Floating Taco Bowls with Crazy Delicious Creamy Lime Dressing {Stovetop or Slow Cooker}
These floating taco bowls hold all the goodness of tacos layered in a bowl and smothered with creamy lime dressing and tons of toppings! The flavorful meat and rice filling is so delicious!
What is a floating taco bowl, you ask? Well, I’d love to tell you more about them, because they are incredible!
A floating taco bowl has all the deliciousness of a taco (with some unique flavors thrown in!), but instead of being constrained in a taco shell, all the taco glory is piled in a bowl. Each layer floating on top of the other!
It is an easy weeknight meal that can be made on the stovetop or in the slow cooker.
Winner Winner Taco Dinner
I’m a huge fan of meals like this.
- easy and totally unfussy
- customizable
- super family-friendly
These floating tacos also make a perfect take-in meal when you need to bring dinner to someone.
AND that hearty taco filling freezes great for a future meal.
Stovetop or Slow Cooker
The taco filling for this recipe is really straightforward.
Lean ground beef or ground turkey is browned in a skillet or saucepan with onion and garlic, and then, if you’re making it on the stovetop everything else is thrown in to the mix.
It simmers for about 30 minutes until the rice is tender and the mixture is thick and hearty.
If you’re making it in the slow cooker, the ground beef mixture gets transferred to a slow cooker. And then….yep, this should sound familiar, everything else gets mixed in.
It’ll need about 4-5 hours on low or 2-3 hours on high so the rice can cook all the way and the mixture can thicken and flavors develop and all that jazz.
Layering the Floating Taco Bowls
Once the filling is done, the fun happens!
I’m not sure why, but we far prefer corn chips for this recipe, although you can definitely use tortilla chips if that’s your thing or what you have on hand.
It goes:
- chips
- taco filling
- cheese
- lettuce
- dressing (more on that amazing nectar of the gods in a minute)
- toppings, toppings and more toppings (we usually do tomatoes, olives and avocados)
Creamy Lime Dressing
In addition to the rice + bean + meat taco filling, what also makes this recipe special is the crazy delicious creamy lime dressing.
I have other recipes with varying cilantro lime/creamy lime/avocado ranch-y type dressings. They’re all good. (And they could all be subbed in here.)
But this ultra-creamy, zesty dressing is worth a go. It has three layers of creaminess (buttermilk, mayo, cream cheese); the lime juice and cilantro lighten it up to be fresh and fabulous.
Digging in to this incredible meal makes me happy. Every time. And there have been a lot of every times.
All those flavors jumbling together in the bowl, the yummy chaos of it all, it just speaks my language.
I can’t wait to see what you guys think of this one and what you do to make it your own! I probably just scratched the surface on what’s appropriate to add on top. Any favorite taco toppings I left off the list?
One Year Ago: Beach Street Lemon Chicken Pasta
Two Years Ago: Double Chocolate Banana Blender Muffins {Gluten-Free}
Three Years Ago: Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad
Four Years Ago: Monterey Chicken with Pico de Gallo {Chili’s Copycat}
Five Years Ago: Skillet Teriyaki Meatballs
Six Years Ago: Grilled Greek Chicken Kebabs with Simple Tzatziki Sauce
Seven Years Ago: Grilled Honey & Ginger Marinated Flank Steak
Eight Years Ago: Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Dip
Nine Years Ago: Old-Fashioned Banana Cream Pie
Ten Years Ago: Red Velvet Cake Roll
Floating Taco Bowls with Creamy Lime Dressing
Ingredients
Tacos:
- 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef or ground turkey
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic, finely minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 can (6-ounces) tomato paste
- 1 can (15-ounces) tomato sauce
- 3 cups chicken broth, I use low-sodium
- ½ cup long grain, basmati, or jasmine white or brown rice
- 1 can (15-ounces) black or pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon chili powder (see note)
- 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika, smoked or sweet
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Creamy Lime Dressing:
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 4 ounces cream cheese, light or regular, softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, more or less to taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of black pepper
Toppings:
- Corn chips, lightly crushed
- Shredded cheese
- Chopped lettuce
- Chopped tomatoes
- Sliced olives
- Sliced or chopped avocados
Instructions
- Stovetop Directions: In a deep 12-inch skillet, electric skillet, or saucepan set over medium heat, cook the ground beef or turkey, onion, and garlic with a pinch of salt and pepper. Break the meat into small pieces as it cooks; continue cooking until the meat is no longer pink. Drain excess grease and return to the heat.
- Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, chicken broth, rice, beans, chili powder, cumin, salt, paprika, oregano and pepper. Stir well to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 30-35 minutes until the rice is tender. Stir often and moderate heat to prevent sticking.
- Slow Cooker Directions: brown the ground beef or turkey, onion and garlic the same as in step #1 above. Transfer the mixture to a 5-quart or larger slow cooker. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, chicken broth, rice, beans, chili powder, cumin, salt, paprika, oregano and pepper. Stir well to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or on high for 2-3 hours.
- For the dressing: combine all the ingredients together in a blender and process until smooth.
- Serve the taco meat over crushed corn chips. Top with shredded cheese, lettuce, dressing, and any additional toppings your heart desires (like, tomatoes, olives, avocados, etc).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe my friend, Kara S., sent me (turns out it’s very similar to this old recipe except with that crazy good dressing and a few other changes)
98 Comments on “Floating Taco Bowls with Crazy Delicious Creamy Lime Dressing {Stovetop or Slow Cooker}”
Hi Mel! I am making this for a family reunion of about 20 adults and 39 children ages 1-17 (16 under the age of 10). How much should I make? Maybe 8 recipes? And how much would you consider a serving? I’d like to put a measuring cup by the pot so it serves everyone. And would you plan on 1 1/2 servings per person for those who want seconds? Thanks so much!! We’re excited to try this recipe!
Hi Jolynne, I always err on the side of probably making too much, but yes, I think you could get by with an 8X batch of this. It’ll go farther if you have a lot of chips/toppings. I haven’t calculated how much is in a serving, but it’s probably right around 1 1/4 cups.
This is delicious but I just wanted to make a note that you don’t need the extra broth with brown rice. We ended up with more of a soup.
I made this today for a group of 8 ladies. They all said they liked it and were excited to have a new recipe. Thanks, Mel, for another winner.
We’ve had this a couple times now and it’s officially a family favorite and being added into our regular rotation of recipes….(which are also all from you ).
I somehow have missed the cream cheese in the recipe both times!! I just reread your post and went, “wait, what?! There’s cream cheese??!” Whoops. I’ll add that next time, but without the cream cheese, it’s a very liquid dressing and yet still delicious.
We froze our left overs which were plenty since I one and a halved the recipe.
Also, I used my instant pot both times with fabulous results!! I sauté the meat/onions/garlic, add the other simmer ingredients and cook for 4 minutes. It’s turned out perfectly both times.
Thanks for another family favorite!
I love bowl recipes – everyone can personalize it to their liking – and this recipe did not disappoint. Even my picky eaters loved it and declared it a recipe to repeat. I used the brown rice, adding extra nutrition to the meal, and it turned out great. The dressing is a great variation on sour cream to add as a topping; I took someone else’s advice and only made half of the dressing and that was the perfect amount for our family. Can’t wait to have this one again; definitely adding it to our regular rotation of meals.
Could the rice/meat mixture be made in the instant po?
I haven’t tried it in the IP – I think due to the thick consistency, it might have the potential to burn on the bottom.
I’ve made this dressing multiple times in the last few months. It is divine. I was wondering if you had any ideas on how to make it a bit thicker? I tried adding a bit less buttermilk but it didn’t make much of a difference.
How much did you reduce the buttermilk by? I think if you try 1/4 cup buttermilk that might help?
Sidenote: I used the stove top instructions, but what worked best to mix it well was to add all the spices at once to the cooked meat, stir well to combine (and until fragrant), then add just the tomato paste and stir it in well to combine. Then add all the liquids and rice. And I added the beans at the very end, after the rice was cooked.
Amazing recipe!
Mel, this recipe is amazing!
I just got done making enough of this for 60 people for girls camp next week, and freezing it. I tweaked the recipe a bit to make it work for the amount of meat I had (15 pounds of ground turkey). Here are the amounts I cooked at one time, according to the instructions:
5 lbs ground turkey
2 chopped onions
All spices x3
2 6-oz cans tomato paste
2 15-oz cans tomato sauce
2 quarts chicken broth
2 cups jasmine rice
4 15-oz cans black beans (added at the end after rice was cooked)
The texture and thickness was perfect this way, for these amounts. Thank you so much for this amazing concoction!
Amazing! Thank you for this recipe, Mel!
Delicious!! I would probably decrease the onion powder and garlic powder in the dressing to a quarter of a teaspoon next time, but overall we loved it!
So easy and tasty! Even my picky kid likes it!
Delish!
So so good. Everyone loved it. This is the unicorn meal for my family. Well done and tasty.
