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Home Blog Course Main Course

Whole30 Chipotle Beef & Avocado Bowls (Paleo Sofritas Copycat)

Cheryl Malik
Cheryl Malik Posted: 02/19/18 Updated: 05/15/22
4.97
/5
77 Comments
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DF Dairy Free GF Gluten Free P Paleo 30 Whole30

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Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowl over cilantro-lime cauliflower rice
Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowl over cilantro-lime cauliflower rice

These Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowls are one of our favorite Whole30 Mexican recipes, loaded with veggies, protein, and healthy fats. Cilantro lime cauliflower rice topped with a saucy, smoky beef & mushroom mixture, all finished with tons of a quick guac, these Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowls are bound to be one of your family’s favorite Whole30 Mexican recipes, too!

Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowl over cilantro-lime cauliflower rice

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Uh, so guess what.

I love tofu. Not like, I ate it when I was a vegetarian. Not, it was forced upon me at vegan restaurants. Like straight up, I freaking love tofu. I like tofu “chicken” nuggets, and I really like Chick-Fil-A tofu nuggets, too. I like beer battered tofu tacos, and I’m really into lemongrass tofu, as well.

Yeah, so, uh, we were clearly vegetarian there for a while, eh?

I have no shame: I love tofu. I just don’t really love phytoestrogens and anti-nutrients, so we don’t eat it often. I wish we could, though: something about the little blocks just speaks to me, and I can’t really explain it. Plus it’s hella cheap and it stays good in the fridge for forever. But I also don’t really like, want to turn on any genes that are linked to breast cancer, so we minimize our consumption.

Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowl over cilantro-lime cauliflower rice

The problem is, though, that one of my all-time favorite dishes, Chipotle’s Sofritas, is made with tofu. And my homemade sofritas are made with tofu, too, of course. Definitely a no-no on a Whole30 but not really a great option when you’re just doin’ regular life, either.

I got you. These Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowls are the answer.

I was inspired to turn the perfection of this smoky, saucy protein over cauliflower rice, topped with a ginormous helping of a super quick and easy guac into a Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowl. Totally compliant, totally delicious, and made with plenty of veggies, protein, and healthy fats.

Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowl over cilantro-lime cauliflower rice

How To Make It

Blend up a roasted poblano pepper with some tomato salsa, lots of fresh garlic, and smoky chipotle powder. Brown a bit of grass-fed ground beef in a skillet then add in plenty of minced, baby Bella mushrooms, sauté until perfectly perfect. Stir in the savory sauce until rich and bubbling, then pour over some fresh, steamed cauliflower rice with plenty of fresh lime juice and cilantro stirred in. Top it all with a massive helping of guacamole, and you’re absolutely set!

Why I Love Mushrooms

  1. They’re super nutrient dense. The only culinary source of vitamin D (besides artificially supplemented foods like milk), mushrooms are crazy nutritious, packed with antioxidants, B vitamins, selenium, folate, potassium, vitamin C, copper, phosphorous, choline. Fungus workhorse!
  2. They’re sustainable. I’ll be real with you: we’re trying to cut down on our beef consumption since the beef industry has a powerful impact on our environment. We’re not giving it up altogether, not at all! But we’re trying to minimize what we eat by incorporating other ingredients to fortify our beef dishes. Mushrooms are perfect for the job since they themselves have such a teeny, tiny environmental impact and blend perfectly with the texture of ground meat.
  3. One word: umami. Everybody’s favorite nebulous taste profile, the savory umami is oh so strong with mushrooms. They complement beef so well and guarantee you a powerful punch of savory flavor in any dish.
  4. They’re affordable. Grass-fed ground beef will set you back about $7 per pound, maybe more! On the other hand, you can pick up a pound of baby Bellas for about $3.50. You got this math, Y’all: that’s 50% less. We’re big on budgeting our food, so affordability is big for us.
Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowl over cilantro-lime cauliflower rice

You’re going to love these Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowls because they are loaded with flavor, bright, creamy, and so filling! Perfect for this impending warmer weather (Fingers crossed, Y’all.).

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowl over cilantro-lime cauliflower rice
4.97 from 30 votes

Whole30 Chipotle Beef & Avocado Bowls (Sofritas Copycat, Paleo)

Prep:10 minutes
Cook:20 minutes
Total:30 minutes
These Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowls are one of our favorite Whole30 Mexican recipes, loaded with veggies, protein, and healthy fats. Cilantro lime cauliflower rice topped with a saucy, smoky beef & mushroom mixture, all finished with tons of a quick guac, these Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowls are bound to be one of your family’s favorite Whole30 Mexican recipes, too!
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4

Ingredients

Smoky Sauce

  • 1 poblano pepper
  • ½ tablespoon chipotle pepper powder 1 ½ teaspoons
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • ¾ cup tomato salsa
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt

Whole30 Chipotle Beef & Avocado Bowls

  • 8 ounces grass-fed ground beef
  • 8 ounces baby Bella mushrooms minced
  • 2 12-ounce bags frozen cauliflower rice or about 6-8 cups, steamed
  • 2 whole limes juice of, divided
  • ⅔-1 cup fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for garnish, if desired
  • 3 whole avocados halved, pitted, and peeled
  • ½ cup minced red onion plus more for garnish, if desired

