• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
One Happy Dish
  • About
  • Recipes for One
  • Dinner for One
  • Small Batch Baking
menu icon
go to homepage
  • About
  • Recipes for One
  • Dinner for One
  • Small Batch Baking
search icon
Homepage link
  • About
  • Recipes for One
  • Dinner for One
  • Small Batch Baking
×
Home » Recipes for One » Lunch for One

Cilantro Pesto Steak Bowl

by Allison Campbell · Last updated Aug 2, 2024 · This post may contain affiliate links · 3 Comments

5 from 4 ratings
Jump to Recipe

This steak bowl is one of my favorite comfort food dishes! It all comes together with fresh veggies, cheddar cheese, and a scrumptious cilantro lime pesto.

Veggie and steak rice bowl with cilantro lime pesto in a tan ceramic bowl with a blue and tan striped napkin

"My spouse and I absolutely love your blog and find many of your posts to be exactly what we're looking for. Awesome website!"

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Sienna, One Happy Dish reader

Sometimes you just need some straight up comfort food.

Like gooey cheddar melted over a warm burrito bowl. Mmmmm.

But just because it's comfort food it doesn't mean it can't still be a little healthy, right? This veggie and steak rice bowl is my answer to that question, and I'm sticking to it. 🙂

Look for more healthy comfort food ideas? Try these super tasty turkey burgers or citrus chicken burrito bowls.

Add this site as a preferred Google source!
Add

First up: the cilantro lime pesto

Just a handful of ingredients are all that are needed here: fresh cilantro, olive oil, walnuts, honey and lime. And I like to throw in a little garlic salt rather than raw garlic--it's a little less overpowering especially if you have younger eaters in the family.

Pro tip: You can also find a standalone recipe for the honey lime cilantro pesto here--it goes great with chicken, fish or tofu too!

A food processor is my tool of choice for this pesto - throw in all of the ingredients and just pulse a few times, scrape and pulse again. Done!

If you don't have a food processor, not to worry; a blender will do the job as well. You may just need to scrape down the sides a few more times with a blender.

Chopped red onion, red pepper, sweet corn kernels and grated cheddar cheese in glass bowls, with a lime and loose cilantro on the side

Next, the steak bowl

Cook up your rice first while you chop up the veggies. When I'm making a large amount of rice I'll often pull out my Instant Pot. But for this recipe I just went ahead and cooked the rice on the stove.

Bring ½ a cup of white rice and ¾ of a cup of filtered water to a boil in a medium uncovered pot. You can throw in ¼ teaspoon of sea salt too if desired. When it reaches a boil, stir, cover and reduce heat to low for 15 minutes. Then, leave covered but remove for the heat for an extra 10 minutes. Stir to fluff.

I chose steak for the protein in this rice bowl, but you could easily switch that out for chicken, tofu or beans (I especially like black beans in this recipe.) If you're sticking with steak, look for sirloin or flank steak.

Chop up your veggies, grate the cheese (feel free to buy shredded mild cheddar if you want to save some time grating) and slice the steak into strips. Also shuck your corn and slice off the kernels.

Then, heat the coconut oil over medium-high heat until shimmering, and throw in the onions first followed by the steak and red peppers. Sauté everything for several minutes until the steak is just cooked through and loses it's pinkness inside.

Red onions sauteing with coconut oil in a hot skillet
Thinly sliced steak, red peppers and red onions sauteing in a stainless steel skillet

Finally, assemble and enjoy!

Add the rice, veggies and steak, corn, cheese, pesto, to a couple of serving bowls, roughly in that order. Serve immediately and enjoy!

You might also like:

  • 15-Minute Salmon Bowl for One (Quick & Easy)
  • Easy Shrimp Tacos for One (15 Minutes)
  • Broccoli Cheddar Soup for One (Panera Copycat)
  • Easy Chicken Salad with Avocado (For One)

🍳 Recipe

Veggie and rice steak bowl with cilantro lime pesto in a tan ceramic bowl

Cilantro Pesto Steak Bowl

Allison Campbell
5 from 4 ratings
This refreshingly tasty veggie, rice and steak bowl pops with sweet cilantro lime pesto, making this dish healthy comfort food at its best.
Save RecipeSaved! Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Servings: 2 Servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 736
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

For the pesto:
  • ½ bunch cilantro about 1 cup chopped, plus more for garnish
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ lime
For the steak bowls:
  • ½ cup uncooked white rice
  • ¾ cup filtered water
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil
  • ¼ red onion
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ pound sirloin steak or flank steak, or substitute chicken, tofu or black beans
  • ½ medium red pepper
  • ½ cup shredded mild cheddar cheese optional; omit for dairy-free
  • 1 ear sweet corn
Prevent your screen from going dark

