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This Whole30 & Paleo meal prep recipe is a quick and easy addition to your lunch rotation! These Ginger Ground Beef Bowls are packed with carrots, bell peppers, cauliflower rice, grass-fed ground beef, and a simple sauce to pull it all together. Gluten free, dairy free and done in 30 minutes!
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Just completed our second round of Whole30 this year and we’re feeling great! Following the Whole30 program in the summer compared to the winter was a bit of a slightly new experience for us. We eat differently in the summer versus the winter, and that difference was a lot more profound and noticeable during the 30 days of the program.
No soup, more salad. Less hot food, more cold food. Less casseroles, MORE SALAD. We ate a lot of salad this round – and that’s how these posts were thought up: Everyday Vegetable Confetti and 3 Easy Ways to Hide Kale in Your Salad.
The other thing we’ve been eating during this round are these Ginger Ground Beef Bowls.
Is ground beef Whole30 compliant?
Yes! Ground beef is Whole30 compliant as long as it doesn’t have any additives.
If you know me or you’ve been following for a while, you might know that I don’t eat much red meat. But Whole30 gets boring if you limit your protein options, so I did eat beef and pork regularly during this round.
Sidenote: That is one of my only pet peeves about Whole30 – because you can’t get any protein from legumes or grains, you are almost required to eat more red meat (not required, but chicken gets BORING). However, I make up for this by eating ONLY humanely raised grass-fed/grass-finished beef and heritage breed pork (not industrially raised commercial pork).
About 80% of our meat comes from ButcherBox (affiliate link), which is delivered to our house on a monthly basis. We get organic chicken (they have all cuts and whole chickens), heritage breed pork & bacon, and grass-fed/grass-finished beef. I’m obsessed!
The program rules do say that while naturally raised and fed animal proteins (fed GRASS, not grains) are recommended, they are not a requirement of the Whole30 program. If you don’t have access to grass-fed beef, don’t worry about it.
Ingredients in the Ginger Ground Beef Bowls:
These ingredients are Whole30 friendly, meaning they’re paleo, dairy-free, and gluten free. Here’s what we got:
- grass-fed ground beef – HERE IS WHY I only eat grass fed beef. I get mine from ButcherBox (affiliate link)!
- veggies: carrots, bell pepper, cauliflower rice, woohoo! I like how the cauliflower rice blends in with the ginger ground beef once you stir it all up and you can hardly even tell it’s there
- sauce: all the goods including sesame oil, crushed red pepper flakes, coconut aminos (best sub for soy sauce!), fish sauce for that UMAMI (I use Red Boat).
Is this recipe still good if I’m not following the Whole30 program?
In my opinion (who else’s are you gonna take), yes, this recipe is great no matter what diet you are or aren’t following (okay maybe not vegan! sorry). That being said, you can sub that cauliflower rice for basically anything else if you don’t want it in your life. Alternatives to cauliflower rice (if not Whole30 or Paleo):
- brown rice/white rice pick your favorite
- quinoa can be delicious!
- noodles (branch out a little eh)
- a salad could work if you put your heart into it
How long do these ginger ground beef bowls last in the fridge?
These bowls will last for up to 4 days in the fridge. If you choose to make 5 portions, freezing your last portions and pulling it out of the fridge on the evening of the 4th day might be a good idea.
Can you freeze these ginger ground beef bowls?
Disclaimer: Haven’t tried it but I think all the ingredients are freezer friendly and that yes, this meal prep bowl would freeze well as long as it’s in an airtight freezer safe meal prep container (pictured are these 3-Cup Pyrex Rectangle Glass Containers).
More meal prep ideas from Project Meal Plan:
- Easy Buffalo Chicken Salad Meal Prep
- BLTA Lettuce Wraps Meal Prep
- Satay Inspired Chicken Salad Bowls
Did you make this? I want to see how it turned out! Tag me in your social media post @projectmealplan and use #projectmealplan when you share!
Meal Prep Ginger Ground Beef Bowls (Whole30 & Paleo)
This Whole30 & Paleo meal prep recipe is a quick and easy addition to your lunch rotation! These Ginger Ground Beef Bowls are packed with carrots, bell peppers, cauliflower rice, grass-fed ground beef, and a simple sauce to pull it all together. Gluten free, dairy free and done in 30 minutes!
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1/2 cup coconut aminos
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce (*see note)
For the meal prep:
- 2 pounds grass-fed ground beef (I use ButcherBox)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced (about a 1.5 inch long root)
- 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
- 2 medium carrots, finely diced
- 4–5 cups frozen riced cauliflower
- garnish with green onions & sesame seeds
Instructions
- Make the sauce: In a bowl or jar with a lid, combine coconut aminos, sesame oil, onion powder, red pepper flakes and fish sauce. Shake or stir until combined, then set aside.
- Cook the stir fry: Place a large deep non-stick skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. When hot, add ground beef and salt. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Cook the meat for about 6 minutes or until cooked through, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and make a small well in the center of the pan. Add garlic and ginger, then saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Finally, add the red bell pepper, carrots, and sauce to the pan. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened.
- Meal prep it: Add 1 cup frozen cauliflower rice to each meal prep container. Portion the ginger ground beef evenly between 4 meal prep containers. Garnish with green onions and sesame seeds if you wish. Store in an airtight container for up to four days in the refrigerator, or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Notes
Portioning: This meal prep recipe can make 4 or 5 servings depending on how much you want to eat per serving. When served with cauliflower rice, I make four servings. When served with a grain such as rice, I make five portions as the grain adds extra calories. Fish Sauce: I use Red Boat Fish Sauce (affiliate link!) which is Whole30 friendly. Make sure your fish sauce has no added sugar or MSG. Cauliflower rice: I’ve been getting the Green Giant brand riced cauliflower from the freezer section and it is a TIME/LIFE SAVER. But feel free to use homemade riced cauliflower if you want.
Nutrition information estimated with My Fitness Pal.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1 meal prep bowl
- Calories: 532
- Fat: 26g
- Carbohydrates: 21g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 49g
Hope you love these Ginger Ground Beef Bowls, if you’re doing a round of Whole30 or not. I’ll be keeping this one in my rotation for all year round, but switching up the cauliflower rice with something else. How are you eating this one? Tag me in your post so I can see it, or use #projectmealplan to share with me!
Meredith says
I used soy sauce as my coconut aminos haven’t arrived yet but this was delicious! I will go a but lighter on the red pepper flakes next time but highly recommend! I was hoping to save some for lunch the next day but husband ate it all, I will consider that a win!
Danielle says
So glad to hear you and your family enjoyed this! Definitely a win 🙂 Thank you for your comment and rating! I really appreciate it! -Danielle
Whitney says
This was amazing. My whole family chowed this down like it was heaven. I was sooo happy to have found this gem of measurements. I have made something similar but nothing with the perfect sesame oil and fish oil. I am keeping this in rotation for sure. it is very hard to please my 5 year old and he loved this even with red pepper.
Danielle says
Hi Whitney – Reviews like this simply make my day. Thank you for spending the time to let me know how much you and your family liked this recipe! It is SO helpful to myself and other readers, especially to know that it’s kid friendly! I don’t have kids so this is something I am never able to weigh in on. I really appreciate it 🙂 -Danielle
Sheharzad says
I doubled the recipe but I didn’t have coconut aminos on hand so I used 1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce and 1/2 cup of beef broth. I also used less salt for the beef. It turned out really well!
Danielle says
So glad you liked it!! Thank you for the comment and rating – I appreciate it 🙂