Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl (low carb)
If you are on a health journey or want to make getting a delicious meal in a hectic weekly schedule a little bit easier, I have a great recipe for you today! This is the Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl (low carb) recipe you will see today! It’s versatile, tasty, and holds up well prepared in advance. A crispy, low-carb tortilla is layered with cauliflower rice, seasoned taco meat, cheese dip, and all your favorite taco toppings for a meal that will make you forget that you are trying to eat healthy. This isn’t “diet” food. This is just GOOD FOOD!
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Mexican food is one of my all-time favorite cuisines. I mean, what’s not to like? Warm tortillas, salsa, seasoned meats, fresh veggies, cilantro, and LIME! (I could go on and on and on about ingredients!) There are so many combinations of flavors that the possibilities are endless! And when I started meal prepping and beginning my health journey, I knew that I didn’t want to say goodbye to my favorite foods. The good news is that I didn’t have to. I just had to make some adjustments to keep the meals I loved macro-friendly.
You might be asking; what kind of adjustments are you talking about, Jessie? It’s nothing major, so don’t get discouraged. I’m making mindful swaps like low-carb tortillas, cauliflower rice, and low-fat cheeses. And when I need texture in my dishes or with my meals, I ensure that the “crunch” in the dish is working for me and not against me. I do that with protein chips instead of regular fried tortilla chips. I need to keep my calories and carbs low and my protein high, and that’s a great way to do it.
That’s where the KETO part of this recipe comes in. The Keto diet is a diet that targets the carbs consumed daily. By reducing that net carb intake, you are forcing your body to turn to other things for fuel, namely fat stored in the body. It’s an incredibly effective way of losing weight and can be helpful if you are trying to get into shape and even reduce the amount of sugar in your diet. (Carbs = sugar)
Click here to learn all the specifics of the KETO DIET.
Let’s talk about the star of this dish, the CRISPY SHELL! I don’t know about you, but when I order a taco salad at a restaurant or a fast-food place, I feel guilty for eating the shell. It’s because I’ve already eaten my weight in chips and salsa, and I’m fully aware that the shell is deep-fried. (Who needs that extra guilt!?) Plus, I’ve always found the shells at restaurants to taste greasy and even a little stale. They’ve never been my favorite. And it’s such a shame because I’m an advocate for not wasting food at all, and if that bowl isn’t eaten, it’s simply tossed in the trash. NO BUENO!
But this CRISPY SHELL is one that you don’t have to feel guilty about. It’s low-carb, low-calorie, and not deep-fried! Once you realize how easy it is to make your own taco shells at home, I think you will be using this method a lot for other dishes.
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Another thing that I like about this particular meal prep dish is that it’s something the whole family loves. Make this on your next “Taco Tuesday” and watch it become a family favorite. As I said in the introduction, this isn’t “diet food”; it is just GOOD FOOD. And that helps us moms/wives so much when we have to cook meals for everyone, not just ourselves. Making a dish everyone can eat is less work for us and keeps us from feeling left out. (And I believe in sitting together at the dinner table every evening.)
You can make this meal even more fun for the kids if you place their favorite toppings on the table so that they can customize their own Taco Salad Bowls. (The toppings I have listed in the recipe are for macro-friendly reasons. Feel free to make adjustments for your tastes by adding some of these additional toppings.)
Additional Toppings Ideas:
- Green onions
- jalapeno peppers
- black olives
- bell pepper
- green chiles
- red onions
- hot sauce
Tips for the Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl (low carb):
- Store the Best Keto Taco Salad Bowls in the same oven-safe bowl you used to shape the tortillas. This cuts down on your dishes and ensures a perfect fit. Also, if the bowl is oven-safe, it will be microwave-safe for reheating.
Make the Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl (low carb) with me on YouTube!
Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl (low carb) Ingredients:
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (93/7)
- 4 low-carb tortillas
- 8 tablespoons nacho cheese
- 3 cups cauliflower rice
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 2/3 cup water
Toppings:
- 2 tablespoons light sour cream
- Fresh cilantro
- 1/2 lime (quartered)
- 1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons Pico de Gallo
- 6 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- hot sauce/taco sauce to taste
Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl (low carb) Instructions:
PREPARING THE INGREDIENTS:
- First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (I used my air fryer)
- Second, place the tortilla in a small skillet to warm it up and get a little toasty color.
- Third, remove the warm tortilla from the skillet, shape it in a small oven-safe bowl, and bake it in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes.
- Then, remove the tortilla shell from the oven, set it to the side, and let it cool completely in the bowl.
