: 

Once you have your base ingredients, you can create more substance by adding some middle layer ingredients. This is where I like to include a protein based food, such as meat, poultry, seafood, or a vegetarian option, like tofu or soyrizo (soy-based Chorizo).

Here are some options to consider: 

• Grilled steak, chicken, fish, or shellfish (like shrimp)

• Oven roasted tofu-cubes

• Shredded chicken, pork or beef

• Sautéed sausage, chorizo or cooked soyrizo

• Cooked ground beef, chicken or turkey

Adding a protein based food complements the grains/beans, creating a satisfying meal. Simply add your favorite toppings on top and you’re good to go!

If you’re cooking for a large crowd or a big family, you can batch cook your protein ahead of time so it’s ready to assemble when you want to eat. For example, you can put some chicken breasts in your slow cooker or instant pot earlier in the day to have shredded chicken ready for your burrito bowls for dinner. 

For protein prep work, you can also marinate your choice of meat, poultry or seafood overnight in the fridge or during the day. About 30 minutes before dinner, put your protein on the grill (or in the oven) and have it cooking while you get the rest of your ingredients ready. 

If your family follows a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle, you can make some simple modifications to enjoy burrito bowls as well. Using a plant-based protein, like soyrizo or grilled tofu, can make a satisfying meal with your base ingredients, including grains and legumes. 

Finishing with your toppings: 

When you think about an actual burrito, the toppings can really enhance the flavors and give it that extra touch that makes it feel complete.

Consider putting out toppings for your family to add to their burrito bowls and to finish it off with a yummy addition.

Here are some easy topping ideas for you to add to your burrito bowl ensemble: 

• Roasted corn or any other roasted veggies, including potatoes, sweet potatoes, zucchini or broccoli

• Fajita veggies, including sautéed peppers and onions

• Sour cream or greek yogurt

• Shredded Cheese

• Avocado slices or guacamole

• Sliced black olives and/or onions

• Shredded lettuce

• Salsas, taco sauce or pico de gallo (Here’s an easy recipe for pico de gallo here)

• Tortilla chips or strips

I like to put out toppings in smaller dishes or bowls and then let my family pick and choose what they want to add to their burrito bowls. To streamline the process, you can prep your toppings while your proteins and grains finish cooking. 

Putting it All Together

Once you have your ingredients prepared and ready to go, just put them out on individual plates and set them on the table for bowl assembly time.

Easy peasy. 

Sometimes, I just put out all the ingredients on the kitchen counter and have everyone file through to prep their own bowls - Chipotle style. The kids are usually happy to have a say in how they want to build their bowls. The younger kiddos might need a little help, but it definitely gives them a sense of independence when they can do their part. 

Any extra grains, beans, meat, etc. can all store well for a repurposed leftover meal the next day. 

Another thing I love about this meal are the multiple ways you can potentially include your kids and get them involved in the kitchen. 

Especially if you have pickier or more cautious eaters, inviting them into the kitchen to help is a way to increase exposures to food in a way that feels safe. For children who are struggling to eat, mealtimes can sometimes feel too stressful and overwhelming, making it harder for them to eat or try new food. 

When you invite them into the kitchen, you’re allowing them to engage with food in ways other than eating, and this can help them feel more comfortable and confident around food in general.

Some ideas to encourage your child to help you in the kitchen for your burrito bowl meal prep might include: 

• Measuring out ingredients, like the rice or grains

• Washing vegetables, like the lettuce, tomatoes, etc

• Scooping out toppings into smaller bowls, like sour cream, cheese, chips, etc

• Cutting vegetables with a child-proof safe guard knife

• Setting the table, putting out utensils

While dinner time is usually chaotic, take advantage of the opportunity to invite your child into the kitchen as you’re able. This can help encourage your child to engage with food in a way that boosts his confidence and supports his overall relationship with food. 

I remember a time where one of my daughters went through a phase of disliking olives. I mean, she didn’t even want them near her. We regularly include olives in many dishes, and the repetitive exposure slowly increased her comfortability around olives. 

One day, while we were prepping burrito bowls for dinner, I tasked her with putting olives in a small dish for the table. Before I knew it, she had put the olives on her fingers and was nibbling on them, laughing at her newfound way of dressing her fingers. All that to say, it’s little things like this can help support your child in feeling more comfortable around food, especially foods that she’s still learning how to eat. 

From my kitchen to yours, I hope this helps to give you some easy meal ideas for simplifying dinner time with your family, especially if you feel stuck in a rut. At the end of the day, sharing a meal with your family and making it a positive experience to connect over food is what counts. 

Happy eating, my friend!

Now tell me, what are some easy ways you gather your family over a delicious meal?