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This taco in a bowl recipe takes taco fillings to a whole new level. Ground beef, homemade taco seasoning, Mexican rice, green chilies, salsa, black beans, and shredded cheese are topped with sour cream, avocado, and cilantro for a delicious taco meal without the shell. A taco rice bowl so perfect, you'll want to save the leftovers for easy meal prep lunches.
What Makes This Recipe Great
I love tacos, and while there are a ton of options for gluten-free taco shells these days, sometimes I just want all the fillings, without a shell. Enter, this taco in a bowl recipe.
Move over burrito bowls, this beef taco rice bowl is the newest star! Filled with ground beef, homemade taco seasoning, Mexican rice, green chilies, salsa, black beans, and shredded cheese, these bowls are so delicious and satisfying.
They have all of the yummy taco flavors and ingredients, and you won't even miss the shell. Top with avocado, sour cream, cilantro, or shredded cheese, and enjoy!
Ingredient Notes
For the full list of ingredients, please see the recipe card below.
Ground Beef: I used lean ground beef. If you use 80/20, you will need to drain the fat after sautéing it. You can also substitute ground turkey to make a turkey taco bowl.
Olive Oil: You can also use avocado oil.
Garlic: You can mince fresh garlic cloves or use a jar of minced garlic.
Green Chilies: Use a small can of mild green chilies.
Salsa: Use whichever brand is your favorite, and whichever spice level you prefer.
Black Beans: I like using black beans, but feel free to use pinto beans.
Shredded Cheese: If you are dairy free, you can omit this or use dairy-free cheese shreds. If you are okay with dairy, use whichever blend of shredded cheese you like.
White Rice: If you want to substitute brown rice instead, you can. You might need a bit more chicken broth if the brown rice absorbs more liquid.
Homemade Taco Seasoning: Instead of using a packet, I make my homemade taco seasoning by using 1 tbsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 1.5 tsp paprika, 1.5 tsp oregano, and 1.5 tsp sea salt.
Recipe Step by Step
- Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat.
- Saute the onions, pepper, and garlic for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground beef and saute while breaking it up with a wooden spoon until no pink remains.
- Add in the can of diced green chiles, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and oregano. Stir until combined and fragrant.
- Add in the tomato paste and salsa and stir. Pour in chicken broth, beans, and rice. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low for 16-18 minutes, occasionally stirring, until the rice is tender and the liquid has been absorbed.
- Sprinkle the cheese on top, then cover again until the cheese is melted. You can keep it on low heat while it melts.
- Serve topped with avocado, cilantro, sour cream, or other desired toppings!
Mary's Tips & Tricks
Turkey Taco Bowl: If you want, you can use ground turkey taco meat for this recipe instead of beef.
Corn: I didn't add corn to my taco rice bowl, but you can if you would like to. Add one can of corn, but be sure to drain and rinse the corn before adding it to the skillet. Add the beans, then the corn.
Storage: Store leftovers without toppings in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Serve with desired toppings when ready to eat.
Toppings: Top your taco rice bowl with shredded cheese, tortilla chips, sour cream, guacamole, avocado, and/or cilantro.
Meal Prep: For easy taco bowl meal prep, store each serving in its own container for a quick, grab-and-go lunch.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! For easy taco bowl meal prep, store each serving in its own container for a quick, grab-and-go lunch.
Yes! Use beyond meat or your favorite beef alternative and follow the same instructions to make a vegan taco bowl. Use vegan shredded cheese and vegan sour cream for the toppings.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes…
Instant Pot Mexican Cheesy Rice
Mexican Street Corn and Tomato Salad
Cheesy Taco Skillet
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chiles
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp onion powder
- 1.5 tsp paprika
- 1.5 tsp sea salt
- 1.5 tsp oregano
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup salsa
- 1 ⅓ cups long grain white rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese, or cheese of choice – feel free to use dairy free shreds!
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onions, pepper, and garlic and stir for 2-3 minutes. Add the ground beef and saute while breaking up with a wooden spoon until no pink remains.
- Add in the can of diced green chiles + the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt and oregano and stir until combined and fragrant.
- Add in the tomato paste and salsa and stir. Pour in chicken broth, beans, and rice. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium low for 18-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender and liquid has been absorbed.
- Add cheese on top, then cover again until the cheese is melted (you can keep it on low heat while it melts).
- Serve topped with avocado, cilantro, sour cream, or other desired toppings!
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
Really enjoyed this recipe! I will definitely make this again. Love one pot meals!! Thanks Mary!
Thanks Tracey!
Just made this for dinner last night, and it was so easy to prepare and was absolutely delicious. We will definitely be making this on a regular basis.
Thank you so much!
Thanks Sylvia!
Very good and perfect for meal prep!
Where has this blog been all my life!? This was so good. I’ve made it twice already. I followed the recipe exactly the first time and my rice came out crunchy and undercooked but I loved the flavor, so I decided to make it again but cook the rice separately. I made the rice with chicken broth in a seperate pan, then added it to the meat mixture before putting the cheese on top. That seemed to work and it tasted just as good!
Depending on what type of rice you use, it can sometimes take longer to cook or require more broth. Glad you made it work for you and that you love it!!
So easy and so delish! My 7 year old and 1 year old loved it! Thanks for making cooking easy and delicious for gluten free families
So glad you enjoyed it Kristan!
Rice undercooked.
Made this per the recipe with white long grain rice and the rice was still firm and near-crunchy at the end of cook time. The outside of the rice seemed to be cooked but when you chewed it, it was firm in the middle.
Added more broth, more cook time, followed by more water and time, lid on, lid off, nothing helped. Probably at least an hour or more. 🙁
We were so hungry we ate it like it was. Tasty flavors but will not try again unless I figure out how to modify it and used already cooked rice.
Only thing I could think of was the pot. Didn’t have a deep skillet so I used a 10 inch wide 6qt pot.
Sorry to hear this Shannon- it definitely could’ve been the pot not being wide enough to cook the rice evenly in a thin layer – I do think that is key for this recipe. Lots of positive reviews on this and I make it all the time without issue. Again- my apologies it didn’t work out!
Delicious! Will be adding into weekly rotation 😊
Yay thanks Kayla!
The flavor is great! BUT, my rice was really u recooked. Might need to try a different pan next time. I had to add more broth and cook about 30 mins total. I followed the receipt exactly, so it must be the pan / lid I used?
Hi Robyn – it could also depend on the type of rice used! I’m sorry it didn’t work out!
At this point Im not sure why I am shocked at how good stuff is from Mary! Flavorful, one pot, whole family loved.
Thank you Lynn!
So quick and easy and delicious! Definitely going to be a dish I will make again and again 😊
Thank you Barbara!