These Chipotle Steak Taco Bowls are packed with flavor and perfect for weeknight dinner or meal prep for the week.
Whether you’re doing a Whole30, or just trying to cook more at home in the new year, flavorful sauces and an arsenal of seasonings are key to making homemade meals feel more like those from your favorite restaurants. Here, the special sauce is the Pepita Scallion Dressing, which is a mix between a pesto and a jalapeño crema. It takes this bowl to the next level – and is great as a dip with fresh veggies if you have extra.
If you’re not doing a Whole30 or eating paleo, rice would also be great addition to these Chipotle Style Steak Taco Bowls.
Also, don’t let this ingredient list intimidate you! While there are a few components, you’re only cooking the steak and the peppers, making this very weeknight-friendly. You can also prep the Pepita Scallion Dressing up to a week in advance and chop the veggies ahead of time to make this come together even faster. All components stay well in the fridge and can be assembled for dinner or for weekday lunches.
I hope you enjoy these bowls as much as I do!
Chipotle Style Steak Taco Bowls

Ingredients
For the Steak:
- 4 tbsp avocado oil divided
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 1 tsp. onion powder
- 1 tbsp chipotle chili powder
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- 2 tbsp fresh lime juice about 1 lime
- ¼ cup salsa verde
- ¼ cup beef broth
- 2 lb. skirt steak or flap steak - trimmed of excess fat and patted dry
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
For the Pepita Scallion Dressing:
- ½ cup toasted pepitas
- 1 jalapeño seeds removed for less heat
- 4 scallions - white and green parts roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic - peeled
- 1 ½ cups packed cilantro - roughly chopped plus more for garnish
- 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 3 Tbsp. fresh lime juice - about the juice of one lime
- 3 Tbsp. fresh orange juice - about the juice of half an orange
- 1 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 Tbsp. warm water - plus more as needed
For the Peppers and Onions:
- 2 Tbsp. avocado oil
- 1 small white onion - sliced thin
- 3 bell peppers red, orange, and yellow - de-ribbed and sliced thin
- 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
- ½ tsp. Kosher salt
For the Salad:
- 1 large head romaine - chopped
- 6 cups finely shredded red and green cabbage
- 1 large shallot - very thinly sliced
- ¼ cup toasted pepitas
- 2 avocados - diced
For Serving:
- Lime wedges
- Pickled onions - optional
Instructions
Prepare the Steak:
- In the bottom of a crockpot, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the avocado oil, garlic powder, onion powder, chipotle chili powder, ground cumin, lime juice, salsa verde and beef broth until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of avocado oil. Season both sides of the steak with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, sear both sides of the steak until a golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the browned steak into the crockpot and nestle into the sauce. Seal the lid on your crockpot and cook on high for 6 hours, or low for 8 to 10 hours.
- When the cook time is complete, using two forks, shred the meat. Leave in the crockpot on warm while you prepare the rest of the bowls.
Make the Pepita Scallion Dressing:
- In a high-speed blender, or food processor, add the pepitas, jalapeño, green onions, and garlic. Pulse for about 30 seconds until you have a fine crumb. Add in the cilantro, red wine vinegar, lime juice, orange juice, and salt. Pulse until the mixture is mostly smooth. With the motor running on low-medium, stream in the olive oil. Blend until completely smooth. If the blender needs a bit of help, slowly stream in warm water in tablespoon increments until the desired texture is reached. It will be a bit thinner than a pesto, but still textured. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Cook the Veggies:
- In a large cast iron pan, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and bell pepper and season with salt. Sauté, tossing the peppers so they pick up the seasoning from the steak. Cook for about 5-7 minutes until soft. Add the lime juice to deglaze the pan, tossing to combine. Set aside and cover to keep warm.
Assemble the Salad:
- In a large mixing bowl add the shredded cabbage. Spoon in about a tablespoon of dressing. Using tongs, massage the dressing into the cabbage to break it down a bit. Add the romaine and shallots and toss again. Toss in the pepitas and a bit more dressing, mixing until all the greens are well coated.