Instructions 

  • Roast the poblano pepper: Preheat the broiler then place poblano pepper on the oven rack about 4" from broiler element. Cook until blackened on top, then, with tongs, flip over. Broil until blackened. Continue rotating and broiling until blackened until all sides are blistered.
    Alternately, carefully hold the pepper with heat-proof tongs to a gas stove flame (or place on top of stove rack), rotating to blacken all sides. Set aside and let cool slightly.
  • Make the smoky sauce: When poblano pepper is cooled to the touch, peel off the blackened skin, remove stem, and seeds. Combine all sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend until very smooth.
  • In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef, breaking up with a spatula. Add in mushrooms and sauté until softened and liquid is evaporated just a few minutes. Stir in smoky sauce and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook a couple of minutes until bubbly and a bit thickened. Remove from heat.
  • Make the cilantro-lime cauliflower rice: Stir together steamed cauliflower rice, juice of 1 lime, about 1/3-1/2 cup cilantro, and plenty of salt.
  • Make quick guacamole: Mash together avocado meat, juice of one lime, 1/2-2/3 cup cilantro, 1/2 cup red onion, and plenty of salt.
  • Serve your Whole30 chipotle beef & avocado bowls: divide cilantro-lime cauliflower rice among bowls, then top with beef mixture. Finish with a couple big, heaping spoonfuls of guacamole. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro and red onion, if desired.

Notes

 
Recipe yields approximately 4 servings. Nutritional values shown reflect information for one serving. Macros may vary slightly based on specific brands or types of ingredients used.
To determine the size of one serving, prepare each component of the recipe as instructed, then weigh the component when finished, before building finished bowl. Divide the total weight (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by 4. Result will be the weight of one serving.
 

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1bowl, Calories: 301kcal, Carbohydrates: 16g, Protein: 17g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 40mg, Sodium: 1033mg, Potassium: 687mg, Fiber: 6g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 787IU, Vitamin C: 30mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 2mg, Net Carbs: 10g

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

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  1. Madison says

    Posted on 8/31/21 at 11:26 am

    Made this recipe for dinner last night! I used chicken instead of beef just because it was what I had but it still turned out super yummy. Will be making again and will probably try beef next time!

    10/105 stars

    Reply
    • Anna Claire | 40 Aprons TeamAnna Claire | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 8/31/21 at 9:08 pm

      Awesome! Chicken is a great swap. Glad you enjoyed it!5 stars

      Reply
  2. Tuesday says

    Posted on 4/18/21 at 8:50 pm

    Wow this is delicious! I don’t like mushrooms, so I halved the amount and chopped them up. When I ate it, I couldn’t even taste the mushrooms at all! (Which is a good thing for me!)

    Reply
    • Cheryl MalikCheryl Malik says

      Posted on 4/20/21 at 10:38 am

      Wonderful! Glad that worked out for you.

      Reply
  3. Stef says

    Posted on 4/13/21 at 7:54 pm

    Made this and substituted with tofu. Soy is super beneficial. Soy Increases bone density, helps fight breast cancer, and endometrial cancer amongst many other healthy benefits; with all those plant based phytoestrogens. (Not like the bad ones or hormone triggering estrogenic foods. )This was an awesome addition to my meal prep. Thanks! I was needing more ideas4 stars

    Reply
    • Cheryl MalikCheryl Malik says

      Posted on 4/20/21 at 10:29 am

      Thanks for sharing, glad it worked for you! Tofu is a great substitute.

      Reply
  4. Jenna Miller says

    Posted on 3/16/21 at 9:28 am

    This is one of my all time favorite go to recipes! Have made it many times – it is a winner!5 stars

    Reply
    • Cheryl MalikCheryl Malik says

      Posted on 4/14/21 at 9:43 am

      Love to hear that! Thanks for the wonderful review!

      Reply
  5. Kaimy says

    Posted on 1/16/21 at 10:41 pm

    Third time making this and we LOVE it. Super fresh flavors and excellent combination of tangy and spicy. Added a couple chopped radishes to the ground beef and always use refrigerated Jack’s Cantina Salsa from Costco. It’s a recipe I’ll keep in the rotation. Thanks!5 stars

    Reply
  6. Robin says

    Posted on 10/16/20 at 5:36 pm

    Used shredded lettuce rather than rice as a base. Very good and even my picky husband liked it.5 stars

    Reply
    • Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 11/2/20 at 10:08 am

      Yay! That’s definitely champion status.5 stars

      Reply
  7. Desiree says

    Posted on 10/15/20 at 8:40 pm

    I had just made some green salsa so I used that , and omitted the poblano ( didn’t have it ) and the mushrooms . Despite the changes it was still delicious !5 stars

    Reply
    • Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 11/2/20 at 10:12 am

      We are so glad this recipe worked for you!5 stars

      Reply
  8. Kaimy Marks says

    Posted on 7/22/20 at 8:23 pm

    Amazing deliciousness. One of our go-to recipes with ground beef. Everything is fresh and the flavors are to die for. We use fresh salsa and double the recipe for lunch leftovers. Thank you for this recipe!5 stars

    Reply
    • Cheryl MalikCheryl Malik says

      Posted on 7/22/20 at 8:44 pm

      You are so welcome! I’m glad you love it!5 stars

      Reply
  9. Allie says

    Posted on 2/24/20 at 1:59 pm

    How many servings does this make?

    Reply
    • Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 3/1/21 at 5:30 pm

      Four! 🙂5 stars

      Reply
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