Ground Beef Meal Prep: 5 Bowls Under 500 Calories

Sunday, 4 p.m., one pound of beef on the counter and five empty containers next to it. That is the whole idea behind good ground beef meal prep: it browns in 10 minutes, it takes on any flavor you throw at it, and unlike chicken breast it doesn’t turn to cardboard when you microwave it on Wednesday. Below are five lunch bowls built on one pound of lean beef each, every one under 500 calories with 31 to 36 g of protein per serving.

Each recipe makes 4 servings, and you can cook two of them in about an hour. Pick the two that sound best this week, then rotate.

The 5 bowls at a glance

Bowl	Calories	Protein	Fiber	Active time
Beef taco rice bowls	492	36 g	8 g	20 min
Honey garlic beef and broccoli	406	31 g	5 g	20 min
Unstuffed pepper skillet	383	33 g	5 g	25 min
Zucchini bolognese with whole wheat spaghetti	462	35 g	10 g	35 min
Cheeseburger bowls with roasted potatoes	427	34 g	5 g	15 min + 30 min roasting

Which ground beef is best for meal prep?

Buy 93% lean if you can. Fat that tastes great straight from the pan turns waxy and greasy after a few days in the fridge, and that is the number one reason beef lunches feel heavy. Here is what the three common packages look like per 4 ounces raw, using USDA numbers:

Ground beef (4 oz raw)	Calories	Protein	Fat
93% lean / 7% fat	172	23.6 g	7.9 g
90% lean / 10% fat	199	22.6 g	11.3 g
80% lean / 20% fat	287	19.4 g	22.6 g

All five recipes below use 93/7. If 90/10 is what your store has, it adds about 27 calories per serving, which is barely noticeable. Using 80/20 adds about 116 calories per serving and a layer of fat on cold rice, so drain it well if you go that route.

5 ground beef meal prep recipes

1. Beef taco rice bowls

The one I make most. Salsa stirred into the beef at the end keeps it moist through day four.

• 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, salt
• 3 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 can (15 oz) low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 2 cups chopped romaine (pack separately)

Method: Brown the beef and onion over medium-high heat, breaking it up, about 8 minutes. Add the spices, cook 1 minute, then stir in half the salsa and the beans. Divide rice into 4 containers, top with the beef mixture, remaining salsa and cheddar. Keep the lettuce in a separate bag or lidded cup so it stays crisp.

Per serving: 492 calories, 36 g protein, 54 g carbs, 14 g fat, 8 g fiber.

Save

2. Honey garlic beef and broccoli bowls

Takeout flavor with 1 tablespoon of honey for the whole batch. Undercook the broccoli slightly; it softens more when you reheat it.

• 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
• 3 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tbsp honey
• 3 garlic cloves, minced, and 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• 4 cups broccoli florets
• 3 cups cooked brown rice

Method: Steam or microwave the broccoli for 3 minutes until bright green, then set aside. Brown the beef, add garlic and ginger for 30 seconds, then pour in the soy sauce, honey and pepper flakes and let it bubble for 2 minutes until glossy. Pack rice, broccoli and beef side by side so the sauce soaks into the rice, not the broccoli.

You’ll also loveOvernight Oats with Yogurt: Easy 1:1:1 Recipe (23g Protein)

Per serving: 406 calories, 31 g protein, 49 g carbs, 10 g fat, 5 g fiber.

3. Unstuffed pepper skillet

Everything you like about stuffed peppers, none of the stuffing. This is the lightest bowl of the five and it reheats better than the original because nothing gets soggy.

• 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 3/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning, salt and pepper

Method: Brown the beef with the onion, then add the peppers and cook 5 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice and the seasoning and simmer 10 minutes. Fold in the rice, scatter the mozzarella on top, cover for 2 minutes to melt, and portion into 4 containers.

Per serving: 383 calories, 33 g protein, 34 g carbs, 13 g fat, 5 g fiber.

4. Zucchini bolognese with whole wheat spaghetti

Two grated zucchini melt into the sauce and nobody notices. It also has the most fiber here, 10 g a serving, thanks to the whole wheat pasta.

