These shredded Mexican beef bowls are made in the slow cooker and perfect for weekly meal prep with rice, beans, plantains and peppers to round them out!
Admittedly, I’m pretty horrible at meal prep.
When you work from home, the necessity to do it just isn’t there but that’s not to say I don’t often find myself standing in front of the fridge wondering what the heck I’m going to eat for lunch or dinner.
Now that I’ve rediscovered those kale feta egg bakes though hopefully that won’t be happening too often any more.
Any time I actually do make the effort to cook a batch of protein that will last us for days though (like this Instant Pot brisket, braised leg of lamb or slow cooker tri-tip) I immediately say to myself “why the heck don’t you do this more often?”
And since most of the world doesn’t work from home and therefore meal prep is a necessity, these meal prep Mexican beef bowls came to be.
Let’s detail all the ways in which having this Mexican shredded beef on hand is amazing, shall we?
- The recipe is made in the slow cooker, on low for 8-10 hours, which means this: spend 5 minutes before bed throwing it together (for real, that’s all you need) and wake up to perfectly tender cooked beef.
- It’ll last you 6-8 servings. If you’re sharing with someone else, that could be 3-4 days of lunch and dinner EACH.
- It’s just saucy enough that reheating won’t dry it out but not too saucy in that you’d have a hot mess if you wanted to throw this in a wrap or on bread to switch it up.
- The beef goes perfectly alongside some rice and beans (equally as easy to prep for the week) and while the fried plantains and peppers round it out nicely, there are a bunch of other vegetables that would pair up great too depending on your preference.
And if all those haven’t sold you on the Mexican beef bowl thing, here are 5 other amazing meal prep bowl ideas to get you going for the week ahead from some of my favorite blogging buds:
Greek Chicken Bowls – Food Faith Fitness
Honey BBQ Baked Salmon Bowls – Cotter Crunch
Thai Basil Turkey Bowls – Lexi’s Clean Kitchen
Curried Chickpea Bowls – Eating Bird Food
Meal Prep Vegetarian Kung Pao Quinoa Bowls – Fit Foodie Finds
They all sound amazing, right?
When we were in Mexico a few weeks ago, I made it a point to hit up two hole in the wall taco joints in San Jose del Cabo that I can guarantee you most tourists did not venture out to.
When you walk in to find only one waiter who can speak English and every local on their lunch break eating there, you know it’s a good place.
The menu was basic and while seafood was the popular filling in Cabo, I had to order at least one shredded beef taco to test it out.
While of course, I piled the slaw, guac and salsas high on my corn tortilla (I suffer from taco overloading syndrome, it’s a problem), it could’ve been eaten with just the beef it was that tender and tasty.
When this Mexican shredded beef came out of the slow cooker, I was immediately brought back to that happy taco memory making me almost wonder – you think that taco joint used the same Trader Joe’s taco seasoning packet as I did?
Hmmm…
(I’m kidding)
So, meal prep your heart out and eat well all week long with these Mexican beef bowls. Add some green rice for even more Mexican flair and enjoy!
ps- whipping up some homemade pineapple guacamole isn’t a bad idea either.
Love my Mexican Shredded Beef Bowls recipe?
These slow cooker meals are also great for meal prepping: balsamic pulled pork with polenta, 4-ingredient slow cooker pulled chicken and summer slow cooker frittata (totally works for winter too and a great breakfast option!).
For another similarly flavored recipe, try this Mexican ground beef skillet. It’s also great for meal prep and can be served in a variety of ways.
Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef Bowls
Ingredients
For the shredded beef:
- 2.5-3 pound beef rump roast
- 1.3 ounces taco seasoning packet
- 3 ounces tomato paste
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, *substitute arrowroot or tapioca starch if desired
For the rice:
- 1 cup white rice
- 2 cups water
- 15 ounces canned black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
For the plantains:
- 1 ripe plantain
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- kosher salt to taste
For the peppers:
- 1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
Instructions
For the shredded beef:
- Place the beef in the slow cooker. Whisk the remaining ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over the beef. Cook on low for 8-10 hours (works well overnight). Remove beef from the slow cooker, shred using two forks, place the beef back into the bowl of the slow cooker and toss with the sauce.
For the rice:
- Place the rice and water together in a medium sauce pot over high heat. Once boiling, stir and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook until all liquid is absorbed by the rice.
- Transfer the rice to a large bowl, add the rice and cilantro and stir to combine.
For the plantains:
- Slice the plantain on the diagonal into 1/4 inch thick slices. Place coconut oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add plantain slices and fry until golden brown on each side. Season liberally with kosher salt. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate. Season to taste with more salt.
To assemble the bowls:
- Place an equal amount of rice, beef, plantains and peppers in meal prep bowls. Garnish with a slice of lime and sprig of cilantro. Keep refrigerated until eating during the week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Gina Matsoukas is an AP syndicated writer. She is the founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
I’ve made this recipe 2-3 times now and it is amazing. I catch my kid getting the beef leftovers out of the fridge and eating the meat cold.
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Is that calorie count per bowl? Seems pretty high for a healthy bowl recipe.
I’ve made this a while back and it is sooo good.
This was sooooo good! The first night we made it. The second night we made Mexican plates with rice, avocado and tomato. Delicious!