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Home Meal Prep Meal Prep Lunch
4.94
/5
1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Turkey Taco Meal Prep Bowls

Gluten Free Gluten Free Nut Free Nut Free Meal Prep Meal Prep
Jump to Recipe
By: Denise Bustard131 Comments
Posted: 11/5/19 Updated: 1/4/21

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

These turkey taco meal prep bowls are made with juicy turkey taco meat, corn, pico de gallo and brown rice and are simple, but filling. Make them ahead for four delicious lunches.

Meal prep is the best way to ensure that you avoid wasting a whole bunch of money buying your lunch...some of my favorites include these honey sesame chicken bowls and these caprese chicken salad bowls. These turkey taco lunch bowls are perfect if you are craving Mexican food!

overhead view of four Turkey Taco Meal Prep Bowls

These meal prep bowls are not only one of the most popular meal prep recipes on Sweet Peas & Saffron, but one of my personal faves as well!

Inspired by a burrito bowl, but with turkey taco meat, brown rice, corn and a quick pico de gallo for a pretty and delicious meal.

Think of this as a really loose recipe that you can adapt with your favorite toppings.

Reasons you'll ♡ this recipe

  • so tasty!
  • they are simple to prep and make 4 lunches
  • the recipe is easily adaptable

Recipe Video

These meal prep bowls are super simple to prep, but it always helps to have a visual. Watch the video below to see exactly how this recipe comes together. You can find more of my recipe videos on my YouTube channel.

Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!

overhead view of the ingredients needed to make Turkey Taco Meal Prep Bowls

Which ingredients do we need?

This recipe is highly adaptable and are loosely based on a burrito bowl. Here are the components:

  • turkey taco meat- swap the turkey for ground beef, crumbled tofu, or your favorite protein. I used my homemade taco seasoning.
  • brown rice- cooked in my rice cooker. See How to Cook Brown Rice. Swap with long grain white rice, quinoa or cauliflower rice.
  • corn- from a can, frozen or fresh corn work as well
  • pico de gallo- normally I don't love tomatoes in my meal prep but since it's meant to be somewhat 'juicy', it works well in this one!
  • cheese- optional but recommended. I used shredded mozzarella!

Other toppings that would be great in this recipe?

  • roasted sweet potato
  • avocado slices (add just before serving)
  • salsa
  • black beans
  • bell peppers

close up view of Turkey Taco Meal Prep Bowls in meal prep container

Are these served hot or cold? 

They are meant to be served cold, however you can certainly heat them up! If you do plan to heat, I might store the pico de gallo separate and add it in after heating through.

Can I use chicken? 

Yes, you certainly can. I would cut the chicken into small pieces, sautee until cooked through, then add the taco seasoning + water to make the sauce.

Can I make this vegan?

Yes, you can! I would follow directions for the tofu taco 'meat' in this Tofu Tacos post.

What about low carb? 

I would swap the rice for cauliflower rice (here's How to Make Cauliflower Rice!), swap the corn for bell peppers or your favorite lower carb veggie, and maybe add in some healthy fats like avocado to make it more filling.

close up overhead view of Turkey Taco Meal Prep Bowls

More delicious meal prep ideas

  • Cold Sesame Noodle Meal Prep Bowls
  • Maple Ginger Cashew Chicken Stir Fry
  • Vegan Spring Roll Bowl Meal Prep
  • Easy Buddha Bowls 
  • 38 Easy Lunch Meal Prep Recipes

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

overhead shot of four containers filled with turkey taco meal prep bowls

Turkey Taco Meal Prep Bowls

4.94 from 77 votes
Prep Time: 20 minutes mins
Cook Time: 50 minutes mins
Total Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
Print Rate
These turkey taco meal prep bowls with turkey taco meat, corn, pico de gallo and brown rice are simple, but filling. Make them ahead for four delicious lunches.
4

Ingredients

Rice

  • ¾ cup brown rice (uncooked; may be swapped for quinoa or long grain white rice)
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 1 lime (zested)

Turkey

  • ¾ lb lean ground turkey (beef or chicken may be swapped)
  • 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning
  • ⅔ cup water

Salsa

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes (halved)
  • 1 jalapeno (finely chopped)
  • ¼ cup red onion (finely chopped)
  • ½ lime (juiced)
  • ⅛ teaspoon salt

Other:

  • 12 oz can corn kernels (341 mL; drained)
  • ½ cup mozzarella (shredded)

Instructions 

  • Cook brown rice according to package directions, adding the lime zest and salt to the cooking water. Allow to cool slightly before portioning out.
  • Add turkey to a medium pan and cook over medium heat, breaking it up with a spatula until no longer pink (approximately 10 minutes).
  • Sprinkle the taco seasoning over the cooked meat, then add the water. Stir and simmer for a couple of minutes, until sauce has thickened.
  • Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly before portioning out.
  • Combine all salsa ingredients and toss together.
  • To assemble lunch bowls, divide ingredients evenly between four 2-cup capacity meal prep containers.

