I love taco bowls! Perfect for Taco Tuesday! They’re so versatile and make such a satisfying lunch or dinner the whole family can enjoy. This recipe is absolutely fantastic and has some skinny twists. I’m using cauliflower rice instead of rice, extra-lean ground beef, and top each bowl with my skinny ranch dressing. So healthy and protein-rich, each large bowl has 312 calories and 11 grams of fat.
Ingredients
Ingredients for Cauliflower Rice:
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (16 oz) bag cauliflower rice, see shopping tips below
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
- A little salt and pepper, to taste
Ingredients for Taco Meat:
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef. see shopping tips
- 1 cup onions, diced
- 1 (1-ounce) package Lawry’s taco seasoning or McCormick taco seasoning mix for gluten-free
- 1 cup corn, frozen or fresh off the cob (break up frozen corn into small pieces)
- ⅔ cup water
Ingredients for Toppings:
- 2 cups romaine lettuce, shredded or chopped
- 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
- 4 tablespoons skinny ranch dressing or store-bought (for dairy-free omit ranch dressing)
- Salsa
Instructions
- Prepare cauliflower rice: Coat a large, nonstick pan with cooking spray. Add olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Stir in cauliflower rice, onions, and garlic. Mix well. Add a little salt and pepper. Stir-fry for about 8 minutes, stirring most of the time, until soft. Set aside.
- In a large nonstick pan, add ground beef and onions. Cook until beef has browned, about 3-5 minutes, making sure to crumble the beef as it cooks; Pour into a colander, in the sink, and drain excess fat. Add beef back to pan. Stir in taco seasoning, corn, and water. Mix well. Bring to a boil, turn heat down to simmer, and cook uncovered. Stir often, for 5 minutes.
- To make each taco bowl: add 1 cup cauliflower rice to the bottom of each bowl. Top with 1 cup taco meat. Add ½ cup shredded or chopped lettuce and ¼ cup chopped tomatoes. Drizzle each with 1 tablespoon ranch dressing over the top. Spoon some salsa around top. Serve immediately.
Notes
Makes 4 servings. Each has 1 cup cauliflower rice and 1 cup taco meat plus toppings.
Shopping Tips
Trader Joe’s sells a 16-ounce bag of riced cauliflower. You will love it. It saves you a lot of time, not having to prep the cauliflower. In addition, many supermarkets, Target and Walmart carry Green Giant’s (16 oz) bag of cauliflower crumble in the produce section. Most supermarkets sell extra lean ground beef. I used the 96% lean ground beef from Trader Joe’s. Sometimes I use grass-fed 94% lean ground beef I found at my local supermarket. You could also use ground turkey if desired.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 5-Blue
WW SmartPoints 6-Green
WW Points Plus 8
Trader Joe’s sells a 16-ounce bag of riced cauliflower. You will love it. It saves you a lot of time, not having to prep the cauliflower. In addition, many supermarkets, Target and Walmart carry Green Giant’s (16 oz) bag of cauliflower crumble in the produce section. Most supermarkets sell extra lean ground beef. I used the 96% lean ground beef from Trader Joe’s. Sometimes I use grass-fed 94% lean ground beef I found at my local supermarket. You could also use ground turkey if desired.
WW Freestyle SmartPoints 5-Blue
WW SmartPoints 6-Green
WW Points Plus 8
| SKINNY FACTS: for 1 serving (1 cup cauliflower rice and 1 cup taco meat plus toppings.) 312 calories, 11g fat, 3g sat. fat, 62mg chol, 27g protein, 29g carbs, 4g fiber, 580mg sodium, 8g sugar |
| FACTS: for Freestyle SmartPoints 190 calories, 3g sat. fat, 22g protein, 1g sugar |
Skinny Facts
Serving: 2cupsCalories: 312kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 27gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 580mgFiber: 4gSugar: 8gBlue Smart Points: 5Green Smart Points: 6Plus Points: 8
What makes the difference in freestyle and regular smart points? Is it just the corn because I can leave that out. 4 pts difference seems like a big one.
You are so right Vicki. This recipe has 6 SmartPoints not 9. And yes, the only difference between the Freestyle and SmartPoints is the corn.
Thanks for pointing this out. It was a typo by me!
All the best,
Nancy
Do you have any KETO recipes?
Sorry Marilu, I do not have any Keto recipes.
Al the best,
Nancy
My list of zero point foods says corn is zero points.
Yes, Charlene, corn has zero points. I factored that in when calculating the Freestyle points for this recipe.
My best,
Nancy