Tempeh Taco Salad Meal Prep Bowls

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Looking for an easy on-the-go option for lunch? These tempeh taco salad meal prep bowls are perfect! The combo of protein-packed tempeh taco meat, black beans and veggies makes for a delicious and satisfying plant-based meal. Plus they’re vegan and gluten-free.

Tempeh Taco Salad Meal Prep Bowls with tempeh taco meat, black beans, tomatoes, onions and avocado

This tempeh taco salad recipe is a mash-up of two of my favorites — salads and meal prep bowls. Oh, and Mexican food, another fav of mine lately!

Tempeh Taco Salad Meal Prep Bowls with tempeh taco meat, black beans, tomatoes, onions and avocado

The real star of this recipe is the tempeh taco meat. Seriously though, I’ve been wanting to figure out a recipe for tempeh taco meat for ages. It finally came to fruition with this recipe and it’s super simple! Just a little oil, homemade taco seasoning and tomato sauce and you’ve got yourself a flavorful plant-based protein option for all things Mexican — tacos, enchiladas, chalupas, salads or anything else that uses taco meat.

Just in time for Cinco de Mayo!

Tempeh Taco Salad Meal Prep Bowls with tempeh taco meat, black beans, tomatoes, onions and avocado

If you’re new to cooking with tempeh, no worries. This recipe is a great place to start because it’s really easy.

I’ve tried a ton of different tempeh varieties and Lightlife is definitely my favorite for a few reasons: it’s organic, gmo-free and easy to find a mainstream stores. I gravitate towards the Three Grain variety because it is the mildest in terms of taste, but I like the Original, Garden Veggie, Wild Rice and Flax too!

Tempeh Taco Salad Meal Prep Bowls with tempeh taco meat, black beans, tomatoes, onions and avocado

For this particular recipe I used the tempeh taco meat to create three meal prep bowls with crunchy romaine lettuce, black beans, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, lime, avocado and salsa. The bowls are easy to toss together as part of your weekly meal prep to have on hand for a weekday lunch or a quick dinner. Of course, you don’t have to turn this recipe into meal prep bowls — it works great as regular ol’ lunch/dinner recipe too.

If you do pack the bowls for lunch be sure to bring a side container with salsa to use as your dressing. I also highly recommend bringing a handful of tortillas chips. They’re perfect for dipping into any extra salsa or as a crunchy topping for the salad. Just crush the chips up a bit and toss a few on the salad.

Tempeh Taco Salad Meal Prep Bowls with tempeh taco meat, black beans, tomatoes, onions and avocado

If you’re feeling extra ambitious you can make a batch of my healthy guacamole to go along with the bowls as well! Enjoy!

Looking for More Ways to Use Tempeh?

More Meal Prep Bowls

Be sure to check out all of my tempeh recipes here on EBF!

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4.10 from 11 votes

Tempeh Taco Salad Meal Prep Bowls

These tempeh taco salad meal prep bowls are an easy on-the-go option for lunch or quick dinner. The combo of protein-packed tempeh taco meat, black beans and veggies makes for a delicious and satisfying plant-based meal. Vegan and gluten-free.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 3 bowls

Ingredients  

Tempeh Taco Meat

  • 8 oz package of Lightlife tempeh, any variety
  • 1 Tablespoon olive or avocado oil
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoon chili powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup canned tomato sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon water

Meal Prep Bowls

  • 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, diced
  • 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 cup cooked black beans
  • 1 lime, segmented into three pieces
  • 1 avocado, sliced
  • fresh salsa, hot sauce and tortilla chips for serving

Instructions 

  • Take tempeh out of the package and use your hands to crumble it into a bowl. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Once hot add crumbled tempeh and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add spices, tomato sauce and water into the skillet and toss to combine. Cook for another 3-4 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove tempeh from stove and let cool.
  • While tempeh is cooking toss together the tomatoes, red onion, cilantro and sea salt in a small bowl.
  • Grab three meal prep containers and add the following ingredients to each: 2 cups romaine lettuce, 1/3 of the tomato and onion mixture, 1/2 cup tempeh, 1/4 cup black beans, one lime slice. You can add the avocado at this time, but it will likely turn brown so I recommend adding it right before you enjoy the bowl.
  • Serve salad bowls with fresh salsa and hot sauce as the dressing and tortillas chips on the side.

Nutrition

Serving: 1bowl (without chips) | Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 16g | Fiber: 21g | Sugar: 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Did you make this recipe?Mention @eatingbirdfood and tag #eatingbirdfood!

This recipe was created as part of the Lightlife Blogger Ambassador Program. Thank you for supporting the brands that make EBF possible. 

About Brittany

Hey there, I’m Brittany, the creator of Eating Bird Food, cookbook author, health coach and mama of two littles. Here you’ll find quick and easy recipes that make healthy fun and enjoyable for you and your family!

More about Brittany
Chicken fajita filling on a sheet pan with a wooden spoon. Tortillas are resting on the bottom of the sheet pan.
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22 Comments

  1. This looks great! I’ve always been interested in trying tempeh and this recipe looks like a great recipe to try out.

  2. Yum! Love taco salads but always looking for a tasty vegetarian alternative. This looks amazing!

  3. This looks great, I love taco salads, but had never thought to use tempeh before. Thanks for the recipe.

  4. OMG! I just had a tempeh quinoa taco bowl at By Chloe in NYC and this reminds me of it so much!! I honestly want to recreate the bowl I had…but this may just be it!! 🙂

  5. Gluten-free and dairy-free… Exactly what the doctor ordered. Vegetarian alternative is even better!! You have given us a true winner.

  6. Do you suggest eating the meal cold then?? Or taking out the salad while heating up the beans and tempeh?? Looks so good!

    1. They should last at least 3-4 days in an air-tight container in the fridge. I normally eat it cold but it’s totally up to you!

  7. I always find that tempeh really needs to be marinated before cooking, otherwise it retains too much of the bitterness. I marinated it in 1/4 cup sunflower oil, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup tomato sauce and all the spices listed here, for about 2h. Then I just added all of that straight to the pan (no additional oil necessary).

  8. 3 stars
    Hi Brittany,

    I love the aesthetic of your
    Blog and your organization! I’m new to your blog and haven’t tried any recipes yet but definitely plan to!

    Sending good vibes,
    Kaitlin

  9. When using these as meal prep, what’s they typical shelf life? I couldn’t see it feeling fresh more than a day or so with the avocado. Curious what you/others have seen there.

    Thanks

    1. If you’re meal prepping the recipe I recommend adding the avocado right before serving as it will get brown after a day of two. The rest of the ingredients should stay fresh for 4-5 days in the fridge.