High Protein Meal Prep Taco Salad Recipe (50g Protein Each!)
These high protein meal prep taco salads are a fantastic easy make-ahead meal you can prep on the weekend and enjoy throughout the week. It’s a simple recipe that is hearty, satisfying, and makes an excellent lunch you can take to the office or on the go.
Start by chopping your vegetables, cooking your ground beef, and preparing your refried beans to make these easy bowls in less than 30 minutes. You get a full week’s worth of meals that are inexpensive and delicious. See our step-by-step photos and video below.
Want more easy high protein meal prep recipes? Try our high protein cottage cheese and beef bowls, our high protein macro cottage cheese salads, and our favorite, high protein cottage cheese caprese salads.
This year we have been all about high protein meal prep recipes – it’s been one of the things I’ve implemented in our home since I became a nutrition coach. Every week I try to make a new and delicious one that I can take with me to the office – or enjoy for a quick meal if I am working from home.
I love meal prepping because you just cook once on the weekend and you have ready-made meals to grab throughout the week. These high protein taco salad bowls have 50g of protein each, and are delicious, hearty, and so good.
Why This Recipe Works
- These meal prep salads are filling, satisfying, and have 50 g of protein each
- They use the inexpensive base of chopped vegetables and beans, making them a great lunch option if you are on a budget
- The whole recipe takes about 30 minutes to make so you can easily and quickly prep a full week’s worth of lunches in no time
- These bowls are versatile. You can add in your favorite taco toppings or substitute in other great ingredients as desired. See our suggestions below.
- Cooks of any skill level can successfully meal prep these high-protein taco salads by following along with our step-by-step photos and our video in the post below
Ingredients You’ll Need
Be sure to visit the recipe card below for full ingredient amounts and recipe instructions!
The base of this recipe is lean ground beef. We try to use the leanest ground sirloin we can find, 95% lean or 93% lean.
We also like adding in canned refried beans. You can make your own refried beans from canned pinto beans or just buy a can of premade refried beans, which is super convenient and inexpensive
We like to use chopped vegetables in our salads, and using shredded iceberg lettuce and some fresh salsa gives this recipe a fantastic taco vibe.
And finally we add a bit of shredded cheddar, which adds a little extra protein and a wonderful taco flavor. You can use taco blend cheese or any kind of Mexican shredded blend cheese
Additions and Substitutions
Instead of ground beef you can easily substitute in lean ground turkey or ground chicken if you desire. Using a different meat may alter the protein amounts slightly per serving so be sure to calculate protein based on your ingredients
Instead of fresh salsa you could use diced tomatoes or even use a different type of salsa, like a salsa verde, if desired
For a more authentic taco salad experience you can serve these with tortilla chips. Bonus points if you can find some high-protein tortilla chips to enjoy along with these and scoop up the salad
How To Make This Recipe
Step 1: In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef and begin to break it apart with a wooden spoon. Stir in the taco seasoning and mix well to combine. Cook for 6-8 minutes until the ground beef is completely browned and there is no more pink in the meat. Once it’s done cooking, set aside.
Step 2: In your meal prep containers, divide the refried beans into four even portions. Then divide the lettuce next to that.
Step 3: Once the beef has cooled, add the ground beef, fresh salsa, shredded cheese, and Greek yogurt.
Step 4: Refrigerate the containers and enjoy within 4 days.
Recipe FAQs
Each of these meal prep bowls has about 50 g of protein per serving as we use lean ground beef, refried beans, and cheese, all of which add a good amount of protein to each taco salad.
These containers will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and you can make them all at once and enjoy them throughout the week. If you want to keep your lettuce extra fresh, don’t chop it until that morning. The longer the chopped lettuce sits, the quicker it can wilt.
You can use lean ground turkey, ground chicken, or even plant-based ground protein like plant-based crumbles instead of the beef
Serving Suggestions
These bowls are fantastic on their own. However if you wanted to serve them with some tortilla chips for a better taco salad experience, feel free to pack some along with these taco salads.
Expert Tips
- If your refried beans are a little thick, heat them up with 2 tbsp. of water or broth and stir well to loosen them. If you’re using canned beans, this is an easier way to get them into the container and gives them a creamier consistency.
- We prefer using a fresh salsa recipe for these taco salads: a fresh pico de gallo salsa adds a really nice flavor. However you could always chop up some fresh tomatoes or use a jarred salsa instead.
- If you want to keep your lettuce extra fresh, you can chop it the morning you enjoy the salad. The longer the chopped salad sits in the fridge, the more it can wilt. Just a note if you want super fresh iceberg lettuce.
More High Protein Beef Recipes
- Creamy Taco Pasta with Ground Beef
- The Best Brisket Burger Recipe
- Ground Beef Kebab Recipe
- Beef Stew with Potatoes Recipe
- Brisket Fried Rice Recipe
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High Protein Meal Prep Taco Salads
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef I used 93% lean
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning see below
- 1.5 cups refried beans
- 1 cup shredded lettuce
- 1 cup fresh salsa
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt & pepper to taste
Method
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the ground beef and begin to break it apart with a wooden spoon. Stir in the taco seasoning and mix well to combine. Cook for 6-8 minutes until the ground beef is completely browned and there is no more pink in the meat. Once it’s done cooking, set aside.
- In your meal prep containers, divide the refried beans into four even portions. Then divide the lettuce next to that.
- Once the beef has cooled, add the ground beef, fresh salsa, shredded cheese, and Greek yogurt.
- Refrigerate the containers and enjoy within 4 days.
Nutrition
Notes
- If your refried beans are a little thick, heat them up with 2 tbsp. of water or broth and stir well to loosen them. If you’re using canned beans, this is an easier way to get them into the container and gives them a creamier consistency.
- We prefer using a fresh salsa recipe for these taco salads: a fresh pico de gallo salsa adds a really nice flavor. However you could always chop up some fresh tomatoes or use a jarred salsa instead.
- If you want to keep your lettuce extra fresh, you can chop it the morning you enjoy the salad. The longer the chopped salad sits in the fridge, the more it can wilt. Just a note if you want super fresh iceberg lettuce.
Private Notes
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