Mel, this was excellent! I can see why it made the top recipes this year. We always have “homemade” hidden valley ranch in the fridge so I just added lime juice/zest and cilantro to it and it was delicious. Eating it for the third time for lunch right now and I am so excited. You know something is good when eating the leftovers are exciting! We only had tortilla chips but will try with fritos next time. Thanks for another winner recipe!!!
I have some leftover cilantro lime rice. Can you suggest how I would adapt the meat mixture if adding already cooked rice? Thanks Mel! Can’t wait to try it!
You could try decreasing the broth in half and see if that works!
So good! I had this one on my list for weeks, but finally got a chance to make it tonight. I subbed red lentils for beans for my picky kids, and I think it turned out so well. The dressing was killer! I love meals that all the kids can build to their taste so this’ll definitely be on rotation at our house! Thanks Mel!
So good and easy! The dressing is increFinley!
I have made this recipe before and LOVED it! My whole family did. Tonight I did a variation and put the floating taco bowl mixture into some peppers and made stuffed peppers. Turned out fantastic as well. I love the versatility of this recipe. I have yet to be disappointed by any of your recipes I have tried.
Made this tonight for the first time it was so good. My whole family loved. My younger son said it was awesome. Thanks for another great recipe. The dressing was so easy and delicious.
I used the Instant Pot to make the taco meat mixture. I followed the first step of the “slow cooker instructions” to cook the meat and onions, then added all ingredients to the instant pot and had it on high pressure for 7 minutes, quick release. The rice was still crunchy at that point, so I pressure cooked it for another 5 minutes quick release. That did the trick, but it was pretty soupy. And I’m pretty sure it didn’t save any time compared to the stovetop method. Still delicious though! And then the leftovers weren’t as soupy after being in the fridge for a day. Hope this helps!
Loved everything about this recipe! I didn’t have cilantro so we used sour cream and salsa instead of the dressing and it was delish ☺️ Making the dressing next time for sure!
This was so delicious! Everyone in the family loved it. Makes great leftovers!
Saw this on Facebook yesterday and made it for tonight’s dinner. Delicious! Thank you!
Made it last night for dinner. Everyone loved it – even my teen son who had already eaten elsewhere had a big bowl. My lactose intolerant daughter just subbed in salsa for the lime sauce and I ate all her sauce and did not feel one bit guilty! Thank you for the revisions to your site. It was already wonderful but now it’s even better! Because, girrrrl, you just didn’t have enough to do already? LOL. Thanks and take care!
This was yummy! I would like to make this for our girls camp coming up. Does this recipe double or triple well? Would you make it ahead and reheat or make a triple batch day of? We will be feeding between 30-40 people. Would you triple it to feed that many people?
Yes it doubles or triples great. If you have time to make it the day of, that’s great so you don’t have to refrigerate it – but it also reheats well (the rice will continue to absorb liquid as it sits overnight, so you may need to add a bit of broth to thin it down a little when reheating).
VERY delicious. My rice didn’t cook though… even so, it was still delicious with the uncooked rice. I can’t figure out why the rice didn’t cook; I followed the recipe to a T. Cooked in the slow cooker on high for 3 hrs. Doubled everything (except the tom paste) which was great because everyone requested seconds and thankfully we had enough leftovers for the next nights dinner as well. Will definitely make again and again!
I’m going to suggest adding shredded sweet coconut! You don’t taste the coconut at all but gives the dish a little sweetness that is absolutely incredible! Try it, you’ll thank me later!
This recipe was a huge hit! Thanks Mel!
At what step do you add the coconut? And how much did you add? Thanks!
This was really good! To my surprise, even my super picky 6-year-old ate the taco meat…and asked for more! The dressing really made the meal. We have a small family, so I made the full recipe and used half for our family and the other half for a take-in meal for a family with a new baby. But next time I will be happy keep the leftovers 🙂
Can the meat, rice and bean mixture be made ahead of time and frozen?
Yes! Freezes great. The rice is a tad softer and you might want to add a bit of broth after thawing and reheating, but otherwise, it works well.
