Quick & Easy Taco Bowl Recipe

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Recipe Snapshot

PREP + COOK TIME: 30 minutes
METHOD: Skillet
OTHER TOOLS: microwave
TOTAL INGREDIENTS: 7

Need a healthy dinner for the family…fast? Here’s a quick and easy taco bowl recipe that is full of delicious flavors and healthy, too! Customize it with your favorite toppings for a delicious meal that works for everyone.

What’s To Love About This Recipe 

• This recipe is simple and fast! Who doesn’t love a complete meal in a bowl, ready in under 30 minutes with minimal prep?
• A single bowl is packed with lean protein, fiber, and veggies.
• Instead of traditional rice, this bowl is made with cauliflower rice for a lower-carb choice.
• Taco bowls are the most versatile family meal option. Customize the ingredients for various dietary needs and include toppings to satisfy everyone! I love adding more veggies to mine; my kids like extra cheese, and my husband prefers more meat and sour cream – something for everyone!
• Each component can either be prepared in advance or taken straight from the freezer. This makes it easier to assemble at mealtime.

Ingredients Needed 

• Lean ground beef – Ground beef makes these bowls filling and flavorful. A lean percentage – such as 90% or 93% – helps reduce the greasiness and added fat.
• Homemade taco seasoning – A homemade blend of spices includes only the necessary ingredients and adds rich, savory flavor to the ground beef. 
• Water – Water helps the seasoning mix evenly into the beef, and keeps it juicy during browning. 
• Frozen cauliflower rice – It’s so easy to keep a few packages of cauliflower rice on hand in your freezer for low-carb alternatives. It’s a lighter but fiber-rich option to create the base for your bowl.  
• Avocado oil – Avocado oil is a great complement to savory ingredients. It also has a higher smoke point than most other cooking oils, which creates a nice sear when browning the sweet potatoes.
• Frozen cubed sweet potatoes – Another easy option for the freezer! I love grabbing a bag of frozen sweet potatoes because it saves so much time compared to peeling and dicing them. These add such tasty flavor to the bowl and plenty of vitamins and minerals, too. 
• Grape tomatoes – Fresh grape tomatoes add a fresh burst of flavor and variation in texture. Slice them lengthwise to add to the bowls during assembly.

How To Make A Taco Bowl

1. Heat the ground beef in a skillet and brown until it is cooked through, breaking it apart with a spatula or meat chopper.

1. Add taco seasoning and water and heat through, stirring to distribute evenly until the water cooks off.

1. Heat the frozen cauliflower rice in the microwave according to the package directions.
2. Heat frozen sweet potatoes in a skillet with avocado oil until heated through and lightly browned. (You can set aside the ground beef in a bowl and use the same skillet if you like.)

1. Assemble the taco bowls with sliced tomatoes and top with fresh cilantro, sour cream, ranch dressing, salsa, or as desired.

Recipe Substitutions and Variations

• Swap ground beef for turkey, chicken, pork. 
• For a vegetarian bowl option, you could also use plant-based crumbles, black beans, pinto beans, or lentils.
• For those who don’t love cauliflower rice, serve white or brown rice as another option for taco bowl assembly.
• This bowl is naturally dairy-free. Look for dairy-free alternatives if you want to add cheese, sour cream, or ranch dressing.
• Include extra veggies such as sautéed bell peppers and onions, sliced avocado, or roasted corn.
• Adjust the spice with your choice of taco seasoning, or top with hot sauce, jalapeños, or red pepper flakes.

What To Serve With A Taco Bowl 

There’s no wrong way to make a taco bowl! Set out all your ingredients and assemble a unique and tasty combination every time.

• For a classic bowl, assemble with seasoned ground beef, cauliflower rice, sweet potatoes, and toppings. Add sour cream, salsa, shredded cheese, chopped cilantro… whatever you like!
• To make a taco salad, serve over chopped lettuce instead of cauliflower rice.
• Wrap up the filling in your favorite tortillas for burritos or lettuce wraps.
• On the side, serve a cup of Black Bean and Corn Salsa or Instant Pot Pinto Beans.

Storing and Reheating

Store ingredients in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days. Meat can be frozen for up to 3 months, but cauliflower rice and sweet potatoes are best enjoyed fresh.

When reheating, warm the meat and sweet potatoes in a skillet or microwave in short intervals. You can also microwave or sauté the cauliflower rice. Always add fresh toppings after reheating!

Quick & Easy Taco Bowl Recipe

Print Recipe

Need a healthy dinner for the family…fast? Here’s a quick and easy taco bowl recipe that is full of delicious flavors and healthy, too! Customize it with your favorite toppings for a delicious meal that works for everyone.

Jennifer Draper

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Serving Size 4

Equipment

• Skillet

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
• 2 tablespoons water
• 12 oz frozen cauliflower rice
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil
• 12 oz frozen cubed sweet potatoes
• 1 cup grape tomatoes

Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

• Heat ground beef in a skillet and brown until cooked through, breaking it apart with a spatula or meat chopper
• Add taco seasoning and water and heat through, stirring to distribute evenly until water cooks off
• Heat frozen cauliflower rice in the microwave according to package directions
• Heat frozen sweet potatoes in a skillet with avocado oil until heated through and lightly browned
• Assemble taco bowls with sliced tomatoes and top with fresh cilantro, sour cream, ranch dressing, salsa, or as desired

Notes

• Store ingredients separately in airtight containers for up to 4 days in the fridge, or freeze the ground beef for up to 3 months. Cauliflower rice and sweet potatoes are best served fresh from frozen – don’t freeze again.
• Reheat meat and sweet potatoes in a skillet or microwave, sauté or microwave the cauliflower rice, and add fresh toppings to the warm bowl.
• Pre-cook frozen cauliflower rice and sweet potatoes for faster prep at mealtime.
• Homemade taco seasoning allows for better control of flavor and spice level.
• This hamburger meat chopper is one of my favorite kitchen tools for perfectly browned ground beef!

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Taco Bowl FAQs 

• What’s the difference between a burrito bowl and a taco bowl? Taco bowls will usually have lighter, fresher ingredients, while burrito bowls usually include beans and traditional rice.
• Can this be made into a taco salad? Yes! Simply swap the cauliflower rice for chopped or shredded lettuce. Add a sprinkle of cheese and a scoop of sour cream or guacamole if you like.
• Is this low-carb? This bowl has fewer carbs than traditional taco bowls. However, if you want an even lower-carb version, skip the sweet potatoes.

More Mexican Recipes

• Mexican Street Corn Salad
• Instant Pot Chicken Carnitas
• Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
• Meal Prep Burrito Bowls
• Instant Pot Spanish Rice

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