These paleo beef, veggie, and bacon bowls are super tasty and quick to make! Seasoned ground beef is cooked with savory bacon and lots of veggies, then topped with perfectly fried sweet plantains and chipotle ranch sauce. Whole30 compliant, family approved, ready in 20 minutes and great for lunch or dinner!
This was most definitely one of those recipes that I wasn’t planning on ever posting.
I have many of them, actually – meals that I throw together for myself on a whim, based on my mood and what’s in the fridge – and then assume it’s way too basic to make “official”.
But this one, I happened to have also made for Adam during our January Whole30. Random Saturday lunch, had to feed us, and this is what happened – sort of spicy, flavor-packed Whole30 and paleo beef and bacon bowls with veggies and fried sweet plantains.
And oh yeah – don’t forget that chipotle ranch sauce on top! Anyway, he LOVED it and asked if it was on the blog – I said no, of course, that I barely remembered what I even threw in the skillet in the first place.
BUT, since it was so well loved, I decided to try to replicate my steps and make it “official” so I could the random deliciousness with all of you!
And even though it’s now an actual recipe – it’s still just as easy, versatile and flexible as it was the first day I made it. As in, you can truly throw in ANY veggies you like (as long as they’re chopped/shredded) and switch around the spices to make it your own!
The bowls are full meals by all means, making this recipe perfect when you need a quick dinner, lunch, or even egg free breakfast (I’ve done it many times!)
The plantains are a MUST, in my opinion (and I’m totally biased because I’m plantain-obsessed) because they add tons of flavor, healthy carbs, and make it super filling in a good, energizing way (as opposed to a blah way.)
For this recipe I used ripe plantains, which cook in literally 5 minutes and add the perfect amount of sweetness to an otherwise savory meal. I love ripe plantains for just how easy, fast, and delicious they always are.
As for the chipotle ranch, I think it’s absolutely perfect to top off your bowls and you can find the recipe here (it’s goes with everything!)
That said, you can always skip it and top with guac (recipe here) or even a crispy fried egg if you’re going the breakfast route. You really can’t go wrong with the toppings you choose!
I hope you’re ready for an easy, delicious, healthy paleo and Whole30 meal right now – let’s get to it!
Paleo Beef, Veggie, and Bacon Bowls with Plantains {Whole30}
Paleo Beef, Veggie, and Bacon Bowls with Plantains {Whole30}
These paleo beef, veggie, and bacon bowls are super tasty and quick to make! Seasoned ground beef is cooked with savory bacon and lots of veggies, then topped with perfectly fried sweet plantains and chipotle ranch sauce. Whole30 compliant, family approved, ready in 20 minutes and great for lunch or dinner!
Ingredients
Meat & Veggie Mixture:
- 4 slices nitrate free bacon sugar free for Whole30
- 1 lb grass fed ground beef any ground meat is fine
- 1 1/2 tsp taco seasoning I used Primal Palate
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Dash chipotle powder or more if preferred
- 4 cups shredded or chopped veggies I used Brussels sprouts and a broccoli slaw mix, you can use anything you like!
- 1 Tbsp water
- More cooking fat as needed
- Chipotle ranch To top - optional
Plantains:
- 1 large sweet plantain peeled and sliced into 1/4” rounds (or slightly thicker)
- 2 Tbsp ghee or other cooking fat
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
Beef & Veggie Mixture
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Heat a large skillet over med-hi heat. Once sizzling, add bacon slices and cook until crisp, turning once. Remove to drain on paper towel.
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Keep the rendered fat in the skillet and lower heat to med. Add beef to skillet and sprinkle with the salt and seasonings. Brown, breaking up lumps with a spatula.
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Once beef is about 80% done, add the veggies and water to the skillet, gently stir, then cover skillet. Cook, covered, 1-2 minutes to soften veggies.
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Uncover and stir, then crumble cooked bacon into the mix. Continue to cook and stir occasionally for another two minutes or until veggies are cooked to preference.
Plantains:
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Heat ghee or other cooking fat over medium heat in a nonstick skillet (or well seasoned cast iron)
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Once sizzling, add plantain slices in a single layer and fry the first side until golden brown, flip, and do the same to the second side.
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Once both side are golden brown, remove from heat and sprinkle with sea salt to taste.
Assemble bowls:
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Serve beef and veggie mixture in bowls with fried plantains, garnish with scallions or cilantro and top with chipotle ranch sauce if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Want More Easy Whole30 meal ideas? Try one of these!
