Southwest Plant-Based Protein over Rice
Protein that tastes like meat (without the meat)
- Milk
Craving all the tantalizing flavors and textures of a burrito bowl—minus the meat? Look no further. This version stars ground plant-based protein, which we crisp up in a hot pan for caramelized edges, then simmer with poblano, onion, and a bounty of seasonings until saucy. It’s all piled over cilantro-lime rice with tomato, pickled onion, and tangy lime crema. Now, who really needs the meat when you’ve got all that?
Ingredients
9 ounce
Ground Plant-Based Protein
1 unit
Red Onion
2 tablespoon
Sour Cream
1 unit
Long Green Pepper
1 unit
Tomato
1 unit
Lime
¾ cup
Jasmine Rice
1 unit
Tex-Mex Paste
1 tablespoon
Southwest Spice Blend
¼ ounce
Cilantro
Not included in your delivery
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
1 tablespoon (tbsp)
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry all produce. • In a small pot, combine rice, 1¼ cups water (2¼ cups for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• While rice cooks, halve, peel, and very thinly slice ¼ of the onion; dice remaining onion into ½-inch pieces. Zest and halve lime; cut one half into wedges (for 4 servings, zest and halve one lime; cut second lime into wedges). Core, deseed, and dice poblano into ½-inch pieces. Finely dice tomato. Finely chop cilantro.
• In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine sliced onion, juice from half the lime, ½ tsp sugar, 1 TBSP water, and salt. (For 4 servings, use 1 tsp sugar and 2 TBSP water.) Stir until sugar and salt are mostly dissolved. • Microwave for 30 seconds. Set aside, stirring occasionally, until ready to serve.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in large pan over medium-high heat. Add half the plant-based protein* (all for 4 servings) and season with Southwest Spice. Using a spatula, press into an even layer; cook, without stirring, until browned on bottom, 3-4 minutes. Break up protein into pieces. • Add another drizzle of oil, poblano, and diced onion. Cook, stirring, until veggies are softened, 3-4 minutes. • Stir in Tex-Mex paste and ¼ cup water (1⁄3 cup for 4). Cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, until mixture is thickened and saucy, 1-2 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, in a second small bowl, combine sour cream with a squeeze of lime juice to taste. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency. • In a third small bowl, combine tomato, a drizzle of oil, salt, pepper, and lime zest to taste.
• Fluff rice with a fork; stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings), half the cilantro, and juice from remaining lime. Season with salt and pepper. • Divide rice between bowls; top with Southwest plant-based protein, tomato, and as much pickled onion (draining first) as you like. Drizzle with lime crema and garnish with remaining cilantro. Serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the surprisingly flavorful plant-based protein; some found it too spicy or salty.
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to make, though a few felt prep time was longer than stated.
- Suggestions: Consider adding beans, corn, or avocado for more texture and flavor balance 🥑.
- Portions: Some wanted larger servings, especially more protein for the 4-person meal.
- Texture: The plant-based protein impressed many, but a few found it rubbery or hard to crumble.
Reviews from our home cooks
Fantastic! I usually avoid "fake meat" plant-based proteins but after eating this I want to cook with them more. I had the 2 portion and was a bit confused in the recipe it said just to use half? I used all of it because I didn't know what to do with the rest of the packet.
The flavors were great. Loved how spicy it was. The plant based protein was interesting. I find with all your recipes that the prep is ALWAYS longer than stated.
Tasted delicious, but a bit salty. I think you don't need so much of the Southwest spice. The protein is high in sodium, so perhaps something like diced or crushed tomatoes could be used and less of the spice mix, which I suspect also has quite a bit of salt.
Finally a recipe using plant based protein ground. It was delicious and very filling. So flavorful. Wouldn't mind eating again.
I only used 1/2 of a poblano pepper but the spice was WAY too spicy! The plant-based protein was delicious. Loved the recipe but wish I could've eaten it without suffering so much.
This one was excellent. The plant based protein had a great texture and flavor. Would definitely order this one again.
Great meal! The plant based protein turned out amazing. The only thing i was not crazy about was the tex mex paste kind of took out a lot of the heat and flavor of the peppers but overall amazing!
This was good but the plant based protein was not a favorite.
Please make sure to say in the instructions to "season with caution" or something to that effect. I used the whole packet and I could hardly eat it, it was WAY too spicy. Want to try this one again and use less spice. LOVE this plant based protein, you need more recipes with it!
Quite flavorful and satisfying! Happy to have the plant-based options! Especially Mexican/Southwest themed dishes!