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 1 lb 93% lean ground beef
• 2 medium zucchini, grated
• 1 can (28 oz) diced tomatoes in juice
• 2 garlic cloves, 1 tsp dried oregano, salt and pepper
• 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti

Method: Soften the onion in the oil for 5 minutes, add the beef and brown it. Add garlic, oregano and zucchini and cook until the zucchini releases its water and it evaporates, about 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, mash them a little and simmer 20 minutes. Cook the spaghetti 1 minute less than the package says, toss with a ladle of sauce, and pack the rest of the sauce on top.

Per serving: 462 calories, 35 g protein, 54 g carbs, 14 g fat, 10 g fiber.

Save

5. Cheeseburger bowls with roasted potatoes

A burger without the bun, and the sauce is the reason to make it: Greek yogurt, ketchup and mustard taste like burger sauce for a fraction of the mayo.

• 1 1/2 lb potatoes, cut in 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb 93% lean ground beef, seasoned with salt, pepper and 1 tsp garlic powder
• 4 cups chopped romaine
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
• 1/4 red onion, finely chopped
• Dill pickles, chopped
• Sauce: 1/2 cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt, 2 tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp yellow mustard

Method: Toss the potatoes with oil and salt and roast at 425°F for 30 minutes, flipping once. Meanwhile, brown the beef with the seasoning. Pack potatoes, beef and cheddar together; keep the romaine, onion and pickles in a separate container and the sauce in a small cup. Reheat the beef and potatoes only, then add the cold toppings.

Per serving: 427 calories, 34 g protein, 36 g carbs, 16 g fat, 5 g fiber.

How to meal prep ground beef: two bowls in one hour

Cooking two recipes back to back gives you 8 lunches, and the order matters more than the recipes. Here is the sequence I use for the cheeseburger and taco bowls:

1. Minute 0: Start the oven at 425°F and the brown rice (or use precooked pouches).
2. Minute 5: Cube the potatoes and get them roasting.
3. Minute 10: Brown 2 lb of beef in one large skillet, in two batches so it sears instead of steaming. Split it in half.
4. Minute 25: Season one half as taco beef with the salsa and beans. Season the other half for the burgers.
5. Minute 40: Chop the romaine, onion and pickles and mix the yogurt sauce.
6. Minute 45: Pull the potatoes, let everything cool for up to 20 minutes, then pack and refrigerate.

Don’t leave the food out to cool for hours; get the lids on and into the fridge. If you are new to batch cooking, our meal prep tips for beginners cover containers and planning in more detail.

How long does ground beef meal prep last?

Cooked ground beef keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and 2 to 6 months in the freezer, according to the FoodSafety.gov cold storage chart for cooked meat leftovers. Raw ground beef only lasts 1 to 2 days in the fridge, so cook it within a day or two of buying it, or freeze it right away (3 to 4 months).

You’ll also loveOvernight Oats Meal Prep: 5 Jars in 15 Minutes (20g Protein)

In practice: cook on Sunday, eat Monday through Wednesday, and freeze the boxes meant for Thursday and Friday. Move a frozen box to the fridge the night before. The taco, pepper skillet and bolognese bowls freeze best. Skip freezing anything with fresh lettuce or the yogurt sauce, and leave the potatoes out of frozen cheeseburger bowls since they get mealy.

Reheating without drying it out

Sprinkle a tablespoon of water over the beef and rice, cover loosely and microwave in 1-minute bursts, stirring between them, until it is steaming hot all the way through. Lean beef dries out when it is blasted for 3 minutes straight.

More high protein meal prep ideas

If you want to rotate proteins through the month, try our ground turkey meal prep bowls, the chicken meal prep ideas that reheat juicy, or the one-hour chicken and rice meal prep. And for a dinner version of beef in a bowl, the ground beef sweet potato bowl with hot honey is a favorite.

Sources

• USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy), via getfoodfacts.com: ground beef 93/7, FDC 173110, 90/10, FDC 174030, 80/20, FDC 174036, cooked brown rice, FDC 169704, whole wheat pasta, FDC 169738, plus black beans (175238), salsa (174524), cheddar (173414), broccoli (170379), low-sodium soy sauce (172473), honey (169640), red bell pepper (170108), canned tomatoes (170051), part-skim mozzarella (170847), zucchini (169291), potatoes (170026), olive oil (171413), nonfat Greek yogurt (170894), ketchup (168556), onion (170000) and romaine (169247).
• FoodSafety.gov, Cold Food Storage Chart.