This Mexican Keto Ground Beef Casserole is great for a quick and easy weeknight meal! It’s low in carbs but packed with flavor!
When it comes to easy one-pan dinners, casseroles are a natural choice. A casserole can cover all the bases and nourish your body without the need for side dishes. This Mexican keto ground beef casserole has the added bonus of appealing to lots of different taste buds, and that’s a huge asset on busy weeknights—especially if you’re watching your carbs. A lot of us folks on low-carb diets end up having to make separate meals for family members who aren’t trying to limit carbs, and this casserole solves that problem!
This keto casserole with ground beef is every bit as satisfying as an enchilada; it’s full of creamy cheesiness, and it delivers the perfect amount of Mexican flair. The kids can eat this dish with warm tortillas on the side, and you get to maintain your keto lifestyle with an easy, one-pan dinner. What’s not to love?
Is This Mexican Keto Ground Beef Casserole Healthy?
This casserole is perfect for people on keto diets, but it is not low in fat or calories. It contains heavy cream and cream cheese in addition to a significant amount of cheddar cheese, and all the fat from the 85% ground beef is left in the pan during cooking. I’d recommend eating this dish in moderation, especially if you aren’t following a keto diet.
Can I Use Ground Chicken Or Turkey?
If ground chicken or turkey is what you have on hand, go ahead and use it for this recipe! It will change the taste of the dish overall, and will drastically lower the fat content, but it’ll still be delicious. You may need to add a tablespoon or two of oil to the pan when you brown the meat. If you do decide to use ground turkey or chicken, let me know how it turns out for you!
How To Make Ahead And Store
This casserole is so tasty right out of the oven when it’s nice and hot, but it also keeps great in the fridge and makes for fantastic leftovers! I recommend storing your leftover casserole in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Or, you can freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating in the oven or microwave.
Serving Suggestions
As I mentioned above, this dish can be a solo affair with no sides (or extra dirty pots and pans) necessary, but it also goes great with plenty of sides. A simple Low-Carb Keto Cucumber Salad is a lovely complement to this casserole, as is a batch of Keto Tortillas. For appetizers, go for these spicy Keto Jalapeño Poppers or, if a few more healthy carbs aren’t a big issue for you, try a delicious bowl of Pinto Bean Soup.
After a heavy meal like this, you’ll want something refreshing for dessert. These Sugar-Free Low-Carb Keto Lemon Bars are my favorite sweet to lighten up a big, cheesy meal.
Ingredients
- 1 pound 85% ground beef
- 3 teaspoons taco seasoning divided
- 2 cups riced cauliflower
- 1 bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese packed and divided
- 1 cup salsa
- 4 tablespoons heavy cream
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F.
- Heat a large, oven-safe pan on medium-high heat and cook the beef until no longer pink. Add in 2 teaspoons of the taco seasoning and cook for 1 more minute. Transfer to a bowl. Do not wipe the pan.
- Add the cauliflower rice and the bell pepper to the hot pan and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of taco seasoning and cook for another minute.
- Add the beef back into the pan, and stir to combine.
- Add 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese and all remaining ingredients except the cilantro, and stir until the cream cheese melts and everything is combined.
- Bring to a boil and simmer for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, just until the mixture thickens.
- Remove from heat and sprinkle on the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese. Bake until bubbly, about 15 minutes.
- Sprinkle with cilantro and serve hot.
Nutrition Info:
Nutrition information are estimates only and may vary based on the specific brands, ingredients, and portion sizes you use. This data is provided for informational purposes only.
What kind of pepper did you use?
Hi, Linda! It was a yellow pepper.
Fantastic! Everyone loved it, even the picky eaters.
Can you use frozen cauliflower rice?
Hi Justine! Yes, you can use frozen cauliflower rice in this recipe. Just make sure to first defrost and drain it to eliminate extra moisture. You can thaw it either in the fridge or with a microwave.
Very good! I made this for supper added a quarter of a red onion diced some red and green peppers about a third of each with cauliflower rice and it is delicious. Thank you for sharing
You’re welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it Cheryl!
This was absolutely delicious!! I didn’t use any pepper because I didn’t have any, I added some fresh green onion from the garden, and I substituted buttermilk for heavy cream because again I didn’t have any cream. It turned out fantastic! I will absolutely 100% make this again! Thanks for the recipe
I was just wondering if the calorie count and the carb count was for the whole recipe or per serving
Hi Angela, the nutrition info is at the bottom of the recipe card. It is 499kcal per serving and recipe makes 4 servings.
Is it Tbsp or tsp of taco seasoning. You have both here.
Hi Janine! I apologize for the confusion. Three US teaspoons equal one US tablespoon. In Step 2, you’ll add the first two teaspoons into the mix, and in Step 3 you’ll add the remaining one teaspoon. All told, that’s one tablespoon! Happy cooking!
Totally awesome!!!
Fabulous easy recipe! I didn’t use oven at all. Cooked on my induction burner in one pan.
Amazing! Glad you loved the recipe and thanks for reading.
This was delicious and flavorful enough for me! I used hot salsa and a sweet red pepper. Instead of turning on the oven to melt the last 1/2 cup of shredded cheddar, I just put a top on the pan for a couple minutes. That way I didn’t have to turn on the oven on this 90 degree day in Richmond, VA. Thanks so much. It’s a keeper!
Glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for reading and rating.
Made this tonight, it was DELICIOUS!!! My 4 year old said he wants me to make this every night!!!!!
So great to hear we got his stamp of approval! Thanks for reading.
This stuff was awesome! Had me going back for seconds!
So glad to hear! Definitely worthy of seconds and thirds. Thanks for reading and rating.