NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF. — It’s been two months since Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. launched its line of Lifestyle Bowls geared toward trendy diets such as Whole30, paleo and keto. Now, vegetarian and vegan options are joining the lineup.
The two new plant-powered Lifestyle Bowls are preconfigured organic plant-based recipes that may be customized to fit consumers’ tastes and needs, Chipotle said. The Vegetarian Bowl includes brown rice, pinto beans, grilled red onions and bell peppers, corn salsa, sour cream and guacamole. The Vegan Bowl features brown rice, black beans, corn salsa, lettuce and sofritas, a vegan protein option made from organic soybeans shredded and spiced with poblano peppers, cumin and chipotle chile.
“We’ve found that many people are increasingly looking for plant-based protein options, so we wanted to make it easy for our customers with digital shortcuts for these bowls,” said Chris Brandt, chief marketing officer of Chipotle. “Since introducing sofritas five years ago, Chipotle has provided flavorful options for every lifestyle while simultaneously doing something good for the planet.”
Chipotle’s soybean supplier, Hodo Foods, partners with farmers in the Midwestern United States to purchase non-G.M.O., organic soybeans for its sofritas.
“Chipotle’s founder first tasted our organic product in a California farmers market, and together we collaborated to perfect Chipotle's beloved sofritas recipe, incorporating fresh, delicious ingredients,” said Minh Tsai, founder of Hodo Foods.
The new Plant-Powered varieties join Chipotle’s original four Lifestyle Bowls offerings, which include the Whole30 Salad Bowl, featuring romaine lettuce, carnitas, fajita vegetables, tomato salsa and guacamole; the Paleo Salad Bowl, with romaine lettuce, barbacoa, fajita vegetables, green salsa and guacamole; the Keto Salad Bowl, with romaine lettuce, carnitas, red salsa, cheese and guacamole; and the Double Protein Bowl, which has white rice, black beans, chicken, steak, red salsa, romaine lettuce and sour cream.