Yucatán Citrus Beef Bowls
with Green Pepper, Red Pepper Crema & Pickled Onion
- Milk
Tangy and fresh, citrus is key to Yucatan’s vibrant cuisine. Our inspired marinade blends lime and mandarin orange juices with zesty spices, adding savory and aromatic notes to the dish while tenderizing the meat (in this case, turkey!). It’s served over jasmine rice with sautéed green pepper and onion, then drizzled with smoky red pepper crema. Lime-pickled onions and fresh cilantro complete this amazingly flavorful bowl.
Ingredients
1 unit
Mandarin Orange
1 unit
Lime
1 unit
Red Onion
1 unit
Long Green Pepper
¼ ounce
Cilantro
10 ounce
Ground Beef
1 unit
Tex-Mex Paste
1 tablespoon
Southwest Spice Blend
½ cup
Jasmine Rice
4 tablespoon
Smoky Red Pepper Crema
(Contains: Milk)
1 teaspoon
Ancho Chili Powder
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
¼ teaspoon
Sugar
1 tablespoon
Cooking Oil
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Wash and dry produce. • Halve mandarin. Zest and quarter lime. Halve, peel, and thinly slice onion. Halve, core, and thinly slice green pepper crosswise into strips. Roughly chop cilantro. • In a small bowl, combine Tex-Mex paste, lime zest, juice from whole mandarin, juice from one lime wedge, half the Southwest Spice Blend (you’ll use the rest in the next step), half the chili powder, and 2 TBSP water. (For 4 servings, add juice from both mandarins and two lime wedges, all the chili powder, and 1⁄4 cup water.)
• In a small pot, combine rice, 3⁄4 cup water (11⁄2 cups water for 4 servings), remaining Southwest Spice Blend, and a big pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat to low. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• While rice cooks, in a second small microwave-safe bowl, combine 1⁄4 of the onion, juice from half the lime, 1⁄4 tsp sugar (1⁄2 tsp for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Microwave until onion is softened, 1 minute. Set aside. • In a third small bowl, combine smoky red pepper crema and a pinch of salt. Add water 1 tsp at a time until mixture reaches a drizzling consistency.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add green pepper and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until slightly softened, 3-4 minutes. • Add another drizzle of oil and remaining onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until veggies are tender, 4-6 minutes. • Transfer to a plate.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add turkey* and cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until browned and cooked through, 4-6 minutes. • Stir in cooked veggies and sauce. Cook until thickened, 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat.
Swap in beef* for turkey.
• Fluff rice with a fork; stir in 1 TBSP butter and season with salt to taste. • Divide rice between bowls and top with turkey and veggie mixture, a drizzle of crema, and as much pickled onion (draining first) as you like. Sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with any remaining lime wedges on the side.
Ground Beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160°.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the citrus flair and unique ethnic twist. Some found it perfectly spicy, while others thought it was almost too hot.
- Ease of prep: Simple to put together, with easy-to-follow instructions for a delicious one-bowl meal 🍲.
- Suggestions: Consider doubling the Tex-Mex paste, Southwest Spice Blend, and smoky red pepper crema for bolder flavor.
- Portions: A few wanted more vegetables; try adding extra peppers or tomatoes for a more nutritious balance.
- Toppings: The pickled onions were a standout favorite, adding a tangy kick that even onion-skeptics enjoyed.
Reviews from our home cooks
I realize you decided to up your rice, but the most nutrients come from the vegetables and one lonely single skinny pepper per 2 people is not going to do it. It's barely 1/4 cup at the most per person. Ends up being a chunked-up ball of rice with a little scarce vegetable. Thought it has great potential but falls short. Healthy to me aims for two vegetables per person. Peppers kind of nutrition. I added peppers and some tomato to help this. I like the one bowl concept. This dish falls short on nutrition and vegetable proportions.
My family gave this an A+. We all like a citrus flair, and it had that plus other great flavors.
Doubled the tex-mex paste, the Southwest Spice Blend, and used all of the Ancho Chile, and doubled the smoky red pepper crema.
One of my favorites, the pickled onion was so good
The recipe did not specify how to use 1/2 of the chili powder. No big deal though. I added it to the meat and veggies.
This was exceptional. I enjoyed the pickled onions. It was so simple, yet so yummy!!
So great that HelloFresh offers unique ethnic twists. It makes making and eating food so much more fun.
Really delicious. I even ate the onions and I don't usually like onions.
Easy putting it together. Nice flavor and enjoyed the toppings.
