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.
Servings 4 Servings
Ingredients
- 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,
Instructions
- 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.