This Ground Beef Taco Bowl recipe is packed with bold flavors of seasoned ground beef, fluffy rice, fresh toppings, and our homemade avocado lime ranch dressing for a kick of fresh flavor.
Easy Taco Rice Bowls
Swap the tortilla for rice and freshen up your classic taco with this easy dinner recipe. It’s the same taco flavors that you know and love, but over a bed of fluffy rice and drizzled with our homemade avocado lime ranch dressing. But if you’re looking for the classic, check out our Ground Beef Tacos.
Looking for More Rice Bowl Recipes?
Then you’ve got to try our popular Bang Bang Shrimp Rice Bowls!
What You Will Need
- plain Greek yogurt & mayo – The base that gives this homemade salad dressing its creamy texture.
- fresh cilantro – Our favorite herb for adding the perfect amount of freshness and amazing flavor.
- avocado – Adds the best creaminess complete with plant based fats. A ripe avocado will give a little bit when lightly squeezed.
- lime juice and lime zest – Just a bit of acid to balance out the creamy flavors.
- dijon mustard, garlic, and red wine vinegar – Hard working ingredients that add a depth of flavor.
- onion powder and garlic powder – Spice cabinet staples that add the best flavor.
- kosher salt & ground black pepper – Can’t forget about the OG spices!
- extra virgin olive oil – Just a bit to help cook up the ground beef.
- sweet yellow onion – Adds a depth of flavor to the ground beef.
- ground beef – A hard working protein that soaks up all the flavors in this yummy dish.
- taco seasoning* – Learn how to make homemade taco seasoning or grab your favorite store bought brand.
- cooked rice – We love grabbing bags of pre-cooked rice to make dinner even easier.
- black beans – Adds fiber, protein and texture.
- cherry tomatoes – A pop of color and subtle sweetness.
- shredded Colby cheese – Because what’s a taco without cheese?!
- red onion, sour cream, guacamole, fresh cilantro, and lime wedges – These are our favorite toppings, but add the ones you love best!
How To Make A Ground Beef Taco Bowl
Start by gathering and measuring all of your ingredients.
Then gather all of the avocado lime ranch dressing ingredients and blend them in a food processor until smooth. Place it in a mason jar or another storage container in the refrigerator to save until later.
Next, bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat and add the olive oil so that it coats the pan. Then add in the diced onion and stir it around the pan until it becomes softened. Lastly, add the ground beef and taco seasoning and cook until the ground beef is no longer pink
Ground Beef Taco Bowl Meal Prep
If you’re meal prepping this recipe, stop here! Store your avocado lime ranch dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator and the same goes for your taco meat. The dressing will last for about a week in the fridge and the taco meat will last for 3-4 days. When you’re ready to assemble your bowls, pull out the taco meat, warm it up, and follow the remaining steps to assemble your bowl.
Now it’s time to assemble your bowl! Divide the cooked rice between four bowls, top with a scoop or two of taco meat and then add your desired toppings and a drizzling of our avocado lime ranch dressing!
We love serving this easy dinner with lime wedges, shredded cheese, black beans, halved cherry tomatoes, homemade guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, and red onion, but feel free to add your favorite toppings to the menu.
Recipe FAQs and Tips
- Taco Meat: Want a set it and forget it option? Try out our crockpot taco meat recipe!
- dairy-free: Use a dairy-free yogurt alternative in the dressing, a dairy-free sour cream, and omit the cheese.
- storage: The rice, ground beef, and dressing should all be stored in separate containers in the refridgerator. Storing all of the components together will cause the flavors and colors to bleed into one another, making for a sloppy looking meal.
- nutrition: The nutrition information at the bottom of the recipe card only accounts for the rice bowl and the cilantro lime ranch dressing. It does not account for any toppings like cheese, guacamole, etc.
Made this taco rice bowl and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
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Other Taco Recipes You Might Like
Ground Beef Taco Bowl
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our delicious Taco Bowl recipe is an easy weeknight dinner that is full of all the best flavors all in one rice bowl!
Ingredients
Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing:
- 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup mayo
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/2 of a small avocado, cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- zest of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Rice Bowl:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 sweet yellow onion, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 package taco seasoning*
- 4 cups cooked rice
- 1 can of black beans, drained & rinsed
Toppings:
- cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- shredded Colby cheese
- red onion, sliced
- sour cream
- guacamole
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Make Dressing: Put all of the Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth. Set aside.
- Taco Meat: Bring a large cast iron skillet to a medium-high heat, add the olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan, and sauté the onion until soft and transluscent. Add the ground beef, break apart and move around the hot pan until fully browned. Add the taco seasoning and mix to combine.
- Build Bowls & Serve: Divide the cooked rice, taco meat, and canned beans evenly between bowls. Add your desired toppings on top of each bowl and enjoy with the Avocado Lime Ranch Dressing!
Notes
- *Taco Seasoning: option to easily make homemade taco seasoning or pick-up a store-bought version at your local grocery store.
- Dairy-Free: simply use a dairy-free yogurt alternative in the dressing, dairy-free sour cream, and omit the cheese or use a dairy-free alternative.
- Nutrition info does not include the optional toppings, because amounts will vary.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 oz
- Calories: 294
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 554.7 mg
- Fat: 14.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 15.8 g
- Protein: 24.4 g
- Cholesterol: 53.7 mg
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