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These 5 Mexican Inspired recipes are affordable and simple, but most importantly, delicious! They’re bursting with flavor, but won’t bust your wallet.
From My Bowl was first and foremost created to show people that you can be vegan and/or eat delicious, plant-based meals without compromising your time or your wallet. While I love to get creative in the kitchen and make things like fancy pink granola or rainbow sushiritos, I also realize that most of us (myself included) try to stick to a certain budget when it comes to groceries.
Which is why I’m so excited to share this “5 for 5” series with you! Our first theme: Mexican (inspired) food. I challenged myself to go to my local grocery store and create 5 budget-friendly meal ideas for you, with a maximum budget of $25.
Here’s everything that I purchased…with the grand total coming to $24.36!
If you’d like to hear more about this challenge, or the items that I purchased, please watch my Video below:
One final note: yes, I realize that each meal does not cost $5 to make! I just “averaged” the total cost of $25 over 5 recipes…and 5 for $5 just sounds catchy, ok?! Haha. I’ll put the actual cost per serving with each recipe below – and keep in mind that if you do not purchase organic food, or already have some of these items in your pantry, the cost will be even lower!
Now that that’s over with, let’s get to cooking!
Recipe 1: Oven Baked Refried Bean Taquitos
Total Cost per Serving: $2.10
Oven Baked Refried Bean Taquitos
Baking these Taquitos in the oven allows them to be crispy on the outside without having to fry them!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
For the Taquitos:
- 4 Corn Tortillas
- 1/2 can Refried Beans (make sure they are Vegan)
On the Side:
- 1/3 cup Salsa
- 2 tbsp Cilantro, chopped
- 1 Lime
- Large Handful of Mini Peppers (or sliced veggies of choice)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400F.
- Using a spoon or spatula, scoop 1/4 of the Refried Beans into the beginning 1/3 of each tortilla. Then, roll each tortilla up to form a Taquito shape (Note: you may want to stick a toothpick through them so they don’t unravel).
- Place the taquitos on a baking tray lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper, and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes, or until the edges of the tortillas are golden brown.
- In the meantime, prepare your dipping sauce by mixing the Salsa, Cilantro, and Lime Juice together in a small bowl.
- Remove the taquitos from the oven and serve with the Salsa and Mini Peppers or fresh veggies of choice.
Recipe 2: Black Bean Tacos with Mexican Rice
Total Cost per Serving: $1.68
Black Bean Tacos with Mexican Rice
These Black Bean Tacos are loaded with flavor, but won’t leave your wallet feeling empty!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
For the Tacos:
- 2 Corn Tortillas
- 1/2 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup Salad Greens
- 2 tbsp Salsa
- 1/2 Red Onion
- 1 Lime, for squeezing on top (optional)
For the Mexican Rice (Makes 2 Servings):
- 2/3 cup Brown Rice, dry
- 1/4 cup Corn, fresh or frozen
- 1/3 cup Salsa
- 1/4 cup Cilantro STEMS, finely chopped
- 1 cup Water
Instructions
- First, prepare the Mexican Rice. Combine all ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Cover, and let simmer for 40 minutes, or according to package instructions.
- In the meantime, prepare your caramelized onion. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add a splash of water to it. Slice 1/2 of a Red Onion into thick strips, then add to the pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the Onion is golden and soft, adding more water to the pan as it evaporates.
- If desired, heat your black beans and tortillas in a nonstick pan / the oven, respectively.
- Finally, assemble your tacos. Fill each Corn Tortilla with a small handful of Greens, half of the Black Beans, and 1 tablespoon of Salsa. Serve alongside half of the Mexican Rice and Lime Wedges, for extra flavor.
Notes
White rice can be used instead of Brown if that’s what you have on hand; just be sure to cook all grains according to their package instructions!
Recipe 3: Mexican – Inspired Burrito Bowl
Total Cost per Serving: $3.22
Mexican – Inspired Burrito Bowl
This Burrito Bowl is JUST as good as your favorite Fast Food Chain, but at a fraction of the price!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
For the Mexican Rice (NOTE: Serves 2)
- 2/3 cup Brown Rice, dry
- 1/4 cup Corn, fresh or frozen
- 1/3 cup Salsa
- 1/4 cup Cilantro STEMS, finely chopped
For the Burrito Bowl:
- 1 serving Mexican Rice
- 1/2 can Refried Beans
- 1/2 Red Onion
- 1/2 cup Corn, fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup Salsa
- 1/2 Avocado
- 1 cup Salad Greens
Instructions
- First, prepare the Mexican Rice. Combine all ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Cover, and let simmer for 40 minutes, or according to package instructions.
