Burrito bowls for a family of 4 costs $50? Might as well just order Chipotle next time, right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A steak burrito bowl from chipotle is $16.50 including tax with guacamole. Much easier but definite not $9-$12 each.

You add in chips and guacamole with a drink it is about $20-$22 per person. If you make it at home you should get 2-3 meals out of it.

So Chipotle is $20 per person for one night or $80 for 4 people. OP made at least 2 meals at home for $50.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We make Chipotle dupes at home. But my kids don't necessarily want all the ingredients so here is what we have:
Chicken
Rice
Black beans
Home made tomato/onions and jalapenos type mixture.
Lettuce
Shredded cheese
Sliced avocadoes if we have those on hand
Frozen corn for those that want that.

For the most part, these are all ingredients we have on hand on the regular in our kitchen. Granted it is a lot of small bowls but no big deal.

+1 We do burrito bowls as a kind of lazy meal using what's available. But I meal plan around what's in the fridge/pantry/freezer.

OP counting the cost of all that salsa all to one meal because they won't use the rest before it goes bad is really bad planning. Plan another meal that uses salsa. Or dump it in a freezer bag for the next time you want a burrito bowl. Easy option to use a lot of salsa is to mix it with boneless chicken pieces (I prefer thighs) and cook in a slow cooker.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The worst is when you buy avocados, and they are terrible quality once you wait for them to ripen. A total waste of money on the east coast.

Have you tried this? Life changing. I’ve had one in the fridge for a month and it’s fine. Not as good as fresh but great if you just need a little at a time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids love Chipotle so I figured I could easily whip up burrito bowls last night. Family of 4. Steak and chicken. Whole Foods guac. Good salsas. Corn. Rice. Beans. Herbs and spices. Cheese, which I shredded. Onions and peppers. Leafy lettuce. It was over $50, took me well over an hour to prep and cook everything, tons of cleanup, and tasted fine but nothing special. Everyone finished their plates but no rave reviews.

Chipotle is $9-12 per person. And the kids and my husband would prefer it over what I served. Did I do something wrong or does everyone sort of know this and when the family craves burritos or burrito bowls you all order out?

When we do burrito bowls at home it's rice, chicken, frozen corn, sale salsa, guac I make myself if avocados are on sale or no guac otherwise, sour cream, canned beans, cheese, onions, peppers, and lettuce. 2 lb of chicken will set us back about $8, the beans will be about $1.50, guac will cost about $3 to make, salsa about $3.50, onion about $1, peppers about $2-3, frozen corn about $2, lettuce about $4 and we'll hopefully use the rest of it on salads the rest of the week. Rice, sour cream, and cheese are things we always have on hand, but we typically buy the sour cream at $2.50, cheese at $2.50, and a big thing of rice at $10. That's still only setting me back $40 and I've got rice, lettuce, sour cream, and cheese to use for other things still when I'm done.

But yes, burrito bowls are a pain to make because it's a ton of frying pans or a ton of time layering flavors in the same pan. Plus you have to assemble them at the table.

You don’t use fresh lime juice or cilantro in your guacamole? That makes it more than $3.50. And avocados are only 2 for $3.50 if they’re on sale.

No fresh lime juice (refrigerated bottle) and you're right that I forgot the cilantro.

As mentioned, we skip guac entirely when the avocados aren't on sale.

DP you do not put lime juice in fresh guacamole. It is added to guacamole that is not served right an away to prevent browning but changes the taste. Guacamole without lime juice taste much better.

[Anonymous]

I make burrito bowls all the time. They are fast and cheap. The difference is in the quality of ingredients. I do frequently shop Whole Foods but our burrito bowls are a convenience dinner so I am using microwaveable rice, pre shredded cheese, canned black beans and cooked chicken (leftover, rotisserie or even Purdue shortcuts). I make them a little healthier by adding whatever veggies we have on hand. I make my own guacamole which costs a fraction of WFs. I spend maybe $20 tops and I have it ready in under 10 minutes. The reason your meal was costly is you chose high quality ingredients. You can do it for less and save money over Chipotle. But I also get the thinking because I make homemade pizza with top notch ingredients and often think it’s cheaper to just order in. Same when I make good burgers.

[Anonymous]

EH when people are looking for something chipotle adjacent I just wait until I get a big chuck or pork roast on sale and pressure cook barbacoa or carnitas. No need to bother adding an extra fat like guac there's plenty in the meat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:EH when people are looking for something chipotle adjacent I just wait until I get a big chuck or pork roast on sale and pressure cook barbacoa or carnitas. No need to bother adding an extra fat like guac there's plenty in the meat.

