Taco Lunch Bowls

Last Updated on March 5, 2025 by Annie

These healthy turkey taco lunch bowls are filling, flavorful, and easy to make. With just a few simple steps, you can easily meal prep these taco salads bowls for a week of healthy lunches.

I feel like everyone has copied the Chipotle Style of making foods. In the last month I have been to Poké, Korean, Mediterranean, pizza, and breakfast places that all follow the same assembly line model of selecting what you want… OMG that was Subway’s model WAY before it was Chipotle… I am rethinking everything I thought I knew…

I digress, these taco lunch bowls remind me of making burrito bowls at Chipotle. You can put in what you like and leave out the things you don’t. It’s kind of the best way to make food especially when you are prepping meals for more than one person in the house.

These taco bowls use my favorite Turkey Taco Meat and are built up from there. The best part about these bowls is that the guac ain’t extra.

Why We LOVE to Meal Prep these Taco Bowls

• Filling. This is not one of those salad bowls that will leave you hungry just after you finish. Packed with protein, rice, fresh veggies, and more you are sure to enjoy every last bite!
• Easy. You can quickly whip up the turkey taco meat and cilantro lime rice in about 30 minutes making these lunch bowls a quick and easy meal.
• Keeps for 5 days. When stored properly, these taco lunch bowls can easily be made and stored for up to 5 days. Check out the storing tips below for this delicious lunch meal prep recipe.

How to Make Taco Lunch Bowls

Ingredients You’ll Need

• Turkey Taco Meat– A healthy ground turkey recipe seasoned with a homemade blend of spices.
• Cilantro Lime Rice– Fresh long grain rice elevated with fresh cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
• Beans and Corn
• Fresh lettuce
• Extra toppings

Read on to learn how to make this delicious taco salad recipe and check out some of my favorite toppings below!

MAKE THE TURKEY TACO MEAT

• Brown the ground turkey: In a skillet over medium heat, brown 1 pound of ground turkey, until no longer pink.
• Dice an onion: While the turkey cooks, dice one medium onion and set aside.
• Make the taco seasoning: In a medium bowl stir together garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and oregano.
• Add onion, garlic, and spices: Once the turkey is no longer pink, add diced onion, minced garlic, and the spices to the pan.
• Stir and cook for 3-5 minutes until the onion is tender and the spices coat the meat.
• Add tomato sauce: Pour tomato sauce into the skillet, stir with the ground turkey.
• Cook on low: Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes.

MAKE CILANTRO LIME RICE

I start by making the rice for the Cilantro Lime Rice by following my simple long grain rice recipe.

• Boil water: To begin bring 2 cups of water to boil over medium high heat.
• Add rice and seasoning: Once boiling, stir in 1 cup of long grain rice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 tablespoon vegan butter.
• Return to a boil.
• Reduce heat and cover: Stir the rice twice, cover and reduce heat to low.
• Cook for 15 minutes.
• Remove from heat: Once 15 minutes are up, leave the cover on the pot and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes.
• Add cilantro, lime, and salt: Add 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and a pinch or two of salt. Stir and taste. Add additional salt, cilantro, or lime juice as needed.

ASSEMBLE THE TACO BOWLS

The final ingredients you will want to prep for these bowls can be done while the rice and taco meat are cooking.

• Lettuce: Wash and chop romaine, or your favorite lettuce, and set aside.
• Corn and Beans: Wash and drain 1 can black beans and 1 can corn. Mix the two together and set aside until ready to assemble.
• Assembly: In a meal prep container add 1/2 cup of taco meat, 1/2 cup cilantro lime rice, 1/4 cup bean and corn mixture, and 1/4 cup chopped romaine.

Top it Off

If you are looking for more ways to top these delicious taco salad bowls here are just a few of my favorite toppings to use:

• Homemade Guacamole
• Fresh Pico de Gallo
• Swap the corn for Mexican Street Corn Dip
• Add chopped jalapeño, cilantro, or green onion
• A dollop of vegan sour cream

Helpful Kitchen Tools

When it comes to making these dairy-free turkey taco meat lunch bowls, there are a few kitchen tools you might find handy.

