These Fajita Veggies are a Chipotle copycat recipe, but are even tastier, and can be used in all sorts of Mexican inspired meals. Try these with everything from Beef Barbacoa to Pork Carnitas, or piled into a taco bowl! They’re easy to make, super flavorful, and a great addition to any ‘build a bowl recipe’ you like to make at home.
These easy-to-make Fajita Veggies are part of our Mexican ‘build a bowl’ series. Last week we started with the Chipotle Chicken and Best Guacamole. And now we’re adding some tasty fajita veggies to the mix.
Mexican-inspired meals are something we never get tired of. And so you’ll find us eating some sort of a ‘build your own bowl’ almost every single week of the year.
These types of recipes are also perfect for meal prepping as well. You can make all the different components to build your bowl, and then heat and assemble as desired throughout the week.
This concept of bowl food is also really family friendly because everyone can assemble theirs just as they’d like. And as a bonus, the leftovers are pretty good cold the next day packed for lunch.
Ingredients for these Fajita Veggies
- Bell peppers – You can use any color of bell pepper you’d like here. You’ll often find green bell peppers in fajita veggies when you’re in a restaurant. But we personally prefer red, orange, or yellow. We both find these peppers sweeter, and we like the flavor better. But feel free to use what you have or like the best.
- Onion – Again you can use any color of onion here. Red onion adds lots of nice color and has a slightly milder flavor, but I often use white or yellow onions as well.
- Garlic – Just a touch of garlic goes a long way to making these fajita veggies downright addictive in combination with the spices.
- Ground cumin & dried oregano – are the traditional spices added to fajita veggies, and I like to add just a touch. Feel free to adjust the spices to your taste! We both prefer to add a small amount of these spices to enhance the flavor but still keep the peppers and onions the main focus.
- Avocado oil – is what I love to use when I’m cooking over high heat, but you can use any cooking oil that you like. Olive oil also works too.
Let’s make this recipe step by step
Step 1: Start by measuring out the spices, and oil, and mincing the garlic.
Time saving tip: Use a garlic press to make quick work of the garlic and speed things up!
Step 2: Next, cut the ends off the onion, and then cut the onion in half from the top to the bottom.
Peel away the tough, outer layer and lay each half flat side down on the cutting board. Cut across the rounded top into 1/4″ thick half-moon slices.
Step 3: To prep the peppers, cut away the cores and remove the stem.
Cut them in half and remove the seeds. Cut the peppers into strips about 1/4-1/2″ thick.
Step 4: Place the pan on the stove and heat oil until shimmering. Sauté the garlic for a few seconds in a large skillet, then add the spices and prepped veggies. Toss to combine and cook over medium-high to high heat, stirring as the veggies brown.
I like to use a large cast iron skillet for fajita veggies because it browns them well for that ‘seared’ fajita flavor.
Step 5: Cook until the veggies have softened to your liking. We like our fajita veggies softened, not crisp tender, but not mush either which takes about 8-10 minutes.
Cooking tip: I get the best results with a cast iron pan for fajita veggies. The cast iron makes for the best ‘seared’ flavor and perfect browning. I’ve also used the enameled cast skillet you see in the photos, but I’ve had more sticking issues with it. You can also use any non-stick skillet you’d like.
Ways to serve this
- These fajita veggies are perfect as part of my Chipotle Burrito Bowls, Carnitas Burrito Bowls, and Beef Barbacoa Burrito Bowls.
- We like to serve them alongside any taco bowl as well.
- Make simple fajitas or fajita bowls by combining these veggies with any roasted or pan-fried meat (steak, chicken, or seafood). Then pile them over rice or tortillas, Pico De Gallo or Fire Roasted Salsa, Guacamole, grated cheese, and sour cream.
- Add sliced mushrooms to these Fajita Veggies to make a vegetarian main dish paired with more burrito bowl recipes below. Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice if you go the vegetarian route.
- Use leftover fajita veggies as a filling for quesadillas, a sandwich, or piled-on nachos as a topping Mexican inspired burgers.
FAQ’s
The best color of peppers for fajitas is the color you like best. We like a colorful mix of yellow, orange, and red. But it’s traditional to add green peppers to fajita veggies. It’s our personal preference to leave the green peppers out.
Fajita meat and veggies are usually served with guacamole, salsa, and sour cream along with tortillas. Fajitas are often served with grated cheese as a topping as well.
Fajita veggies are made of bell peppers, and onions, with just a touch of spices. We make ours like Chipotle with a bit of cumin and oregano, leaving out the heavier spices like chili powder, and paprika. Rather than using garlic powder and onion powder, use fresh onions and fresh garlic for the best fajita veggies.
Storing leftovers
- To store – place any leftover fajita veggies in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Make ahead – these can be made ahead and reheated, but they will be a bit softer. We like to make these ahead with my other burrito bowl recipes listed below, then reheat them to make ‘quick’ burrito bowls during the work week.
- Reheating – add the fajita veggies to a small skillet or saucepan with 1-2 tbsp of water and heat until hot, stirring as needed. To reheat them for a burrito bowl, I add them to a skillet along with my Cilantro Lime Rice and whatever burrito meat I’ve made that week. Then when it’s heated through I add a bit of grated cheese to melt and pour it into a bowl to add toppings.
- To freeze – these fajita veggies can be frozen, but they will be much softer after they’re defrosted. Defrost overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Recipes to ‘build a bowl’
- Chipotle Chicken (Chipotle Copycat)
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Easy Instant Pot Paleo Queso, (dairy free & vegan)
- The Best Guacamole
- Pico de Gallo
- Easy Fire Roasted Blender Salsa
- Mango Salsa
- Strawberry Mango Avocado Salsa
- Caramelized Pineapple Salsa
Choose as many of the above recipes as you’d like to mix and match and create a taco bowl or burrito bowl. You can also add all sorts of toppings like corn, black beans, grated cheese, and sour cream.
I really hope you enjoy these Fajita Veggies, they will add so much flavor to your Mexican meals! And if you do get a chance to make them, I hope you’ll leave me a comment/rating below. I always love hearing from you here! Also for lots more Mexican inspired recipes, head over to the recipe index.
Fajita Veggies (Chipotle Copycat Recipe)
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 red onion - 12 ounces, cut into 1/4″ half moon slices
- 2 bell peppers - I used red & yellow, (1 pound total) cut into 1/4″ strips
- 1/2 tsp sea salt - or to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat a large 9-10" cast iron skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot but not smoking, add the avocado oil and minced garlic. Sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Then add the cumin, oregano, onion, and bell peppers. Cook stirring to combine, then stir only as the veggies brown.
- Continue to cook until the veggies are caramelized on the edges and softened 8-10 minutes.
- Serve immediately. Or refrigerate for 3-4 days and reheat as needed.