These high protein ground beef taco bowls give Chipotle a run for their money. Nothing's better than homemade taco bowls topped with all the classic taco bowl ingredients. Plus, this one's protein-packed with a lightning-quick cilantro lime rice.
Tacos are a staple in my home, just like my no bake four layer taco dip or my low-carb taco zucchini boats. Tacos are tasty, versatile, and take very little prep time (aka: meal prep). This recipe is packed with protein from the beans, the ground beef, and instead of sour cream, we use greek yogurt.
TL;DR Summary - Ground Beef Taco Bowl
- 👩🏼🍳 Cook Level: Easy/Beginner
- ⏱️ Cook Time: 20 minutes in total
- 📖 Dietary Info: Dairy, grains, legumes
- 😋 Taste: Creamy, savory, salty, umami, cheesy, with a hint of spice from the salsa.
- 💖 Why You'll Love: Making homemade taco bowls saves money, easy to incorporate into weekly meal prep, and is incredibly versatile depending on your individual preferences.
- 🍽️ Best Paired With: Whip up a ground beef taco bowl along with sautéed garlic green beans, a simple mixed greens side salad, or a refreshing blood orange margarita cocktail.
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Jump to:
- TL;DR Summary - Ground Beef Taco Bowl
- Tips for Prepping Taco Bowls
- The Main Ingredients
- Simple Swaps and Substitutions
- How to make ground beef taco bowls
- Mistakes I've Made (to avoid!)
- Ground Beef Taco Bowl FAQs
- Check out these other mouthwatering and EASY high protein dinners
- High Protein Ground Beef Taco Bowl
Tips for Prepping Taco Bowls
- Gather all of your ingredients for toppings ahead of time and dole them out in small bowls so others can add what they want to their own bowls, then make the ground meat.
- If you want to make the taco meat a little extra saucy, add 2 tablespoons of water to the pan when stirring in the taco seasoning.
- When preparing the cilantro lime rice, be sure to use the 2:1 ratio for liquid to rice, and add just a tablespoon of oil or butter to give it more flavor.
The Main Ingredients
- Ground Beef - I typically reach for a 85/15 grass-fed ground beef, but you could also use a lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, or even shredded chicken breast or steak. Not into animal protein? You can use tofu.
- Black Beans - Black beans are classic, staple ingredient in taco bowls. They add delicious flavor and pack a good amount of protein.
- Salsa - You can use whatever type of salsa you want for this, but I opted for a corn salsa. I love the sweet taste of corn paired with beans and the ground beef. You could always dice up some cherry tomatoes instead of a jarred salsa.
- Rice - I made a simple cilantro lime rice with some chopped fresh cilantro and a little lime juice mixed into the rice, but brown rice or even cauliflower rice is great to use too.
- Cheese - No taco bowl or taco recipe is complete with a sprinkle of cheese. I like a traditional Mexican blend of cheeses for this bowl.
- Greek Yogurt - To really give this taco bowl the "high protein" label, I opted for a greek yogurt instead of sour cream to dollop on top.
- Seasonings - I don't usually make a homemade taco seasoning, rather I rely on Primal Palate or Siete taco seasonings. They're both fantastic to have on hand.
Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of this post for more information about quantities, measurements, and specific cooking instructions.
Simple Swaps and Substitutions
- Rice - You can get fancy with these taco bowls by making them baked ground beef tacos (like my crispy oven baked ground turkey tacos), or layer the beef taco meat on top of lettuce and make it a taco salad instead of taco rice bowls.
- Cheese - If you are dairy free, feel free to use a dairy-alternative to Mexican or cheddar cheese, or simply omit.
- Beans - Black beans are classic, but you can easily swap in pinto beans instead, or even chickpeas.
- Greek Yogurt - A simple swap for greek yogurt is of course sour cream, but you could also use a dairy-free greek yogurt or sour cream instead.
- Meat - If you are vegetarian or vegan, use a meat alternative instead of the taco meat, or if you are not into beef, simply use ground turkey, chicken, shrimp (I highly suggest making my honey lime grilled shrimp skewers for this), salmon, or chorizo/sausage.
How to make ground beef taco bowls
Step 1: In a large frying pan or large skillet, brown the ground beef on a medium heat and add in the seasonings. Stir to combine.
Once the ground beef is fully cooked, turn off the heat and set aside.
Step 2: In a separate medium sauce pan, bring 2 cups of bone broth, chicken stock, or plain water to a boil, then add in 1 cup of white rice. Bring the heat to a simmer, and cook the rice until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
Once the rice is finished cooking, squeeze the lime juice into the pan and toss in the chopped cilantro, then stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate.
Step 3: To make the taco rice bowls, take 1-2 scoops of the rice and place in your bowl of choice. Then layer in the ground beef (or desired protein), beans, cheese, salsa, and top with greek yogurt.
Serve with an optional fresh garnish of cilantro and an additional squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Mistakes I've Made (to avoid!)
- Be sure to measure out the rice and the liquid accurately. I've messed up making standard rice because I didn't use enough liquid, and had to keep adding more and more until it ended up very gummy.
- Do not skimp on the lime in the cilantro lime rice, if you're making it. You want the lime flavor, so be sure to use enough!
Ground Beef Taco Bowl FAQs
Other taco bowl toppings you could add include diced bell peppers, diced or sliced jalapeño pepper, sliced red onion, or the most classic, guacamole.
I would keep things stored separately so that nothing gets too soggy. Any leftover taco meat and other ingredients can be added to airtight containers and stored in the fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Prep the ground meat on a Sunday for the week ahead. You can even get all of the other ingredients prepared too like the rice and any vegetables you want to chop up as toppings.
I would make a refreshing blood orange margarita to pair with this (or simply skip the tequila for a blood orange mocktail).
Check out these other mouthwatering and EASY high protein dinners
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High Protein Ground Beef Taco Bowl
Equipment
- Medium sauce pan
- large frying pan
- measuring cups and spoons
- Spatula or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 can Black Beans
- 1 cup Mexican Cheese
- 1 cup Salsa
- 1 cup Greek yogurt full fat
For the Cilantro Lime Rice
- 1 oz Fresh Cilantro finely chopped
- 1 whole Lime halved
- 2 cups Chicken Bone Broth or Stock
- 1 cup White Rice
Instructions
- In a large frying pan or large skillet, brown the ground beef on a medium heat and add in the seasonings. Stir to combine.
- Once the ground beef is fully cooked, turn off the heat and set aside.
- In a separate medium sauce pan, bring 2 cups of bone broth, chicken stock, or plain water to a boil, then add in 1 cup of white rice. Bring the heat to a simmer, and cook the rice until all of the liquid has been absorbed.
- Once the rice is finished cooking, squeeze the lime juice into the pan and toss in the chopped cilantro, then stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate.
- To make the taco rice bowls, take 1-2 scoops of the rice and place in your bowl of choice. Then layer in the ground beef (or desired protein), beans, cheese, salsa, and top with greek yogurt.
- Serve with an optional fresh garnish of cilantro and an additional squeeze of fresh lime juice.
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