Storage

  • Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.
  • You may serve cold or warm up in the microwave before enjoying (see * notes)

Tips:

* If you plan to warm these bowls up before serving, you may want to store the pico de gallo separate until after warming the rest of the ingredients up.

Video

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1lunch bowl, Calories: 370kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 553mg, Potassium: 781mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 900IU, Vitamin C: 41mg, Calcium: 114mg, Iron: 3mg
Author: Annie Holmes
Course: Lunch
Cuisine: Mexican

© Sweet Peas & Saffron - Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.

Did You Make This?Don't forget to leave a review below, and tag us on Instagram using @SweetPeasAndSaffron or #sweetpeasandsaffron
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Meet Denise Bustard

Denise Bustard is the creator of Sweet Peas and Saffron, a meal prep-focussed food blog. With a PhD in biochemistry, Denise takes a scientific approach to perfecting her recipes. You can find Denise's work featured on Huffington Post, MSN, Self and more.

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Reader Interactions

4.94 from 77 votes (50 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




  1. Sarah says

    Posted on 8/8/18 at Posted on 8/8/18

    4 stars
    Great recipes, they look so great. I. just wanted to make you aware - rice can give you very bad food poisoning (i’ve experienced it firsthand!)
    Please see this link for safe ways to store rice and they recommend not using past one day....
    https://www.nhs.uk/common-health-questions/food-and-diet/can-reheating-rice-cause-food-poisoning/

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 8/10/18 at Posted on 8/10/18

      Hi Sarah! I'm sorry that you experienced food poisoning, and I can see how this would make you very cautious about rice! I can assure you that if handled properly, rice is 100% safe to eat...I've read up to 5 days after cooking, but personally I don't do longer than 4 days. The key is to get it in the fridge as quickly as possible, as the harmful bacteria replicate at room temperature. I have been doing this for years and have never had any issues...we even freeze rice at our house.

      Reply
  2. Georgia says

    Posted on 6/24/18 at Posted on 6/24/18

    I’m literally in the process of making these to this weeks lunch and I’m so excited to try them out! Do you re-heat it for lunch or eat it cold?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 6/26/18 at Posted on 6/26/18

      Hi Georgia! I've done it either way! Some people like to keep the salsa separate to re-heat but I just heat the whole thing 🙂

      Reply
  3. Chantelle says

    Posted on 6/19/18 at Posted on 6/19/18

    5 stars
    I made these last night for my boyfriend and I for the week. We loved them! For a man who loves eating out for lunch regularly I was extremely pleased that he liked this healthy (made at home) lunch! Thanks!! I'll be grabbing more recipe ideas for sure.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 6/20/18 at Posted on 6/20/18

      I'm so happy to hear this, Chantelle! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review 🙂

      Reply
  4. Molly says

    Posted on 5/20/18 at Posted on 5/20/18

    Hi!! Would this recipe work with ground beef instead of turkey? And also do you just store it in the fridge for the week? Thanks!! 🙂

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 5/20/18 at Posted on 5/20/18

      Hi Molly! That would work. Yes, these are stored in the fridge, they are not freezer-friendly. Hope you enjoy it!

      Reply
  5. Denise says

    Posted on 5/7/18 at Posted on 5/7/18

    I'm so happy you enjoyed them! Ground turkey is one of my favorite proteins to cook with-- so easy! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review, Jasmin 🙂

    Reply
  6. Jenn D says

    Posted on 4/8/18 at Posted on 4/8/18

    5 stars
    LOL i totally use instant brown rice if I have to use it. I just don't have time for full on cooking rice! This looks amazing, and I don't know why I haven't made these before!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 4/9/18 at Posted on 4/9/18

      Anything to save a little time in the kitchen is OK with me, LOL! Hope you enjoy!

      Reply
  7. Teresa says

    Posted on 3/5/18 at Posted on 3/5/18

    5 stars
    I made these last night and they are so yummy! I did remove the seeds of the jalapeno and I'm glad I did it was spicy as it was. I loved it! Please keep the meal prep recipes coming.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 3/7/18 at Posted on 3/7/18

      I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed them, Teresa! Thanks for reporting back 🙂

      Reply
  8. BRI says

    Posted on 2/13/18 at Posted on 2/13/18

    5 stars
    These were amazing. As a pescaterian i did sub the turkey for morningstars veggie "meat" crumbles and used bens ready rice. Great idea for food prep. Tasted amazing nevertheless. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 2/13/18 at Posted on 2/13/18

      lad to hear that the veggie crumbles worked! Thanks for reporting back 🙂

      Reply
  9. Kerri says

    Posted on 1/30/18 at Posted on 1/30/18

    5 stars
    This is only my 3rd week doing meal prep and I am LOVING this one! I actually am looking forward to lunch! This is perfect for my Weight watchers points too! This entire lunch bowl, comes to just 5 points on my plan. It doesn't get better than that! I can't wait to see other meal preps you have - AND lets not forget how easy and simple this was to put together! 5 stars in my book 🙂

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 2/1/18 at Posted on 2/1/18

      I'm so happy to hear that, Kerri! Thanks so much for your review 🙂

      Reply
  10. Ben says

    Posted on 1/28/18 at Posted on 1/28/18

    How many servings do this make? Cheers

    Reply
    • Ben says

      Posted on 1/28/18 at Posted on 1/28/18

      Oops just read that it makes 4, my bad!

