Roasted veggies are smothered in Mexican-spiced barbecue sauce and served over rice with savory refried pinto beans to create these flavor-packed Mexican barbecue veggie bowls.

Happy Cuatro de Mayo! We're celebrating Cuatro de Mayo this year, because I'm not posting tomorrow, on Cinco de Mayo. In hindsight, and as my husband never fails to inform me on Cinco de Mayo, I could've posted a Star Wars themed recipe yesterday (i.e. today). Ugh. Too many special days to keep up with this week!
So you guys are getting a big old Mexican barbecue bowl for May the 4th. Feel free to make a massive batch and have your leftovers tomorrow to celebrate Mexican independence day. Have them any day for that matter, as this is delicious. Would you expect anything less from a recipe that fuses Mexican and barbecue sauce?
That's about it for today. Apparently I've got a lot of celebrating to do. (Really though, I've got a lot of work to do.) Have fun, whatever you're celebrating this week.
Mexican Barbecue Veggie Bowls
Ingredients
For the Veggies
- 6 cups cauliflower florets, 1 large crown
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
- 1 red onion, sliced into strips
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the Mexican Barbecue Sauce
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 3 tbsp. lime juice
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup
- 2 tbsp. water
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. ancho chili powder
- ½ tsp. ground coriander seed
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Refried Beans
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1-14 oz. can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- water, as needed
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Bowls
- 4 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 avocado, sliced
- fresh cilantro
- chopped scallions
- hot sauce, to taste
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400°. Place cauliflower, bell pepper and onion into a roasting pan or oven-safe skillet and toss with 2 tablespoons of oil to coat. Place into the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
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While veggies roast, whisk all barbecue sauce ingredients together in a medium bowl. The mixture will be very thick. Thin with a few extra tablespoons of water if needed, but try to keep it to a minimum. Taste test and adjust as needed. After veggies have baked for 15 minutes, remove from oven and toss with barbecue sauce. Return to oven and roast 5-10 minutes more, until tender.
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While veggies roast, prepare refried beans by coating a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil. Place over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until soft and translucent, 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until very fragrant, 1 minute more. Add beans and cumin to skillet. Mash about half of the beans with a potato masher or fork, and flip a few times to mix everything up. Thin with a few tablespoons of water if needed and cook 1-2 minutes, just until heated throughout. Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
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Divide rice into bowls and top with veggies, refried beans and avocado slices. Sprinkle with cilantro, scallions and hot sauce, if desired. Serve.
Beans are not listed among the ingredients. What kind? How much?
14 ounces of pinto beans. Sorry! They're in the recipe now.
This looks yummy. I couldn't find the amount of beans in the ingredient list. Did I miss something?
You didn't - that was my bad! They're in there now. :)
This looks so tasty. I'm looking forward to making it. I think you left out the beans in the ingredient list. Thanks for all your fabulous recipes!
Sorry about that! I've updated the post. Hope you enjoy!
Made this last night for dinner - delicious! My meat loving boyfriend even went back for seconds. Thanks for a great recipe!
Awesome!! So glad you enjoyed it!