Easy and healthy taco salad meal prep bowls you can make ahead for dinner or lunches with savory seasoned ground beef, fresh lettuce, cheese, and pico, and chipotle ranch dressing.
This post is in partnership with McCormick Spices, all opinions are my own.
You guys! This might be the first time I’ve shared a ground beef recipe! Seems a little bit crazy because it’s one of the most popular meats with home cooks, but for the longest time I thought I didn’t like ground beef. Turns out I just don’t like how other people cook and serve ground beef because it tastes flavorless to me. I’ve fixed that problem and now it’s becoming a beloved ingredient in my kitchen!
The key is how you season the ground beef. It’s all in the spices! Ground beef by itself just isn’t a very flavorful cut of meat, but with the right spices you can make it the star of so many different family-friendly dishes.
There are four spices I think are a must for seasoning ground beef for a Mexican-inspired recipe, and I use McCormick Spices because I know they are quality ingredients with really delicious, bold flavor that will shine in the dish and enhance all of the natural flavors of any ingredient I’m using.
All you need to transform your ground beef is cumin, garlic powder, chili powder, and onion powder OR onion salt. These four little rockstar spices work miracles!
Meal prep is all the rage right now and It’s not hard to figure out why – once you’ve tried you you’re hooked! All you’ve got to do is cook once and you’ve got lunches made for the whole week! These Taco Salad Meal Prep bowls are a perfect solution for busy weeknights as well.
Add any of your toppings right at the end for that extra oomph of goodness. Some of our favorites are sliced avocado or guacamole, crispy tortilla strips, sour cream. The possibilities are endless!
Taco Salad Meal Prep
Easy and healthy taco salad meal prep bowls you can make ahead for dinner or lunches with savory seasoned ground beef, fresh lettuce, cheese, and pico, and chipotle ranch dressing.
-
1
pound
ground beef -
1
teaspoon
McCormick Chili Powder or McCormick Chipotle Chili Powder -
1
teaspoon
McCormick Cumin -
1/2
teaspoon
McCormick Garlic Powder -
1/2
teaspoon
McCormick Onion Salt - salt and pepper to taste
-
6-8
cups
chopped romaine lettuce -
1/3
cup
ranch dressing -
1
tablespoon
adobo sauce, from a can of chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce -
1/2
onion, diced -
1/2
cup
diced tomatoes -
1/2
jalapeno, seeds removed and very finely diced -
1
tablespoon
finely chopped cilantro -
1/2
cup
shredded Mexican blend cheese - optional toppings: sour cream, sliced avocado or guacamole, tortilla strips or crushed tortilla chips, lime wedges for squeezing,
In a small bowl stir together onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapenos. Set aside. Stir together ranch dressing and adobo sauce and set aside.
In a large pan/skillet over medium-high heat on the stove, saute ground beef along with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to saute until meat is well-browned.
For Serving Fresh
To assemble fresh salads, arrange bowls with lettuce on the bottom topped with ground beef, shredded cheese, pico (tomato and onion mixture), any additional toppings you like, and drizzle with prepared chipotle ranch dressing.
For Meal Prep
For meal prep you will need four meal prep containers (dedicated meal prep containers or microwave-safe tupperware containers), 12 jello shot cups with lids (you can buy these at most grocery stores in the same section where you find plastic utensils, napkins, and plates), and four small sandwich-size ziploc bags.
Divide lettuce between four ziploc bags. Divide cheese between four jello shot cups. Divide sauce between four jello shot cups. Divide pico (tomato and onion mixture) between four jello shot cups. Place your condiments and lettuce in the meal prep containers, leaving space for the ground beef. Fill remaining space with ground beef. Cover and chill until ready to serve.
To serve, remove condiments cups and lettuce from container, microwave the ground beef for 45-60 seconds. Add lettuce and condiments to the container along with any additional toppings like sour cream or sliced avocados, and serve.