- To serve, divide the greens evenly amongst 4 bowls. Top with an equal amount of peppers and steak. Garnish with avocado, lime juice, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Photography and styling by Eat Love Eats.
26 Comments
Liz
February 27, 2023 at 2:38 pmThis is in our monthly rotation! We follow the directions as written with the exception of using traditional chili powder instead of chipotle chili powder so that our toddler can enjoy as well! I don’t eat Chipotle but my husband does and claims this is much better!
Jaime
February 10, 2023 at 3:35 amI made this exactly as written and wow, so good!
Alex
February 10, 2023 at 6:33 pmThank you so much, Jaime, for your review! Glad you loved it!
Jennifer Baker
February 6, 2023 at 7:06 pmAre the pepitas salted or no?
Clemma Nash
January 16, 2023 at 12:14 amOh yes! I pickled some red onions for the top!
Clemma Nash
January 15, 2023 at 11:56 pmYummy! I cooked the meat in the instant pot for 30 minutes and used top round as that is what I had on had. So good!
Ginger
February 11, 2023 at 7:33 pmMade this & it was outstanding! Didn’t have pepitos, so used sunflower seeds. Another great recipe (your sauces are always super delish)!
Kelsey
January 7, 2023 at 6:55 amWhich recipe book is this recipe found in? I’m trying to decide which I should order.
Alex
January 9, 2023 at 7:14 pmHi! This recipe is just on the blog, not in either of my books
Tricia Amend
January 5, 2023 at 1:37 amLooks delicious! Would flank steak work?
Alex
January 5, 2023 at 5:52 pmYes, flank steak is a great alternative.
Beth W
January 4, 2023 at 7:31 pmHi Alex, do you have any recommendations for subbing Red Wine Vinegar? Seems I don’t have white wine vinegar either which would be my next go-to, but all the other kinds I do!
Alex
January 4, 2023 at 7:44 pmApple cider vinegar should work okay!
Sally
December 12, 2022 at 10:42 pmI don’t see instructions for the 2T lime juice for the peppers and onions. I just added it when I took it off the heat and it came out great, but how was I supposed to do it?
Alex
December 15, 2022 at 9:32 pmJust updated! But yes, that is totally fine.
Katelyn
December 10, 2022 at 9:43 pmThis looks so good! Do you think the steak could cooked in a Dutch oven on low in the stove or on a low temp in the oven if we don’t have a crockpot or instant pot or do you think it would dry out the meat with those methods?
Brooke Young
December 7, 2022 at 1:14 pmHow many does this serve?
Alex
December 8, 2022 at 3:12 pmIt serves 6! sorry I forgot to include that here. Just added.
Madi B
December 4, 2022 at 1:42 pmWhat settings would you use to slow cook this in the instant pot?
Alex
December 7, 2022 at 1:10 amI know all InstantPots can vary– but mine has a “slow cooker” button on it! Once you close the lid and seal it,
press the “Slow Cook” button.
Press the “Adjust” button to change the heat setting to “Normal” (which is low) or “More” (high heat)
Set your desired cooking duration, using the “+” and “-“ buttons. It will cook for the same duration that I mentioned in the recipe above! 🙂
Lauren
December 2, 2022 at 12:03 amHave you cooked the steak in the instant pot before? We don’t have a crock pot, but this recipe looks amazing!
Alex
December 2, 2022 at 12:45 pmyes– it would work great in the IP- you could do it for manual high pressure for 40 mins!
Paris
December 1, 2022 at 7:28 pmCould you use flank steak in this recipe?
Alex
December 1, 2022 at 9:28 pmyes absolutely
Amber Sandhoff
December 22, 2022 at 11:48 pmHi Alex, made this tonight and it is so yummy! But a bit too spicy for my kids. Do you think the spice is coming more from the chipotle powder or the salsa verde? I’m usually not a fan of crockpot food but the meat had the best flavor. Trying to think about how I could make it less spicy without sacrificing flavor. Any thoughts?
Alex
December 23, 2022 at 12:40 pmIt’s likely the chipotle chile powder! it packs some heat, so i’d cut back on that.