Taqueria Beef Bowls
with Corn Esquites, Sour Cream & Cilantro
- Milk
- Eggs
Imagine going to your local taqueria and filling up a bowl with a bit of each of your favorite fillings and sides. Dinner bliss? Our chefs thought so—which is why they dreamed up this genius meal. You get steamy jasmine rice, spiced ground pork, cheese, and sour cream. To top it all off (pun intended), there’s even one of our favorite Mexican street foods, esquites—a mix of charred corn kernels, mayonnaise, lime juice, chili powder, cheese, and jalapeño. You really can have it all!
Ingredients
3 tablespoon
Sour Cream
(Contains: Milk)
½ cup
Jasmine Rice
1 unit
Jalapeño
1 teaspoon
Chili Powder
1 unit
Beef Stock Concentrate
2 tablespoon
Mayonnaise
(Contains: Eggs)
¼ cup
Monterey Jack Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
1 unit
Lime
10 ounce
Ground Beef
1 tablespoon
Southwest Spice Blend
¼ ounce
Cilantro
1 unit
Corn
Not included in your delivery
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• In a small pot, combine rice, ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• While rice cooks, drain corn, then pat very dry with paper towels. • Heat a drizzle of oil in a large pan over high heat. Add corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and lightly charred in spots, 4-6 minutes. TIP: If corn begins to pop, cover pan. • Turn off heat; transfer corn to a large bowl and cover to keep warm. Wipe out pan.
• Meanwhile, wash and dry produce. • Quarter lime. Mince jalapeño, removing ribs and seeds for less heat.
• Heat a drizzle of oil in pan used for corn over medium-high heat. Add pork*, Southwest Spice Blend, half the chili powder (you’ll use the rest in the next step), and a big pinch of salt. Cook, breaking up meat into pieces, until pork is browned, 3-5 minutes. • Stir in stock concentrate and ¼ cup water (1/3 cup for 4 servings). Bring to a simmer and cook until pork is saucy and cooked through, 2-3 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat.
Swap in turkey or beef for pork.
• While pork cooks, stir mayonnaise, half the Monterey Jack (save the rest for serving), remaining chili powder, and juice from half the lime into bowl with charred corn. • Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add another squeeze of lime juice if desired. Stir in as much jalapeño as you like.
• Fluff rice with a fork; season with salt and pepper. • Divide rice between bowls and top with pork, corn esquites, and remaining Monterey Jack. • Dollop with sour cream. Pick cilantro leaves from stems; tear leaves into pieces and sprinkle over dish. For extra heat, sprinkle with any remaining jalapeño if desired. Serve with any remaining lime wedges on the side.
Ground Beef is fully cooked when internal temperature reaches 160º.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many loved the tasty combination of spices and charred corn, though some found it a bit bland and wanted more seasoning.
- Ease of prep: Customers praised how quick and easy this meal was to make, with simple instructions and fast cleanup.
- Suggestions: Consider adding beans, salsa, or fresh tomatoes for more flavor and texture; some suggested using fresh or frozen corn instead of canned.
- Portions: Several mentioned wanting more rice; the corn-to-meat ratio felt off to some, with too much corn for some tastes.
- Spice level: Views varied widely; some found it perfectly spiced while others wanted more heat - adjusting jalapeño to taste is key.
Reviews from our home cooks
This dish was plenty of food. We swapped protein for ground beef. It needed a little more sauce than the recipe made. The corn was excellent. Nice and fresh. The lime was awful, small and not in good shape but that seems to be the way with produce lately. The cilantro was a bit wilted but worked fine. Dish had excellent flavor. A keeper for sure if you can get more sauce on the meat.
Healthy, fast and super delish! The idea to do the corn with the Southwest spice, cheese, lime, mayo makes it so good, super impressed! The beef was good too, we added some butter to the rice so everything was gooey and piping hot! (Used some lime squeeze to sour cream to make your lime crema!)
I only wish it didn't end so soon. Spicy enough but not overpowering. The corn, though I couldn't seem to wholly dry it, was novel yet added a lot to everything else. Beef was good. Some flavor binding to the beef could be improved but my bag was missing stock concentrate. My favorite bite was one where Jack cheese got in the very middle of the bowl.
Hello Fresh puts together the tastiest spiced up bowls. This one had just the right level of spice and the toasted corn was a treat! (And I'm not a fan of corn!)
The whole family loved them! Easy to make and customize. Each person can make it as spicy or mild as they like. Left out the corn in family member's bowl. Delicious any way you like it.
You really should use cotija cheese and garlic should have been included to call this corn esquites... Not flavorful or spicy enough and I used the whole jalapeño and extra black pepper. Lastly, recipe card said 1/2 c rice and 3/4c water. I used closer to 1c water and rice was NOT done.
We really enjoyed the esquites--I used half the mayo since neither of us are huge mayo fans, and I think it worked just as well. We cooked up some of the jalapeno with the pork and I think that also helped smooth out some of the heat.
One of best meals! Would rate a 10 if I could. Has a bit more rice than needed but the flavors are amazing. Use jalapeños a little at a time. What a flavor packed dish!
This dish is delicious! The corn makes it!! Will definitely order again. Add some blue tortilla chips for dipping. Like a bowl!
This is probably my favorite Hello Fresh meal AND my favorite meal that I have ever cooked. The Corn Esquites was life changing ha! I'll make this dish on my own. :)
