Beef Taco Bowl Meal Prep

PREP

30 mins

|

COOK

20 mins

|

SERVES

5

|

DIFFICULTY

Medium

↓ Jump to Recipe
Chef Jack Ovens
Qualified Chef · 1.63M Subscribers
Updated August 2026

Spiced beef mince, charred corn salsa, black beans, rice, and a drizzle of sriracha mayo, layered into containers for the week. A proper loaded taco bowl without the shell.

Toast the corn dry, without oil, that direct contact with the hot pan is what gives it a lightly charred, nutty flavour, adding oil just steams it instead. Break the beef mince up finely as it browns too, so the spice mix coats every surface evenly.

Keep the corn salsa, cheese, and sriracha mayo fresh rather than freezing them, the beef and rice freeze well for up to 3 months, but the fresh components hold their texture much better made a day or two ahead instead.

Beef Taco Bowl Meal Prep

MEAL PREP · MEDIUM

Why You'll Love This Beef Taco Bowl

All the taco flavour, none of the soggy shell

Dry-toasting the corn instead of sautéing it in oil gives it a proper charred, nutty edge, exactly the kind of detail that separates this from a thrown-together bowl.

Keeping the fresh salsa, cheese, and sriracha mayo separate from the beef and rice is what keeps this actually good by day four, nobody wants soggy salsa on a Wednesday.

This is a genuinely satisfying, high protein bowl that doesn't feel like diet food, properly spiced beef and real texture in every component.

Beef Taco Bowl Meal Prep

4.24000 from 25 votes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 50 minutes
Calories: 939.7kcal
Servings: 5 People

Ingredients

Corn Salsa

  • 400 g Corn Kernels Drained
  • 2 Tomatoes Diced
  • ½ Red Onion Diced
  • 1 Jalapeño Diced
  • 10 g Coriander (Cilantro) Chopped
  • 2 Limes Juiced
  • Salt To Taste

Spiced Beef Mix

  • 10 ml Olive Oil
  • 750 g Beef Mince (Ground Beef)
  • 4 g Ground Cumin
  • 1 g Dried Oregano
  • 4 g Smoked Paprika
  • 2 g Chilli Powder
  • 180 ml Beef Stock
  • 3 Spring Onions (Scallions) Sliced
  • Salt To Taste

Remaining Ingredients

  • 400 g Black Beans Drained & Rinsed
  • 120 g Cheddar Cheese Grated
  • 350 g Basmati Rice Washed
  • 700 ml Cold Water
  • 3 Spring Onions (Scallions) Sliced
  • Sriracha Mayonnaise Garnish
  • Salt & Pepper

Method

Salsa

  • Place a medium pan over medium-high heat. Add the drained corn kernels and toast for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly charred and nutty. Remove from the heat and place into a bowl to cool.
  • Once cooled, add the tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, coriander, and lime juice to the same bowl. Mix well and adjust seasoning if necessary. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.

Rice

  • In a large saucepan, add the washed rice, cold water, and salt to taste. Stir to prevent clumping and bring to a boil. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 14 minutes, undisturbed.
  • Turn off the heat and leave the lid on for a final 4 minutes to finish steaming. Remove the lid, fluff with a fork or spatula, and let cool slightly.

Beef Taco Mix

  • Place a large pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil and beef mince and fry for 6-7 minutes, breaking it apart as it cooks, until browned all over and cooked through to an internal temperature of at least 71°C (160°F).
  • Add the spice mix, white root spring onion, and seasoning to taste. Mix to combine and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the beef stock, bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Remove from the heat.

Serving

  • Divide all components across 5 meal prep containers. The best formation is rice, cheese, beef mix, corn salsa, and black beans. Garnish with green stem spring onion and sriracha mayonnaise. Dig in.
Chef's Tips
Toast the corn dry, without oil — that direct contact with the hot pan is what gives it the lightly charred, nutty flavour, and adding oil just steams it instead.
Break the beef mince up finely as it browns so the spice mix coats every surface evenly, rather than clumping around a few larger chunks.
Keep the salsa's fresh ingredients (tomato, onion, lime, coriander) separate from the components you're freezing — they hold their texture far better made fresh a day or two before eating than sitting in the fridge or freezer for the full week.
Storage & Reheating
The beef mix and rice both keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days, or in the freezer for up to 3 months in separate airtight containers. The corn salsa, cheese, and sriracha mayo are all best kept fresh — the salsa's tomato and onion will turn watery after a few days and won't freeze well, the cheese can turn grainy once frozen and thawed, and the sriracha mayo will split in the freezer. Reheat the beef and rice in the microwave or a pan until piping hot, then top with the salsa, cheese, and sriracha mayo just before eating.
Serving 650gCalories 939.7kcalCarbohydrates 99.3gProtein 61.4gFat 33gSaturated Fat 12.4gPolyunsaturated Fat 4.72gMonounsaturated Fat 11.97gTrans Fat 0.8gCholesterol 158.1mgSodium 721mgPotassium 1364.3mgFiber 12.9gSugar 5.9gVitamin A 407.8IUVitamin C 28.02mgCalcium 312.9mgIron 10.8mg
Common Questions
Why keep the corn salsa separate from the beef and rice in storage?

The tomato and onion turn watery after a few days stored with warm components, and the salsa won't freeze well at all. Keeping it separate and fresh keeps the texture right.

Can I use chicken or turkey mince instead of beef?

Yes, the spice mix works well with either. Just make sure poultry mince reaches 74°C (165°F) rather than the 71°C (160°F) used for beef.

Why toast the corn without oil?

Direct contact with the hot, dry pan is what gives the corn its lightly charred, nutty flavour. Adding oil just steams it instead of letting it char.

Can I make this spicier?

Easily, add extra chilli powder to the beef mix or leave the jalapeño seeds in for the salsa instead of removing them. The sriracha mayo already brings a bit of heat too.

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14 thoughts on “Beef Taco Bowl Meal Prep”

  1. 5 stars
    Another exquisite recipes! Those chargrilled sweetcorn with tomatoes, onions, coriander and jalapeño taste amazing. Together with rice the beff mince cheese and bean O.M.W! I couldn’t resist to wait for my lunch break 😂 I had to eat some straight away 😅. Thank you

  2. 3 stars
    I really enjoyed the corn and salsa but I found the beef a bit bland. Next time I think it will take a lot more spice as I followed weights and measures to a t and it had no real flavour from the spice at all.

    1. Hi Tania, I appreciate your honesty. I wanted to ask, are your spiced fresh? The beef has an incredible flavour with the weight provided. If you’re spices are not fresh, the flavour is drastically reduced.

  3. Hi Chef,

    What meat blend are you using to achieve ~77g of protein per portion? When I divide up my portions using 800g’s of 85-15 ground beef, my calculated macro’s are only 47g of protein per portion (including everything in the recipie). For cheese, I use 140g of marble cheddar, and I use 19fl Oz of black beans. am I missing something in the recipie or my calculations?

    It is a really tasty recipie and I still enjoyed it very much!! Looking forward to trying more mealprep stuff, probably something breakfast related 🙂

    1. I’ll be updating the macro amounts for all these recipes. I can’t guarantee the accuracy of this one as I had outdated software. Please bear with me and I’ll have it updated.

  4. 5 stars
    I ate this every night for a week, it was one of the yummiest beef meals I’ve prepped! So glad I found your page as a college student getting by with homemade meals on a budget. Thanks for being a LIFESAVER!!

4.24 from 25 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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