Meal Prep Taco Bowls with Cauliflower Rice

Taco Bowls with Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice packed with lean ground turkey, bell peppers, red onion, and a homemade taco seasoning served on a bed of cauliflower rice with lime and cilantro are so good you will want to eat them all week long.

Lately, I have been struggling a bit when it comes to lunch. Usually I rely on leftovers to fuel my lunchtime meals but lately, we haven't been leaving too much in the leftover department. Hungry family, I guess. That's led to more take-out than I would like to admit, some weird mishmash lunches using whatever is in the fridge, and many days oatmeal or eggs. So this weekend I set out to change things up and do some lunchtime meal prep.

However, with a packed schedule, I only had about 30 minutes to make lunches for the week. Enter this super simple Taco Bowls with Cauliflower Rice that come together in no time. First, you get the turkey and all the spices cooking away. Basically, it's just a homemade version of taco seasoning. Then while that is cooking, I defrosted a bag of cauliflower rice in the microwave and chopped my peppers and onions. Once the turkey was done, I cooked the peppers and onions and added some fresh lime juice, lime zest, and cilantro to the cauliflower rice.

Now since this dish is only about 250 calories, I need to bulk it up or I will be hungry an hour after lunch. Usually, I serve it a few different ways during the week to keep things interesting. One day I will add some black beans and avocado. The next day I may melt some cheese on top and scoop it into some corn or low carb tortillas. Sometimes I even drop this into a bowl of canned black bean or tomato soup.

Tips for Making these Meal Prep Taco Bowls

• You can use any ground meat for this recipe and can also use vegetarian crumbles for a meatless version. You can also use chopped chicken breast or chicken thighs. 
• To keep things simple, I recommend buying some frozen cauliflower rice instead of making your own. I find it costs about the same and is so much faster than getting out your food processor.
• If you want to bulk things up, add some canned beans or corn. You can also mix some brown rice or quinoa in with the cauliflower rice. 
• When serving it, add your favorite taco toppings - avocado, cheese, sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, or salsa
• Feeling extra hungry? Serve this all wrapped up in some warmed corn tortillas. It also makes a killer quesadilla filling. 

What's in a taco bowl?

There are so many different elements you can include in a taco bowl but here are the essentials that should be a part of any great taco bowl in my opinion.

• Protein: I always start with protein when building a meal prep bowl. For a taco meal prep bowl, you can use virtually anything - ground meat, chicken breast, beef, pork, shrimp, fish, or tofu. Spice it up with taco seasoning or cook it in your favorite salsa. You can also just use some salt and pepper and then add all the flavor with the salsa on top.
• Rice or whole grains: The next step is to add some rice, cauliflower rice, quinoa, or another grain. Anything goes here and make sure to kick up the flavor by adding some fresh lime juice and cilantro. Chipotle's rice is famous for a reason.
• Beans: Although this recipe doesn't contain beans because I wanted a low carb option, normally I would include some canned black beans or pinto beans. You could also use canned black soy beans for a lower carb option.
• Veggies: My philosophy is to pile on all the veggies. Usually, I will meal prep mine with peppers and onions, like in the recipe, and then to serve I will add lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, and avocado.
• Salsa: Grab your favorite salsa and pour it right on top. Any salsa will work.
• Toppings: Lastly add all your favorite taco fixings - cheese, guacamole, sour cream or yogurt, cilantro, baked tortilla strips, anything you would normally put on a taco.

Looking for more healthy meal prep recipes?

• Thai Basil Ground Beef Bowl
• Korean Ground Beef and Vegetable Bowls
• Asian Ground Turkey Stir Fry
• Ground Turkey and Tomato Basil Noodles
• Rotisserie Chicken Fajita Bowls

Here are some products and tools I used for this recipe:

• For meal prep I normally use these round glass containers or these three compartment ones.
• If you prefer to use a pre-made taco seasoning, I recommend this one that has fewer additives and preservatives than the typical grocery store versions.