Chipotle-Style Dinner Win

Last night I threw together a Chipotle-style dinner at home, and let me tell you—it was easy, cheap, and super satisfying. Only one kid halfway complained (which honestly feels like a win in this house).

Here’s what I grabbed at the store:

• Tortillas

• 2 cans of pinto beans

• 2 cans of black beans

• 1 can of sweet corn

• 1 can of Mexican-style corn

• 1 can of olives

• Pico de gallo

• Sour cream

• White rice (brown would work too)

• Lettuce and tomatoes (I also grabbed cherry tomatoes)

• Pre-cooked chicken slices

• Mexican Melting Cheese (white, shredded)

  
  

It sounds like a lot, but the beauty of it is most of these ingredients stretch into future meals too.

For dinner, I kept it simple: microwaved the beans and corn in separate bowls, cooked the rice, warmed up the chicken in the oven, and then just set everything out on the counter buffet-style. I even threw in a bag of chips we had on hand. Everyone got to build their own burrito or bowl, just like at Chipotle.

My bowl ended up being: a scoop of rice, both kinds of beans, lots of corn, a sprinkle of Mexican cheese, and a drizzle of Heinz Mexican corn sauce (a little bitter on its own, but perfect mixed with sour cream). I’m not a huge tomato fan, so I skipped those, but I added black olives—my kids’ absolute favorite.

My husband went the burrito route with tomatoes and pico, and then today he packed a bowl version for lunch. I had leftovers for lunch too, and it was just as good.

The best part? The whole spread cost about $20, and we still have plenty left to roll into other meals—extra tortillas, rice, pico, and even that sauce. Total mom win.