Taco Bowls (easy, budget friendly dinner)

Taco bowls are a delicious, easy, budget friendly dinner that is perfect for busy weeknights or low key weekends.

This is currently one of my family’s favorite meals! It is an offshoot from my ground beef tacos recipe. The picky eaters in our house love how each person can customize his or her bowl with only the most favorite toppings. 😍👌🏻

And I can almost guarantee that taco bowls will be making a frequent appearance at the upcoming college football season.🙌🏻

This recipe uses a pound of ground beef, and it will easily stretch to feed six people, possibly more. This makes taco bowls a very wallet-friendly meal.

Side note: we are still loving ButcherBox over here. (affiliate links – full affiliate disclosure here) We have just purchased our fifth monthly custom classic box. It is suuuper convenient to have the best quality meats delivered right to our door each month. And the taste cannot be beat! If you are reading this in real time, you can use this link to get free scallops and bacon in your first order. 👊🏻🙌🏻

I feed two adults plus two kids, and we always have leftovers from this taco bowl recipe. The leftovers are great to heat up for an easy lunch.

How to season taco meat for taco bowls

I am using my homemade taco seasoning in this recipe.

It is super versatile and great on so many different things! It seasons up the ground beef perfectly.👌🏻

How to make taco bowls

I start with a base of cooked rice. Jasmine rice is our favorite, but feel free to use your favorite in its place: brown rice, cauliflower rice, or even quinoa would all work great in this recipe.

When we are feeling fancy, I may use cilantro lime rice. It goes great in this recipe!

We use about a cup of cooked rice per adult, and less for kids. We add a spoonful of meat on top of that, and then we just let each person choose from the available toppings.

Best toppings for taco bowls

I am definitely a toppings gal, so I have tons of suggestions for you here!😜

• pinto beans (you can use canned or homemade pinto beans)
• black beans (canned or homemade)
• refried beans (canned or homemade)
• tomato
• corn
• avocado slices
• guacamole (store-bought or homemade)
• salsa (store-bought or homemade, red or verde)
• pickled jalapeno slices
• olives
• shredded cheese (cheddar, jack or Mexican blend are our favorites)
• cilantro
• squeeze of fresh lime juice
• cowboy caviar
• sour cream or creme fraiche
• cilantro lime ranch
• creamy jalapeño ranch – just like the one at Chuy’s!

Of course you don’t have to use all of those at once.😂 Salsa, cheese and beans are our standard toppings. We may pull out one or two of the others listed above if we already have it on hand.

And a side of basic tortilla chips is always yummy, but not required. Taco bowl night is totally chill at our house, y’all.😎💁🏼‍♀️

Taco bowls recipe

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Taco bowls

Taco bowls are a delicious, easy, budget friendly dinner that is perfect for busy weeknights or low key weekends.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican, Tex Mex

Keyword beef taco bowl, taco bowls

Prep Time 8 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 38 minutes

Servings 6 large servings

Calories 560 kcal

Author Marjorie @APinchOfHealthy

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• homemade taco seasoning
• 14.5 ounces pinto beans (or other type of bean)
• 6 cups cooked rice (one cooked cup per serving)
• 1.5 cups tomatoes
• 1 cup salsa
• 1 cup corn kernels
• 1 cup shredded cheddar jack cheese
• optional other toppings: avocado, guacamole, olives, sour cream, etc. See list in blog post above!

Instructions

1. Cook the rice according to package instructions.

2. While the rice is cooking, brown the ground beef in a large pan over medium high heat, using a wooden spatula or spoon to break apart the beef into crumbles. Cook until no more pink remains.

3. Drain the grease off the beef, and return to the pan.

4. Sprinkle the seasoning on top, along with 3/4 cup water, and stir to combine.

5. Bring to a simmer, and then reduce heat to low, simmering until most of the liquid reduces/ evaporates.

Assembling the taco bowls

1. Add a cup of cooked rice to a bowl, and spoon the seasoned ground beef on top.

2. Add beans, cheese, salsa, tomatoes and any other desired toppings; serve immediately.

Recipe Notes

Nutritional information is approximate and was calculated using a recipe nutrition label generator. Adding toppings will change nutrition.

Nutrition Facts

Taco bowls

Amount Per Serving

Calories 560 Calories from Fat 135

% Daily Value*

Fat 15g23%

Saturated Fat 7g44%

Cholesterol 69mg23%

Sodium 927mg40%

Potassium 900mg26%

Carbohydrates 72g24%

Fiber 9g38%

Sugar 4g4%

Protein 32g64%

Vitamin A 1003IU20%

Vitamin C 7mg8%

Calcium 218mg22%

Iron 5mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.