Ground Beef and Zucchini Street Corn Bowls

Taco seasoned ground beef and roasted zucchini team up with a street corn salad in this healthy spin on the current esquites bowls trend. Each serving of this trio has 33g protein and 6g fiber with just 24g carbs, 9g fat, and 315 calories. That leaves plenty of calories for more volume in your meals via rice, tortillas, and other goodies.

What’s the Esquites Bowls Trend?

Have you seen everyone topping ground beef and sweet potatoes with giant dollops of Mexican street corn salad (esquites) and drizzling a beaucoup of honey over the top? It’s all the rage right now, and it’s a food trend I can happily endorse. That’s a delicious combo.

Swapping Sweet Potatoes for Zucchini

But I wanted to make a lower calorie version that swaps sweet potatoes for roasted zucchini squash. Sweet potatoes have something like six times more calories than zucchini, so the savings are pretty significant!

On the other hand, if you still want sweet potatoes, you’re in the right place. Swap the zucchini for equal parts sweet potatoes, slice them into rounds, and air fry or bake them all the same. If you’re baking the sweet potatoes, I love to roast them on the bottom rack of a 450ºF oven like this. They get so caramelized on the bottom!

You should also check out my gochujang ground beef bowls or Mediterranean turkey bowls for two certified bangers that pair mince and sweet potatoes.

The Street Corn Salad

There are many versions of esquites, but most classic recipes like this one combine corn and peppers with herbs, lime juice, mayo, cotija cheese, and some variation of spices. My version swaps mayo for nonfat Greek yogurt, and a bit more yogurt so it’s a creamier corn salad because I think that works best for this dish.

My recipe calls for frozen fire roasted corn, but a drained can of corn works just as well. Freshly grilled corn is also a nice swap in the summer.

Ground Beef and Other Protein Options

Since the roasted zucchini and esquites require some prep work, I kept it as simple as possible with the protein option by using taco seasoned ground beef.

My original plan for these street corn bowls was to use sliced air fried chicken breast seasoned with Mexican spices. Since my air fryer was taken up with the zucchini, ground beef entered the chat. If you’re going with oven roasted zucchini, air frying chicken might be a great protein pairing.

I also consider myself a bit of an expert when it comes to repurposing rotisserie chicken. Toss some pulled chicken with Mexican seasoning and heat it in a pan with a little olive oil to wake things up. And boom, there’s your quick protein option to sandwich between the corn and zucchini.

Serving Tips and Pairing Ideas

I’ve included notes in the recipe card below about the nutrition facts for bowls with two types of rice. One is bone broth Spanish yellow rice from a brand called A Dozen Cousins that I buy at Whole Foods. The other (pictured below) is Mexican-style riced cauliflower from Trader Joe’s.

The zucchini, ground beef, and street corn salad trio works perfectly on its own. But I’m simply a rice enthusiast and can hardly have a meal without it. I like the extra volume it gives the meal, particularly the cauliflower rice. Talk about a filling meal.

Aside from rice, the original drizzle of honey is a nice addition. And extra crumbled cotija, a squeeze of lime, cilantro, salsa macha or hot sauce, and all the usual suspects for Mexican and Tex-Mex dishes are not to be forgotten. A handful of crunchy tortilla chips or a charred tortilla are icing on the cake.

I hope you dig these street corn bowls. If it’s your introduction to the trend, what can I say except you’re welcome? Let me know your thoughts via a recipe review. Hope to see you again soon! – Mason