- In the meantime, prepare your caramelized onion. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add a splash of water to it. Slice 1/2 of a Red Onion into thick strips, then add to the pan. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the Onion is golden and soft, adding more water to the pan as it evaporates.
- Heat your Refried Beans and Corn in either the microwave or a nonstick skillet over low heat, if desired.
- Finally, assemble your Burrito Bowl. Combine the Mexican Rice, Refried Beans, Caramelized Onions, and all remaining ingredients into a large bowl. Stir well to incorporate all of the flavors, and enjoy!
Notes
If you already made the Black Bean Tacos, you do not need to make the Mexican Rice, and this meal comes together even faster!
Recipe 4: Black Bean “Taco” Salad
Total Cost per Serving: $3.03
Black Bean Taco Salad
This Black Bean Taco Salad is loaded with fun textures and colorful veggies to make a hearty and satisfying meal.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
- 2 cup Salad Greens
- 1/2 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup Corn, fresh or frozen
- 1/4 cup Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
- 1/3 cup Mini Sweet Peppers, sliced (can sub regular Peppers)
- 1/2 Small Red Onion, finely diced
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup Salsa
- Juice of 1 Lime
- 1 Corn Tortilla (optional)
Instructions
- Rinse, prep and chop all of your veggies.
- If desired, cut one Corn Tortilla into thin, bite-sized strips. Place on a baking tray and Broil in the oven on HI, with the door ajar, for 5-7 minutes, or until the strips are golden brown and crispy.
- Add all of the veggies and beans to a large salad bowl. Top with Salsa and Lime for the dressing, and garnish with crispy Tortilla Strips.
Recipe 5: Black Bean Nachos
Total Cost per Serving: $2.74
Loaded Veggie & Black Bean Nachos
Can you believe these colorful Black Bean Nachos are budget-friendly? Your tastebuds certainly won’t!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 1 1x
Ingredients
- 3 Corn Tortillas
- 1 Lime
- 1/2 can Black Beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup Cilantro, chopped
- 1/4 cup Cherry Tomatoes, sliced
- 1/3 cup Sweet (Mini) Peppers, sliced
- 1/4 cup Salsa
- 1/2 Red Onion, finely diced
- 1/2 Avocado
- Salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350F.
- Slice the Corn Tortillas into either 4 or 6 equal pieces. Juice the Lime into a small bowl.
- Dunk both sides of each Corn Tortilla into the Lime Juice, then set on a lined baking tray. Sprinkle all of the chips generously with salt, then place in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the chips are crispy and golden brown around the edges.
- In the meantime, rinse, prep, and chop all remaining ingredients.
- Assemble the nachos by placing the baked Corn Tortilla Chips onto a plate, then topping with all remaining ingredients.
Alright guys…that’s it for these recipes! If you end up making any of them (or all of them), be sure to tag me on Instagram @frommybowl + #frommybowl so I can see your delicious creations!
Finally, if you want to save these recipes for later, feel free to Pin the following image to your Pinterest:
I just made these and they were delicious! I had flour tortillas and they worked perfectly well, I also added some spinach inside.
I made the Mexican rice cuz I had some leftover cooked rice. And wow, it was so good! I added some peppers and canned beans to bulk it up as well as the adobo sauce from canned Chipotle peppers. I never thought to use salsa as a flavoring for rice so that was mind blowing.. For me at least. Thanks Caitlin!!
Love it! I’m a big fan of Chipotle peppers too 🙂
My husband and I are so glad to have found your Youtube channel and are so thankful that you take the time to share such delicious Vegan recipes! These recipes look absolutely great and we will be incorporating them into this next week’s meal plan! One bit of constructive criticism that I would like to add if I may is about printing the recipes; it would be nice if we were able to print the recipes without the ink-sucking ads that print out on them as well. I will probably just copy and paste recipes next time as those ads use WAY too much ink to print.
I just came from vacation and I had nothing left in my fridge so I went to the grocery store and bought the exact things for all those recipes. I made the taquitos yesterday, they were so good. I didn’t have any toothpick so they were a mess but still amazing! Tonight I made the tacos and they were delightfull! I was really surprised how good they were! I added chipotle peppers to the black beans so the sweetness of the caramelized onions balanced nicely the heat of the peppers! I just discovered your blog and I love it!! Keep up the good work!
★★★★★
Wow, all of that sounds so yummy! Love the addition of chipotle peppers 🙂
Those taquitos look so good, oh my gosh. And so simple too!
They really are! But still delicious 🙂