The bowls have a bed of salad greens, with layers of toppings such as beans, cheese, corn, dips (guacamole, hummus, salsa), grains, legumes, noodles, proteins, sour cream, tomatoes and more. Each layer of ingredients adds more flavor and texture.

According Katie Ayoub’s article in Flavor & The Menu, Chipotle’s Burrito Bowl now surpasses its burritos in sales. Jamba Juice added five Energy Bowls to its lineup last September. Panera rolled out Broth Bowls in January and KFC launched two new Chicken & Rice Bowls. On The Border introduced Border Bowls in April. The list goes on.

Bowls cross comfort-food and global flavors with better-for-you fresh vegetables and smaller portions of protein. They provide tastes of multiple favorites in one dish. They’re a hit.

Make your own bowls at home with the layer-by-layer guide to ingredients below, and add your own to the list.

A tip: If you plan your menus for a few days, you can have leftover beans, grains and proteins with which to construct your bowls.

A homemade version of Chipotle’s Steak Burrito Bowl (hey, where’s the grated cheese?). Here’s the recipe, from GimmeDelicious.com.

Salad greens plus:

 
PROTEIN

From On The Border, the popular Shrimp Border Bowl, with grilled shrimp and
Tex-Mex fixings.

PRODUCE

 
FLAVOR BINDERS

 
We can’t wait until lunchtime!