- Brown the lean ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Next, add the taco seasoning to the meat and mix well. Let the spices become fragrant, and then add the water.
- Stir the meat, spices, and water and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Once the meat is cooked and the water has reduced, set it aside and let it cool.
- Cook the cauliflower rice according to the directions and set it aside to cool.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE (4 Individual servings):
- First, layer the cauliflower rice on the bottom of the taco salad bowl.
- Second, 1/4 of the ground beef mixture should be placed on the cauliflower rice.
- Third, pour the nacho cheese on top of the taco meat.
- Store the stuffed taco bowl in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to eat.
- Place the Pico de Gallo, shredded cheese, sour cream, and lime in a Ziploc bag.
- Place the cilantro and the iceberg lettuce in a separate Ziploc bag.
HEATING/EATING MEAL PREP:
- First, place the stuffed taco bowl (cauliflower rice, meat, and nacho cheese) in the microwave, air fryer, or oven until completely warm.
- Second, add the toppings: Pico de Gallo, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and iceberg lettuce.
- Third, mix the Taco Salad bowl well and finish with a fresh squeeze of lime juice and hot sauce/taco sauce.
- Enjoy for lunch or dinner! All the flavor and NONE of the guilt!
Variations for the Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl (low carb):
- Instead of ground beef, replace it with ground chicken or ground turkey to lower the calorie count. If you aren’t worried about the macros and are just focused on flavor, opt for chorizo or ground pork.
- Feel free to add refried or Ranch-style beans for even more flavor and texture.
Storage for the Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl (low carb):
- Crispy taco bowls can be stored at room temperature in airtight containers or Ziploc bags if not stuffed with meat and cheese.
- Stuffed taco bowls can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Toppings for the Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl can be kept in separate airtight containers or Ziploc bags. (Make sure that you don’t store toppings together that will wilt or diminish in flavor. For example, cilantro and lettuce need to be dry. Don’t store them with any toppings that contain moisture.
What are the Macros for the Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl (low carb)?
Makes 4 servings (Nutritional information below is for 1 serving = 1 taco salad bowl)
- Calories – 395
- Protein – 34 grams
- Carbs – 16.5 grams (net)
- Fat – 18.25 grams
Check out some of my other Keto recipes!
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Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl (low carb)
Equipment
- 1 Skillet
- 1 small oven safe bowl with a lid
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground beef 93/7
- 4 low-carb tortillas
- 8 tablespoons nacho cheese
- 3 cups cauliflower rice
- 1 package taco seasoning
- 2/3 cup water
Toppings:
- 2 tablespoons light sour cream
- Fresh cilantro
- 1/2 lime quartered
- 1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons Pico de Gallo
- 6 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- hot sauce/taco sauce to taste
- Best Keto Taco Salad Bowl low carb Instructions:
Instructions
PREPARING THE INGREDIENTS:
- First, preheat oven to 350 degrees F. (I used my air fryer)
- Second, place the tortilla in a small skillet to warm it up and get a little toasty color.
- Third, remove the warm tortilla from the skillet, shape it in a small oven-safe bowl, and bake it in the preheated oven for 5-8 minutes.
- Then, remove the tortilla shell from the oven, set it to the side, and let it cool completely in the bowl.
- Brown the lean ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Next, add the taco seasoning to the meat and mix well. Let the spices become fragrant, and then add the water.
- Stir the meat, spices, and water and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Once the meat is cooked and the water has reduced, set it aside and let it cool.
- Cook the cauliflower rice according to the directions and set it aside to cool.
HOW TO ASSEMBLE (4 Individual servings):
- First, layer the cauliflower rice on the bottom of the taco salad bowl.
- Second, 1/4 of the ground beef mixture should be placed on the cauliflower rice.
- Third, pour the nacho cheese on top of the taco meat.
- Store the stuffed taco bowl in an airtight container in the fridge until you are ready to eat.
- Place the Pico de Gallo, shredded cheese, sour cream, and lime in a Ziploc bag.
- Place the cilantro and the iceberg lettuce in a separate Ziploc bag.
HEATING/EATING MEAL PREP:
- First, place the stuffed taco bowl (cauliflower rice, meat, and nacho cheese) in the microwave, air fryer, or oven until completely warm.
- Second, add the toppings: Pico de Gallo, shredded cheese, sour cream, cilantro, and iceberg lettuce.
- Third, mix the Taco Salad bowl well and finish with a fresh squeeze of lime juice and hot sauce/taco sauce.
- Enjoy for lunch or dinner! All the flavor and NONE of the guilt!
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