WTF with now using “chipotle adjacent.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Kids love Chipotle so I figured I could easily whip up burrito bowls last night. Family of 4. Steak and chicken. Whole Foods guac. Good salsas. Corn. Rice. Beans. Herbs and spices. Cheese, which I shredded. Onions and peppers. Leafy lettuce. It was over $50, took me well over an hour to prep and cook everything, tons of cleanup, and tasted fine but nothing special. Everyone finished their plates but no rave reviews.

Chipotle is $9-12 per person. And the kids and my husband would prefer it over what I served. Did I do something wrong or does everyone sort of know this and when the family craves burritos or burrito bowls you all order out?

When we do burrito bowls at home it's rice, chicken, frozen corn, sale salsa, guac I make myself if avocados are on sale or no guac otherwise, sour cream, canned beans, cheese, onions, peppers, and lettuce. 2 lb of chicken will set us back about $8, the beans will be about $1.50, guac will cost about $3 to make, salsa about $3.50, onion about $1, peppers about $2-3, frozen corn about $2, lettuce about $4 and we'll hopefully use the rest of it on salads the rest of the week. Rice, sour cream, and cheese are things we always have on hand, but we typically buy the sour cream at $2.50, cheese at $2.50, and a big thing of rice at $10. That's still only setting me back $40 and I've got rice, lettuce, sour cream, and cheese to use for other things still when I'm done.

But yes, burrito bowls are a pain to make because it's a ton of frying pans or a ton of time layering flavors in the same pan. Plus you have to assemble them at the table.

You don’t use fresh lime juice or cilantro in your guacamole? That makes it more than $3.50. And avocados are only 2 for $3.50 if they’re on sale.

No fresh lime juice (refrigerated bottle) and you're right that I forgot the cilantro.

As mentioned, we skip guac entirely when the avocados aren't on sale.

DP you do not put lime juice in fresh guacamole. It is added to guacamole that is not served right an away to prevent browning but changes the taste. Guacamole without lime juice taste much better.

You are definitely wrong. I live in AZ and the purists here make guac with only lime juice, salt and a little pepper. It's fresh tasting and amazing. I myself prefer a little cilantro and cumin, but could enjoy without.

[Anonymous]

making a burrito bowl with a bunch of different toppings is going to be labor intensive. If you just did rice, beans, cheese and salsa that would be faster and better than Chipotle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A steak burrito bowl from chipotle is $16.50 including tax with guacamole. Much easier but definite not $9-$12 each.

You add in chips and guacamole with a drink it is about $20-$22 per person. If you make it at home you should get 2-3 meals out of it.

So Chipotle is $20 per person for one night or $80 for 4 people. OP made at least 2 meals at home for $50.

You know families where each person orders chips on top of a 1,000-2,000 cal burrito bowl? We literally never order chips. And drinks are avail at home or bottled waters are always in the car.

[Anonymous]

Yes because you used premium ingredients.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:making a burrito bowl with a bunch of different toppings is going to be labor intensive. If you just did rice, beans, cheese and salsa that would be faster and better than Chipotle.

The key to saving money on your family's Chipotle dupe is to...nix half the toppings, force everyone to eat the same protein, avocados must be on sale, and don't bother with fresh lime juice in your guac. lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:making a burrito bowl with a bunch of different toppings is going to be labor intensive. If you just did rice, beans, cheese and salsa that would be faster and better than Chipotle.

The key to saving money on your family's Chipotle dupe is to...nix half the toppings, force everyone to eat the same protein, avocados must be on sale, and don't bother with fresh lime juice in your guac. lol

lol??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:making a burrito bowl with a bunch of different toppings is going to be labor intensive. If you just did rice, beans, cheese and salsa that would be faster and better than Chipotle.

The key to saving money on your family's Chipotle dupe is to...nix half the toppings, force everyone to eat the same protein, avocados must to be on sale, and don't bother with fresh lime juice in your guac. lol

I mean...how else do you do home cooked family dinners except force everyone to eat the same general things (unless you want to be the person on General Parenting saying they never want to cook ever again)? And those of us who want to save money shop sales.

If you want to spend, like OP has determined you can just actually order Chipotle. Same with if you each want different items.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:making a burrito bowl with a bunch of different toppings is going to be labor intensive. If you just did rice, beans, cheese and salsa that would be faster and better than Chipotle.

The key to saving money on your family's Chipotle dupe is to...nix half the toppings, force everyone to eat the same protein, avocados must to be on sale, and don't bother with fresh lime juice in your guac. lol

Was OP’s goal to duplicate Chipotle burrito bowls? A goal to duplicate a restaurant dish (but easy and not expensive) is a questionable goal. To the extent OP is trying to convince herself that it’s not worth it to cook at home and she should just do takeout - sure that’s true if you have unreasonable expectations and little cooking experience.

at the end of the day “rice and beans” is a dish enjoyed in many varieties around the world. It’s cheap and delicious and you can make it at home. But no, it is not going to be a “Chipotle dupe” and also be quick and cheap.