      Reply
  11. Laura Ketchie says

    Posted on 1/22/18 at Posted on 1/22/18

    Just bought some meal prep containers and this was the first recipe I used with them. I was not disappointed! My husband and I were so pleased with this flavorful, healthy lunch. Looking forward to having it tomorrow, as well. Thank you for the GREAT recipe! It will be on rotation!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 1/22/18 at Posted on 1/22/18

      YAY! So happy you liked them Laura. I hope you enjoy your lunches all week long!

      Reply
  12. Julia says

    Posted on 12/31/17 at Posted on 12/31/17

    I didn't realise till I read this post how long it's been since I've had tacos, this looks so tasty and I've never tried a taco bowl before!

    Julia // The Sunday Mode

    Reply
  13. Kaitlin says

    Posted on 12/19/17 at Posted on 12/19/17

    Just wanted to tell you that these were great! I take them out of the fridge about 30 mins - an hour before I want to eat them and they're are delicious!!!

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 12/26/17 at Posted on 12/26/17

      I'm so glad you enjoyed them, Kaitlin! Thanks for reporting back 😀

      Reply
  14. BRIANNA says

    Posted on 10/21/17 at Posted on 10/21/17

    Can you eat these for lunch AND dinner? I see everyone using this as just lunch but when I meal prep, its usually for both lunch and dinner.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 10/22/17 at Posted on 10/22/17

      Absolutely, we routinely eat the 'lunch prep' recipes for dinners. These are great if you want to cook everything ahead and just pull them out to enjoy.

      Reply
  15. Beth says

    Posted on 10/18/17 at Posted on 10/18/17

    Does the nutritional stats include the shredded cheese?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 10/22/17 at Posted on 10/22/17

      Yes! There's really not much cheese in the recipe...you could certainly add more if you'd prefer 😉

      Reply
  16. Renee says

    Posted on 10/6/17 at Posted on 10/6/17

    Where does all the sodium come from? This looked great until I saw sodium amounts.

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 10/9/17 at Posted on 10/9/17

      Let me check up on that for you, sometimes ingredients can be 'off' on certain counts in My Fitness Pal.

      Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 10/9/17 at Posted on 10/9/17

      I just put it back through MFP and it came out at 655 mg sodium. You can reduce this by using low sodium taco seasoning and/or omitting salt from the salsa 🙂

      Reply
      • Carrie says

        Posted on 1/7/18 at Posted on 1/7/18

        It’s very easy to make your own taco seasoning and omit the salt all together. This is what I do because of an on going blood pressure issue

        Reply
  17. Jen says

    Posted on 10/4/17 at Posted on 10/4/17

    Hi there these look amazing. Want to try them out. Do you have the instructions on how to crockpot the rice?

    Thanks chikie

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 10/5/17 at Posted on 10/5/17

      Hi Jen, I've never cooked rice in a crock pot before? I have a rice cooker I really love, this one here (affiliate link): http://amzn.to/2yJNTNi

      Reply
  18. Dawn McCray says

    Posted on 10/4/17 at Posted on 10/4/17

    Is there a reason you use glass containers versus plastic?

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 10/5/17 at Posted on 10/5/17

      Hi Dawn! I'm obsessed with my glass Snapware storage containers (these ones here: http://amzn.to/2ksdEzy). I love glass because you don't have to worry about any chemicals seeping into your food when you re-heat, they don't stain or hold flavors of other food you've stored in them, they heat more evenly, and I swear, the food just tastes better in them. They are more of an investment than plastic, but I've found them to be more durable than our plastic ones...we'v only ever broken one container in a whole year, and that's with really heavy use 🙂

      Reply
  19. Cassie says

    Posted on 9/25/17 at Posted on 9/25/17

    Hi, 3-4lbs sounds like an awfully large amount of mince for 4 servings, that's about 3 500g packs in Australia? Just double checking 🙂

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 9/26/17 at Posted on 9/26/17

      Hi Cassie, it's just 3/4 of a pound, not 3-4 pounds. Sorry for the confusion!

      Reply
  20. Reng says

    Posted on 9/23/17 at Posted on 9/23/17

    Wow ... This looks yummy yummy,

    Reply
    • Denise says

      Posted on 9/23/17 at Posted on 9/23/17

      Thanks, Reng!

      Reply
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