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← All recipes Burrito bowl with black beans, quinoa, avocado and pumpkin seeds Lunch · Bowl

Black Bean & Quinoa Burrito Bowl

≈26g protein 30 min Serves 2 Complete + leucine boost

A bowl that doesn't need to try very hard because quinoa is one of the rare plant seeds that's complete on its own, containing all nine essential amino acids in meaningful amounts. Layering in black beans and pumpkin seeds doesn't just add grams — it cranks up leucine, the BCAA your muscles actually respond to.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup quinoa (any colour), rinsed
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 can (400g) black beans, rinsed well
  • 1 cup sweetcorn (thawed if frozen)
  • 1 ripe avocado
  • 1 lime
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • ½ tsp smoked paprika
  • ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (pepitas), toasted
  • Small handful fresh coriander
  • Hot sauce (optional)
  • Sea salt

Method

  1. Rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a fine mesh sieve under cold water — this removes the bitter saponin coating. Combine with the stock and a pinch of salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 15 minutes, until the grains unfurl into little spirals. Fluff with a fork and rest covered 5 minutes.
  2. While the quinoa cooks, drain the black beans. Tip them into a dry pan with the corn, cumin, paprika and 2 tbsp of water. Warm through over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring — you want the spices toasted onto the beans, not soupy. Season with salt to taste.
  3. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a separate dry pan over medium heat, 2–3 minutes, tossing constantly. Pull them off the heat the moment they start to pop and inflate — burnt seeds turn bitter.
  4. Halve, pit and slice the avocado. Juice the lime.
  5. Build the bowls: a generous base of quinoa, the warm beans and corn spooned over, avocado fans on top. Scatter with toasted pumpkin seeds.
  6. Squeeze lime generously over everything — it ties the bowl together. Finish with torn coriander and hot sauce if you like heat.
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