• Pyrex Storage Containers– I love these 3 cup containers for storing the taco lunch bowls.
• Skillet– A simple non-stick skillet works great for cooking the turkey taco meat.
• Sauce pan– Perfect for cooking a batch of cilantro lime rice.

Storage Suggestions

These taco salad lunch bowls keep for about 5 days if properly stored correctly. To store these meal prep taco salads:

• Bag the lettuce and other leafy greens separately from the meat, corn/beans, and rice.
• Don’t add avocado or guacamole to the salad bowl until you are ready to eat.
• Keep in an air-tight container.

Lunch Bowl Meal Prep Ideas

Looking for more simple and delicious meal prep ideas for a week of healthy lunches? Here are some of my favorite recipes for lunch prep:

• Shrimp Taco Lunch Bowls
• Greek Chicken Hummus Bowls
• Southwest Chicken Burrito Bowl

If you tried this turkey taco lunch bowl recipe please let me know in the comments below!

You can also share a picture of it with me on Instagram by tagging @mylifeafterdairy so I can see all of your life after dairy adventures!

Looking for more delicious dairy-free recipes and tips? Sign up for my newsletter below to get the most helpful recipes, tips, and products for your life after dairy.

Taco Lunch Bowls

Print Recipe

These turkey taco meal prep bowls make an excellent lunch for a busy week!

• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 10 1x
• Category: Lunch
• Cuisine: Tex-Mex

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

Turkey Taco Meat

• 1 pound Ground Turkey Meat
• 1 Onion (diced)
• 1 pod Garlic (diced)
• 2 teaspoon Garlic Powder
• 2 teaspoon Cumin
• 2 teaspoon Chili Powder
• 2 teaspoon Paprika
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• 8 ounce Tomato Sauce
• 4 ounce Water

Cilantro Lime Rice

• 2 cups Water
• 1 cup Rice (long grain)
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Vegan Butter
• ¼ cup Cilantro (for Cilantro Lime Rice)
• 2 Tablespoon Lime Juice (for Cilantro Lime Rice)

Additional Toppings

• Romaine Lettuce (Chopped and Rinsed)
• 1 can Whole Corn
• 1 can Black Beans
• Green Onion (for Garnish)
• Avocado (for Garnish)
• Cilantro (for Garnish)
• Red Onion (for Garnish)
• Pico de Gallo (Optional)
• Guacamole (Optional)

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Instructions

Make the Turkey Taco Meat

1. In a skillet, on medium heat, brown 1 pound ground turkey until no longer pink.
2. Add the onion, garlic, and spices to the pan. Cook for a few minutes, until onion is tender and the seasoning has covered the meat.
3. Add the tomato sauce and water, as needed, to the pan. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Make Cilantro Lime Rice

1. To begin, measure 2 cups of water. Pour into a medium saucepan. Bring the water to boil over medium high heat.
2. Once boiling, stir in 1 cup rice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 Tablespoon vegan butter. Return to a boil.
3. Stir twice, cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes.
4. Once 15 minutes are up, leave the cover on the pot and remove from heat. Let sit 5 minutes.
5. Next stir in 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, and a pinch of salt. Taste and adjust as needed.
6. Begin by making the rice into cilantro lime rice. Mix ¼ c. cilantro and 2 Tbsp Lime Juice into the rice to make the cilantro lime rice.

Assemble the Taco Bowls

1. Rinse and chop a heat of romaine and set aside.
2. Rinse and drain 1 can of black beans and 1 can of corn. Mix together and set aside until ready to assemble.
3. In your lunch Tupperwares, scoop about ½ c. cilantro lime rice, then scoop about ½ c. Turkey Taco Meat, then add a scoop of the black beans and corn mixture.
4. In a reusable ziplock bag or additional Tupperware put the chopped romaine, cilantro, green onion, red onion, and avocado. If you are adding pico de gallo and guacamole you can put them in a small Tupperware to be added in with the rest of the greens.
5. When you are ready to enjoy your lunch simply heat up the meat, rice, and corn/beans mixture then toss the greens in with it and enjoy!

Notes

All toppings and mix ins are optional, feel free to dress your bowl up how you see fit.

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