Paleo and Whole30 Burrito Bowls
Sweet Potato Hash with Sausage and Eggs
Whole30 Breakfast Egg Roll Bowls
Chicken Stir Fry with Veggies and Garlic Sauce
Chicken Pesto Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Sloppy Joe Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
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Danielle Perez says
February 25, 2018 at 3:22 pmThis looks amazing–can’t wait to try it! My husband is Latino and he loves plantains! I’ve been doing paleo for about a month and I’m so thankful that I found your blog. Thank you for sharing these fantastic recipes! My whole family loved your white chicken chili!!
Michele says
March 4, 2018 at 5:28 pmThat’s awesome to hear!
costantinoradi says
March 6, 2018 at 5:58 pmI”m loving the veggies for this month! I love mushrooms, artichokes and sweet potatoes already so maybe I should try a beet, plantain or turnip recipe!
Hanna says
March 6, 2018 at 9:18 pmThis was great! I used broccoli slaw mix which made it that much easier. The chipotle ranch should not be optional because it was a great addition, so I highly recommend.
Michele says
March 6, 2018 at 9:38 pmI agree the chipotle ranch is just so tasty! Glad you enjoyed!
Katie says
March 21, 2018 at 4:16 pmi’m glad to see this comment because I bought all of the ingredients and wondered about the Chipotle Ranch and if I should skip it. I bought Primal Kitchen’s Mayo just in case… now I’m glad I spent that $8 on mayo… ha!
Mindy says
March 10, 2018 at 5:53 pmMy new favorite meal with so much flavor. The chipotle ranch sauce is a must!
Michele says
March 13, 2018 at 3:27 pmOne of my favorites too! Happy you like it!
Catherine says
March 11, 2018 at 8:54 pmI have a hard time getting my kids to eat vegetables and this dish they love. My middle child ate everything and was asking for more.
Michele says
March 13, 2018 at 3:11 pmThat’s awesome to hear! Nothing makes me happier than hearing the kids love it!
Katie says
March 23, 2018 at 1:19 pmI made this recipe on Wednesday night. I almost doubled it and I’m glad I didn’t since it makes a TON!! So delicious and even a coworker whom I shared it with today (Friday) said it might be the best Paleo recipe I have made yet. And he raved about the sauce that goes on top. So if you make this, do not skimp out on the sauce! I bought the Primal Kitchen avocado oil mayo and it worked great with it!
Side note, as a personal preference, I should have bought ground bison instead of ground beef since I prefer bison over beef. But I will for sure be making this recipe again with bison!!
Michele says
March 23, 2018 at 7:36 pmThat’s awesome! Thrilled you enjoyed it 🙂
Katherine says
March 23, 2018 at 8:21 pmI made this tonight and it will definitely be going into my recipe rotation! Fast and delicious. I’m all for sharing recipes that seem “too basic to be official,” as it never occurred to me to throw these items together for a meal. It was my first time to cook with plantains and I think I have found my new best friend. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Michele says
March 23, 2018 at 8:24 pmSo happy you enjoyed!
Ivy says
March 27, 2018 at 6:59 pmJust made this today! It was so easy and soooo delicious!!!! It’s a keeper for sure. Thank you so much!!
Michele says
March 27, 2018 at 8:54 pmSo happy you enjoyed it!
Natalie says
March 27, 2018 at 10:33 pmMade this tonight, the kitchen smelled AMAZING, and the meal was delicious! My husband and I loved it. Very filling and made two bowls of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I absolutely love Simple ingredient recipes like this, please share more of these kind of quick meals!
Katie says
June 18, 2018 at 9:14 amI am single, live alone and made this for my 5th time last night, but with ground bison. Definitely a favorite recipe of mine to make! And it makes a TON of leftovers for me to eat for lunch for the next 2-3 days at work. I just wish my local Wegman’s wasn’t out of shaved brussel sprouts to add to the mix like usual (too lazy to prep them that way myself… ha ha).
Michele says
June 18, 2018 at 8:01 pmThat’s awesome! Thrilled you like it 🙂
Nicole says
September 3, 2018 at 3:21 pmI came across this recipe a few days ago and it is all i have been able to think about since then. I showed it to my hubby yesterday and he thought it looked good too, so I finally made it last night. OMG. It is the best Whole30 recipe I have ever made. The flavor was just incredible and it was so easy! Thank you so much for creating a recipe that so good that you want to make it even if you aren’t doing a Whole30!