Yum, is the first word that comes to mind when I think of eating a delicious Shrimp Rice Bowl for dinner. I really love Shrimp rice bowls because they are so versatile, meaning, you can switch it up depending on the ingredients you have on hand. If you don’t have shrimp, use chicken or beef or some pulled pork. You can even sauté some veggies and make this a vegetarian meal. The sky is the limit peeps.
I Love Shrimp in the Summer
I really like using shrimp during the summer months, if the shrimp is on sale, of course. Shrimp cooks so fast and pairs quite nicely with my creamy tomatillo dressing. As a mom, I have to always consider convenience when planning my meals out for the week. I try to have a good balance of “quick and easy meals” and meals that are more involved. I consider, this meal one of my more convenient meals, especially if I already have the tomatillo dressing on hand and use left over rice.
In the same vein (pun intended… shrimp have veins, get it?), once you make recipes multiple times, you will become faster as preparing them. So, if you make this for the first time and feel like it took forever, don’t give up just yet. Whenever I make a recipe the first time, it takes me so much longer! I get better each time I make a new recipe.
Making the Shrimp Rice Bowl
Sauté Vegetables, then set aside
Sauté Shrimp, then set aside
Combine the shrimp and veggies in the skillet
Making Shrimp Affordable
Shrimp is not cheap. I recently purchased this shrimp for $4.99 per lb. Considering that shrimp can cost around $9.00 or more per pound, this is a pretty great deal. Even so, it is still not the cheapest protein option. That said, I still like using it occasionally because mama likes her shrimp.
A family of Eight and 1 Pound of Shrimp
To feed our family of eight I will get 1 to 1.5 pounds, we divi it up between all of us and we get about 4-6 pieces each. Sometimes, I will even grab my meat scissors and cut the shrimp into smaller pieces to make it stretch further. It’s not as pretty but it works. This Shrimp Rice Bowl meal works great for this because you don’t actually need a lot of shrimp to get the flavor of the shrimp. As, my children grow, I’m sure this amount of shrimp won’t be enough to fill us (especially for my son Jett, he’s a shrimp lover!). Adjust as you go, right?
Shrimp Rice Bowl
Ingredients
- 1-1 ½ lb shrimp, peeled and deveined or whole with kids I usually peel and devein
- dash Cayenne pepper or Creole seasoning
- 3-4 Tbsp olive oil separated
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- ½ large onion, sliced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 2 15 oz can beans or half a bag of dried beans cooked
Cilantro Rice
- 4 cups cooked Rice
- ½ cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- juice of one lime
- 1-2 Tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- creamy tomatillo dressing
- 1-2 Avocados
Instructions
- Peel and devein your shrimp, if not using whole. dust the shrimp with a light layer or cayenne pepper or creole seasoning and set aside while you prep the other ingredients.
- Start cooking the rice (for stove top rice). If you're making my creamy tomatillo dressing, do this step now. Start heating up your black beans. (If you used dry beans, soak over night and place in the crockpot in the morning so they are ready for dinner)
- Place 2 Tbsp in a cast iron skillet or a non-stick pan (the cast iron really gives your food a nice charred look and taste). Saute the peppers and onions together. Once cooked set aside, add more oil if necessary and cook the shrimp. Add more creole seasoning to taste. Cook until shrimp is mostly cooked through and then add the bell peppers and onions back in with the shrimp and finish cooking. Shrimp cooks really fast (around 5 minutes Depending on the size ). Add Salt and pepper to taste. Serve over cilantro rice and black beans.
Cilantro Rice
- Cook your rice. In a mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Bam, done!
- If you're using left over rice, put rice in a pan. Add 2-4 tablespoons of water to the pan and cover with a lid. Let the rice warm until the water has been absorbed. Uncover and add oil and the remainder of the ingredients.
Notes
