Meal Prep Taco Salad Lunch Bowls
Meal Prep Taco Salad Lunch Bowls that you can make ahead! These easy taco salads are filled with taco beef, lettuce, cheese, black beans, corn and salsa!
You know those days when you can’t wait until lunchtime because you’ve planned ahead and you have a delicious lunch ready and waiting for you? That’s me every week when I make these Taco Salad Lunch Bowls!
These taco salads are the perfect blend of healthy and yummy. They’re full of vegetables and protein, yet still light. So instead of wanting a nap after lunch, you’ll be energized going into your afternoon. 😉
Making these Taco Salad Lunch Bowls is really easy and will take you less than half an hour. I like to make these as part of my Sunday food prep. I also adapted this recipe for a family dinner, Healthy Taco Salad.
Since I photographed this recipe, I’ve switched to glass meal prep containers. I like these airtight, anti-spill glass containers! These 2-compartment glass containers are also really fun to pack lunches in.
To start, you’ll cook the taco meat. This time I used ground beef, but often I’ll use ground turkey. I always use my easy homemade taco seasoning to season my taco meat. Make a batch and keep it in a zip-top baggie with your other spices so you’ll have it ready whenever you need it!
Once the meat is cooked through you’ll want to let it cool before adding it to your salads. While it cools, you can prep the rest of the ingredients and assemble the salads, adding the cooled taco meat last.
To keep the salad components separate until you’re ready to eat them, you’ll want to add them to your container in rows, as you see pictured. I tilted my containers a little to the right, and layered from right to left, starting with the lettuce.
The last thing I added to my salads was a spoonful of salsa, which will become your salad dressing. When you’re ready to eat your salad, give it a shake or a stir to mix everything together and enjoy!
Need more easy lunch ideas? Try these:
Meal Prep Taco Salad Lunch Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef or ground turkey
- salt & pepper
- 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
- ½ cup water
- 6 cups romaine lettuce, chopped
- 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 15 ounce can corn, drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup grated cheddar and/or jack cheese
- 1 cup salsa
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up the meat, until beef is browned, about 5 minutes. Add the taco seasoning and water and reduce heat to a low simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is mostly gone and meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Assemble the salads: Divide lettuce between 4 storage containers, pushing it to the right side of the container. Holding the container so that it tilts to the right, place the beans and corn next to the lettuce. Once the meat is completely cooled, carefully spoon it into the left side of each container.
- Add tomatoes on top of the beans and corn, and sprinkle the cheese across the top of the lunch bowls.
- Add ¼ cup salsa on top of the taco meat. Seal each container with a lid and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- When ready to eat, shake or stir to combine and enjoy!
I love those days when I already have lunch planned…it really gives me something to look forward to! And I really need to start meal prepping more. Taco salad bowls sound like the perfect place to start. Sounds like such a delicious recipe, Kristine!
Always a great feeling when you’ve got lunch all planned out and you know it’s a good one! I love the look of this lunch bowl and even better that it’s so easy to put together. Thanks for sharing it!
I love when I have my lunch made ahead (or any meal for that matter), and I would look forward to eating these every day! I love all things Mexican and these taco salad bowls would keep me coming back for more!
Do you eat the ground beef/turkey cold??
Yes, I do. It doesn’t bother me that it’s cold in these salads!
I put my meat in a ziploc or small container, warm, and add to my salad each day!
This is delish!! And I love your taco seasoning recipe too! Thank you for sharing as this will definitely be a part of my meal rotation now 🙂
Thank you, Blair! It always puts a smile on my face when people enjoy my recipes enough to add them to their regular rotation! ?
Delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it!
Will this stay good through out the whole week if I make it on Sunday?
When refrigerated promptly after cooking, cooked ground beef can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I wouldn’t advise eating these salads after 3-4 days.
If i don’t like black beans can they be replaced with something else or just not out then in?
You could omit or replace with pinto beans or something else that will last if meal prepping.
I have these Taco Bowls every other week since I found this idea you shared. The only things I add are green peppers to the meat after it’s cooked and cooling, stir em right in there. And I also add taco sauce and crumbled tortilla chips to the top of the salad after I mix it. So good, it’s like eating a layered taco dip for lunch. Thank you for sharing!
Do you know the nutrition facts to each serving? Calories?
Hi Chelsea,
I have updated the recipe with estimated nutrition information after the recipe instructions. Thank you.
This was very very good.
So you don’t have to cook the corn or the beans? Just drain the can and toss it in?
Yes, I just drain and rinse them and add them to the salads.
How long do they last in the fridge? I want to make 5 for a working week and wondering if they will last Monday-Friday
You can store them in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.