This big, bold Taco Shrimp Bowl – easily customizable to your tastes – can be on your table in under 30 minutes. Make it for Cinco de Mayo, Taco Tuesday, or a quick weeknight meal. The shrimp and veggies are cooked on a sheet pan before being served with rice, garlicky black beans and your favorite taco toppings.
The crazy spring is winding down and I’m excited to be ushering in warmer weather, quieter evenings and weekends, and healthier, fresher food. The past 6 weeks have been a real challenge to keep up with life, nevermind blogging. I’m thrilled for what I hope will be a slower pace over the next several weeks.
Despite the hectic season, I didn’t want to let Cinco de Mayo pass by without a nod here on Books n’ Cooks. I didn’t have the time to make the Progressive Menu that I had in mind, but I think I did pretty well for you this year.
I call this dish Shrimp Taco Bowls, primarily because I used taco seasoning – a pantry staple in my house – on the shrimp and the veggies. However, with the onions and peppers, this is also like a Shrimp Fajita Bowl. Call it whichever you choose… and if you prefer? Skip the rice and make fajitas instead. Less dishes!
What I love about this meal:
- It’s quick. It’s on the table in under 30 minutes, even with the chopping.
- It’s flavorful. Garlicky black beans, spicy shrimp and salsa. Creamy guacamole.
- It’s both filling and yet light. Fiber from the beans (and brown rice if you choose to use it), lean shrimp, and a combination of roasted onions and bell peppers with fresh salsa or pico de gallo.
I really have no complaints, although my husband would have preferred fewer dirty dishes. 😉 The shrimp, onions and peppers are roasted on a sheet pan; the beans are warmed in a skillet with a little olive oil and garlic; and the the rice cooked separately. Good thing I have my professional dishwasher!
Recipe Notes: Modifications & References
- Modifications: Skip the beans. Make extra beans for a meat-free lunch (your coworkers will thank you for not microwaving seafood in the shared microwave!). Kick up the spice or mellow it out. Throw freshly chopped cilantro in everything.
I’ve made some version of these bowls multiple ways. You can easily keep this to a 30-minute no-fuss version with a lot of store-bought toppings and mixes. Some homemade toppings and mixes are household staples in my home but others I only break out occasionally – i.e. when time permits, when entertaining, or when my garden is overflowing. Here are some of my favorite homemade seasonings, toppings, and accompaniments that you can use in this recipe,should you so choose.
- Cilantro Lime Rice: use in place of plain white or brown rice
- Taco Seasoning: one of my pantry staples, this will keep in an airtight container for a few months.
- Restaurant-Style Salsa: made in the food processor, this will keep for a few days, if you can make it last that long! It’s delicious and seriously addictive.
- Roasted Tomato Restaurant-Style Salsa: a fresher version of the above, made with garden-fresh tomatoes and veggies, roasted in the oven before being thrown in the food processor. It also keeps for a few days in the fridge.
- Guacamole: best the day it’s made.
Convinced to try them yet? If you do, snap a pic and tag it with #booksncooks, and be sure to come back, leave a comment, and rate the recipe.
Check out the other Cinco de Mayo recipes my blogging friends are sharing today, and then check out the recipe.
- Beefy Black Bean Tostadas from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Guajillo-Braised Shortrib Tacos from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Guava Margaritas from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Homemade Corn Tortillas from Food Above Gold
- Humitas with Homemade Queso Fresco from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Mexican Casserole from A Day in the Life on a Farm
- Mexican Chicken Master Mix from The Tip Garden
- Shrimp Taco Bowls from Books n’ Cooks (below!)
- Sonoran Sunrise from Palatable Pastime
- Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars from The Spiffy Cookie
- Taco Joe Dip from Jolene’s Recipe Journal
Shrimp Taco Bowls
This big, bold Taco Shrimp Bowl - easily customizable to your tastes - can be on your table in under 30 minutes. Make it for Cinco de Mayo, Taco Tuesday, or a quick weeknight meal. The shrimp and veggies are cooked on a sheet pan before being served with rice, garlicky black beans and your favorite taco toppings.
Ingredients
- 3 c. white or brown rice cooked according to package
Ingredients for the Black Beans:
- 1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp. minced garlic
- 1-15 oz. can black beans drained and rinsed
- pinch kosher salt
- pinch coarsely ground black pepper
Ingredients for the Shrimp & Veggies:
- cooking spray
- 1-2 bell peppers sliced
- 1 red onion sliced
- 1 lb. extra-large shrimp peeled, deveined and pat dry
- 2 Tbs. taco seasoning
Optional Toppings
- salsa or pico de gallo
- guacamole
- shredded cheese
- sour cream
- freshly chopped cilantro
Instructions
Make the Black Beans:
-
Heat olive oil in a small skillet set over medium-low heat. When hot, add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 3 minutes.
Make the Shrimp & Veggies
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Preheat oven to 400F.
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Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Spread the veggies on one half of the baking sheet and the shrimp on the other. Sprinkle baking sheet with 1 Tbs. of the taco seasoning. With clean hands, toss veggies and shrimp to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbs. taco seasoning and toss again. Spread shrimp and veggies into a single layer. Mist again with cooking spray and bake in preheated oven for 9-10 minutes, until shrimp are cooked through.
-
Assemble your bowl.
Recipe Notes
- One serving is 3/4 c. of rice and 1/4 of the shrimp and beans. Add additional toppings as desired.
- Nutrition calculated using brown rice and 2 bell peppers without any additional toppings. Adding toppings will change the nutrition info.
I love that you made everything on a sheet pan. Such an easy way to cook and these taco bowls sound yummy!
A perfect sheet pan dinner. Very versatile and I’m sure delicious.
I’m a huge fan of sheet pan meals, and this looks fantastic!
I adore sheet pan dinners! This bowl looks amazing and those shrimp look so succulent.
I was looking for a shrimp recipe for my husband and I stumbled on this article. I read and followed the instructions carefully and I made it deliciously! He is so happy! Thanks for this!
You made my day Kate! So glad you both enjoyed it!