Method
 

  1. Cook the rice: Bring the rice, water and salt to a boil in a medium pot. Once boiling, stir, cover, and reduce heat to low; cook for 15 minutes. Then, keeping the pot covered, move it off the heat for another 10 minutes. Fluff, stir and set aside.
  2. Prep: Meanwhile, wash and de-stem the cilantro and slice the red onion, red pepper and steak into thin strips. Grate the cheddar cheese if necessary, using the largest hole side of a cheese grater. Shuck the corn and slice off the kernels.
  3. Make the pesto: Add the cilantro, olive oil, walnuts, honey, garlic salt to a food processor and squeeze in the lime (see notes). Process in short pulses until everything starts incorporating. Scrape down the sides and pulse a couple more times.
  4. Sauté: Heat a skillet over medium-high heat and add the coconut oil. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and saute for a minute or two. Add the steak and red peppers and sauté for several more minutes until the pinkness of the meat just fades (you may need to cut into a strip to check doneness.)
  5. Assemble: Divide the rice between serving bowls. Add the sautéed veggies and meat and then top with raw corn, grated cheese and pesto. Garnish with cilantro if desired, and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 736kcalCarbohydrates: 57gProtein: 37gFat: 42gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 75mgSodium: 825mgPotassium: 647mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 1270IUVitamin C: 47mgCalcium: 166mgIron: 3mg

Notes

Food processor: If you don't have a food processor you can also make the pesto in a blender (high speed or regular). You may just need to scrape down the sides a few extra times.

Did you make this recipe?

I'd absolutely love for you to leave a review!

🌡️ Food safety tips

  • Cook beef to the appropriate internal temperature:
    • 160°F (71°C) for ground beef
    • 145°F (63°C) for steaks and roasts, followed by a 3-minute rest
  • Use a meat thermometer rather than relying on color or texture.
  • Keep raw beef separate from ready-to-eat foods to prevent cross-contamination.
  • Wash hands, utensils, and cutting boards thoroughly after handling raw meat.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and reheat to 165°F (74°C) before serving.

For more food safety guidance, visit foodsafety.gov.

More Lunch for One

  • A Harvest Bowl with diced apples, crumbled goat cheese, roasted sweet potato slices, chopped almonds, wild rice, seasoned chicken pieces, kale, and a small container of balsamic vinaigrette dressing.
    Harvest Bowl for One (Sweetgreen Copycat)
  • A bowl of colorful chopped Greek salad with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, red bell pepper, Kalamata olives, chickpeas, and feta cheese cubes, served with a fork on a blue-striped napkin.
    Chopped Greek Salad for One
  • A salmon bowl with rice, seared salmon, sliced cucumber, avocado, radish, carrot ribbons, lime wedge, and sprinkled with sesame seeds and chopped green onions, with a fork on the side.
    15-Minute Salmon Bowl for One (Quick & Easy)
  • A close-up of a tuna melt sandwich with toasted bread, melted cheese, tomato slices and tuna salad, placed on a white plate.
    Classic Tuna Melt for One
  • Facebook
  • X

Stay updated

Get new recipes via email.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sienna

    October 01, 2021 at 2:38 pm

    5 stars
    My spouse and I absolutely love your blog and find many of your posts to be exactly what we're looking for.

    Awesome website!

    Reply
  2. Angelica

    July 09, 2021 at 3:12 pm

    5 stars
    Excellent web site you have here. It's hard to find quality writing like yours these days.

    I truly appreciate people like you! Take care!!

    Reply
  3. Adelaida

    June 03, 2021 at 7:37 pm

    5 stars
    Incredible! This blog looks just like my old one!

    It's on a totally different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Excellent choice of colors!

    Reply
5 from 4 votes (1 rating without comment)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Headshot of Allison Campbell, food blogger at One Happy Dish.

Hi, I'm Allison! I share fresh, fun single-serve and small batch recipes (without the leftovers.) 🎉

More about me →

Banner with image of 3-ingredient peanut butter cookies.
A plate with four small slices of French toast sprinkled with powdered sugar, served with two orange wedges and a fork. Text above reads Single-Serve French Toast, and below: Get the recipe with an arrow.

Footer

↑ back to top

About this Food Blog

  • About

Policies

  • Accessibility Policy
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Service

Contact Me

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Copyright © 2026 One Happy Dish. All rights reserved.

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.