We tried this when we had some friends come over, everyone loved it! I doubled the recipe– but only kinda, and mostly on accident, and it still was great! (I was cooking with 6 little kids who were all wanting to help measure and dump, so I lost track a bit 🙂 — I only used 1 tsp of chili powder since there were little kids eating. I used 3 cups of broth, 1.5 lb meat, and 1 can beans, but double of everything else. My family liked it enough to request it again when we had friends over again the next week. My only change would be to half the dressing recipe, unless you are going to make this 2 times like we did (I made the dressing recipe as written and had enough for 2 dinners with friends). Thank you for another delicious recipe– and one that is very forgiving and kid-help friendly 🙂 🙂
I used 1 lb hamburger as that is what I had on hand. Only used 12 ounces of tomato sauce. I was heavy handed on the chili powder and the meat turned out great. I added a bit more seasonings to the dressing for our taste and my preschooler who doesn’t like sauce liked this. A big hit for my 1 and 4 year olds.
We made these for Sunday dinner and they did not disappoint!
Just made this for dinner tonight and my family, 3 little boys and my hubby, LOVED it! Everyone went back for seconds. I loved the extra flavor the dressing made! Thanks Mel! Love your recipes!
Any subs for the cilantro in the dressing? I’m not a fan… but the rest of the recipe looks amazing! It’s on my menu next week!
Hi Kristi – you could use fresh parsley or a combo of fresh parsley and fresh basil.
I finally made this. I used about 4 big basil leaves and 2 big pinches of parsley in place of the cilantro in the dressing. I also needed a bit more chicken broth. This was a hit!
My Granddaughterade this for us on Memorial Day. They serve your recipes untried to company and have never been disappointed. This one was a winner. I just made it for sick relative using smokey paprika. Great flavor. You do NOT need to add extra liquid for brown rice. I used brown rice with cup extra broth and ended up draining the extra liquid off. Too much liquid and I was afraid of over cooking it to mush. I will freeze it and use again because it is full of great flavor. KEEPER for sure.
Thanks for the note on using brown rice!
Popping in to say that I often use Mel’s recipes for parties, company, and special occasion dinners almost always untried. I am always raving about how I trust Mel and have no fear going for it!
Thanks so much, Nicole!
I made this recipe for Memorial Day family gathering. It caught my eye because of the ease of using the crock pot which by the way is genius! Anyway at first the family was like “oh we’re having taco salad, ok” but once they dove in and tasted the yummy filling and topped everything with that amazingly delicious cilantro lime dressing they were ALL about this dinner!! The dressing totally takes it to another dimension. Thanks Mel for once again impressing the family!!
Loved reading this – thanks, Eileen! Glad your family enjoyed this one!
Made this tonight…didn’t have any tortilla chips so subbed out with tater tots. Can’t recommend enough.
This dressing is so good you could drink it. It adds so much flavor to the recipe. Thank you for another winner dinner!!
We really enjoyed this and will definitely be making it again!
One member of my family doesn’t like beans, so I was thinking that I’ll make those on the side next time, do you think I should reduce the amount of chicken broth in that case?
I was also curious to know if the dressing (AMAZING btw) freezes well? The recipe made too much for my little family haha
Hey Anne, I haven’t frozen the dressing, so I’m not entirely sure. It’s high in dairy so it might get a bit grainy after defrosting, but it’s worth a try!
Made this for a crowd this weekend and the crowd went wild!! It was so yummy, every single adult and CHILD loved it! Thank you!!
Mel, this was sooooo delish!! Visiting my Mom and made it for supper. We added some lime zest in the sauce too. Yummy!Will definitely make again. Thanks for posting
Hello! Long time follower here, who never remembers to mention this so it’s going here and it’s entirely unrelated to this post. Your blog has no okra recipes and that makes me quite sad. We started growing it about 5 years ago (In Iowa, yes you can grow it in the northern states) for a friend, and it quickly became one of our favorite vegetables. We slice it, toss with an egg, flour, cornmeal, salt and pepper until it looks right, then pan fry it, preferably in bacon grease. It’s crispy and salty and delicious. I call my children okra monsters. I’m just hoping that you have experienced this wonderful food!
Hey Monica! You know, I have to be honest, I had okra a time or two when we lived in Wisconsin and no offense to whoever made it for us, but I did not like it very much. I think it must be in the preparation? Because I think I could very much get behind breading it and cooking it in bacon grease.
Do you usually use kosher salt? I used table salt in the dressing (even a little less than it said) and I’m trying to salvage it because it’s so salty! (And I doubled it so I really hope I can save it!)
Hey Ashley, I use table salt for this recipe (I usually try to make a note if I’m using kosher salt). I’m sorry it was so salty for you! I’ll add a note to the recipe to start with less and add more to taste, if needed.
I found that different brands of mayo affect how salty my dressing is. When I use Kirkland brand, sometimes I don’t have to use any extra salt at all.
This meat mixture reminds me of your old “taco dippers” recipe. I’ll have to try this one out!
