Serving up some easy vegetarian meal prep today in the form of roasted veggies with Spanish rice, tossed in a creamy cilantro dressing!
I realized quickly after making this meal prep that I’ve been making a grave mistake for years now. You see, the tulip-man falls into the camp of people who *hate* cilantro, so I’ve been avoiding cooking with it by default.
But then my craving for Tex Mex food became too strong and I blended up the cilantro dressing for these Spanish rice meal prep bowls and realized the terrible mistake I’ve been making by avoiding cilantro.
Because this cilantro dressing is so heckin’ good, and ties together the roasted veggies and Spanish rice perfectly into flavorful meal prep heaven.
Reader rating
“Holy crap this came out awesome. Just started learning to cook for myself a few months ago and this is by far the best tasting thing I’ve made so far – never has a first bite felt so satisfying. Thank you for the recipe and easy to follow instructions. And the cilantro dressing… you’re a genius!” —Brian
Here’s what goes into this meal prep
- Spanish Rice: This Spanish Rice is ultra-easy to make and full of flavor. (25 minutes to make).
- Roasted Veggies: Roasted sweet potato, bell pepper, and corn will round out our meal prep to keep you full all day. Feel free to throw in whatever veggies you have on hand!
- Cilantro Dressing: This dressing is so good, friends. Herby and zingy and creamy, it makes this meal prep so addictive!
In addition to being full of flavor, this is also a relatively cheap vegetarian recipe. Rice and beans make it a complete source of protein while keeping this affordable. Step aside, steak, there’s a new protein powerhouse in town. Let’s eat!
More vegetarian meal prep you’ll love
- Tempeh Chili with Bulgur and Broccoli
- Enchilada Stuffed Peppers with Famous Bean Salad
- Roasted Butternut and Chickpeas with Arugula and Hummus Sauce
- Almond Tofu Nuggets with Chickpea Corn Salad
- Vegan Burrito Bowls with Tempeh Taco Meat
- Zucchini Noodles with Avocado Pesto and Crispy Tofu
Ingredients
Fillings
- 1/2 batch Spanish Rice and Beans click for the recipe
- 1 large sweet potato diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 15-oz can corn 425 g, drained, can sub your favorite bean
- 1 Tbsp olive oil 15 mL
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 15-oz can kidney beans 425 g, drained
- 1 avocado drizzle with lime juice to prevent browning
Cilantro Dressing
- 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro 10 g
- 1/4 cup plain Greet yogurt 60 g, can sub dairy-free
- 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar 30 mL
- 2 Tbsp olive oil 30 mL
- 1 tsp honey or maple syrup 5 mL
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard 5 g
- 1 clove garlic
- 1/4 tsp each smoked paprika, cumin, ground black pepper
Instructions
- Spanish Rice: Prepare 1/2 of a batch of Spanish Rice and Beans (5 minutes hands-on work, 20 minutes cooking).
- Roasted Veggies: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C). Spread diced potato, diced pepper, and drained corn on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat. Roast for 20 minutes, or until potato is tender. Toss together with kidney beans (or bean of choice).
- Cilantro Dressing: Meanwhile, blend all Dressing ingredients in a blender under smooth. Taste and add more spices as needed.
- Assemble: Portion rice and veggies into 5 meal prep containers. If possible, store Cilantro Dressing in individually sealed containers to keep rice and veggies fresh. When ready to eat, microwave rice and veggies for 2 to 3 minutes.
brian says
Holy crap this came out awesome. Just started learning to cook for myself a few months ago and this is by far the best tasting thing I’ve made so far – never has a first bite felt so satisfying. Thank you for the recipe and easy to follow instructions. And the cilantro dressing… you’re a genius!
Ann says
Does this meal freeze well?
Sarah says
I haven’t tried freezing this one but I don’t think the rice or beans would reheat well.
Anita says
Really good recipe! I accidently added red wine instead of red wine vinegar for the dressing and it still tasted good.
Next time I would roast more veggies to make the rice to veggie ratio more even, but overall very yummy!
Sarah Bond says
So happy to hear it, Anita! Enjoy! š
alex says
I am confused by what a “batch” size is in this recipe. I am meal prepping for 15 servings so does that mean 15 servings of the rice as well?
Sarah Bond says
This makes 5 servings, so to make 15 servings you would just triple this recipe (which would mean making 1.5 batches of the Spanish Rice and Beans). Does that make sense? Happy meal prepping!