So so good! That dressing really makes it so much better! Thank you!
Unreal good!! A new staple for our family. We also did diced cucumbers as a topping.
I love taco bowls and I can’t wait to try your version! Like you, I love the versatility of them. I’m watching my carbs, but the rest of the family is not, so I can skip the rice and beans but up the greens. Sometimes I’ll use riced cauliflower in place of the rice for me. One of my kids doesn’t like avocado or guacamole or anything else green, but the other kids loves them. Everyone can pick and choose what they want. Can’t wait to try your lime dressing!
East to make and tasty.
Delicious! Even my picky eaters gobbled this up! Thank you Mel for another winner!
Maybe a dumb question, but do you cook your rice beforehand?
No, you throw it in uncooked. I’ll add a note to the recipe so it’s more clear.
This is awsome!!! I made a vegetarian version (kidney beans and black-eyed peas) and will definitely do it again. I love your recipes, and even better, so does my family.
Thanks for letting me know that a vegetarian version worked out so well!
We just call this taco salad, as it has been called for generations this recipe looks delicious, though!
Sounds like a lot of people call this taco salad! I grew up eating a totally different version of taco salad. Funny how we all associate recipes with different names. I love it!
I made this for my family last night and they loved it! My husband requested that I add it to the ‘regular dinner rotation’. Thanks for all the yummy dinner ideas, you save me every week!
That’s awesome, Katie! I love hearing that. Thank you!
Can’t wait to try this! How do you not have the Good Cook Meat Chopper listed in the product recommendations?!?! I bought one after you posted about it a few years ago. It’s the best $5 I’ve ever spent…I’m serious.
You’re right! I need to add that – it’s amazing.
I make a similar recipe, we just call it taco salad, or tacos in a bowl. That dressing sounds fresh and yummy. I would add to the topping options pickled jalapenos and green onions cut on a bias. Might even add some corn in the beef mixture! Lots of possibilities.
You are right, Linda! LOTS of possibilities!
Made these tonight for dinner….and is a WINNER!! Everyone in my family had seconds. You need to be crowned the QUEEN of family dinners!! Thank you for all your hard work….and PLEASE don’t ever stop!!!
You are so sweet, Jennifer! Thank you for making this recipe so fast after I posted and for checking in to let me know. I’m so, so happy it was a hit!
I know my family will love these! Can the dressing be made ahead, or kept in the fridge a few days?
Yes! In fact the flavor gets better after a day or two.
Mel, this looks amazing!! I can’t wait to make it. Question, my husband will NOT eat Mayo (even claims he’s allergic…sort of kidding on that, but not really ;))…any suggestions on what I can sub for that in the dressing recipe?
Haha, sounds like my sister! I think you could probably sub in sour cream for the mayo – the dressing will lose a bit of the silky creaminess, but it should be ok.
Makes life so boring, doesn’t it!? 😉 Thanks, Mel!! Can’t wait to try this.
Greek yogurt!
Can you make this recipe pinable please? I save all my recipes in Pinterest to come back to!
Hey Keshia, what browser are you using? There is a “save” button if you hover over any image that will let you pin it, and there’s also a pin button in the top right corner of the recipe card. If you can’t see those options, let me know, and I’ll look into it! Just tested it out on my end using chrome browser and it’s working fine, but I’d be happy to do some digging if you let me know what browser you are using.
Can you link your low bowls in the “recommended products”? I’d love to buy them and for you to get a cut of that for inspiring me
You are so sweet, Jayme! Just added them to the recommended products. They’re the best bowls. We use them many nights a week of a variety of dinners.
Why are your recipes not pinable or sendable? Would be very convenient!
Hi Liz! They should be! There’s a pinterest save button on each image and also in the corner of the recipe card. If you continue to have issues, let me know and I’ll look into it.
Liz, not sure what kind of pc you are on but I am on a mac. I can hover over any pic and and a “pin it” icon shows up. Also, on the right side there is a button to share (pin, facebook, twitter). Hopefully that helps.
We love these, although we just call them taco salads 🙂 my favorite way to make them is with taco or nacho cheese doritos. Kind of ends up being a walking taco but not in the bag! That lime dressing sounds amazing though! I’m going to need to try that
Sounds yummy, Alyssa! Your recipe name is much more straightforward than mine. Haha.
I would definitely put pickled jalapeños on top. Homemade, of course. The only recipe I use is within this recipe:
https://www.bingingwithbabish.com/recipes/nachos?rq=Nachos
Yum! I love pickled jalapenos!