Keto Taco Casserole

by KetoFocus.com

Taco flavor in an easy dinner casserole

This easy keto taco casserole is loaded with veggies, flavor, and protein for a foolproof quick and healthy dinner everyone will love!

Busy nights call for easy casserole meals that everyone can dig into and leave the table full and satisfied. In just 30 minutes you can have a filling, low carb and veggie-packed dinner on the table ready to go for your whole family.

a mexican casserole in a baking dish next to keto tortilla chips and a half a lime

If you’ve been missing tortilla chips on your keto diet, you’ve got to try my low carb tortilla chips – crispy, crunchy, and so satisfying. Especially when they’re crumbled on top of seasoned ground beef, veggies, and cheese! If you have leftovers, this keto taco casserole recipe makes an delicious filling for my keto taco shells, too!

While I like to transfer the filling from the skillet to a casserole dish to drain out excess liquid, you can absolutely bake everything in an oven-safe skillet to avoid extra dishes and make clean-up even easier with making a one pot wonder like this skillet casserole.

Don’t forget to take an extra minute to make the sour cream sauce. Plain sour cream works, but you’ll be blown away by the extra burst of flavor that lime and salt add to this taco bake meal!

How to make keto taco casserole

  1. Cook ground beef in a skillet until browned.
  2. Add onion, garlic and taco seasoning. Cook until onion has softened.
  3. Stir in Rotel, diced zucchini, sliced olives and cauliflower rice. Cover and let simmer to soften veggies.
  4. Drain liquid from the taco meat in the skillet or use a slotted spoon to transfer ground beef mixture to a casserole dish.
  5. Top with shredded cheese and bake until cheese has melted.
  6. Top casserole with crushed chips, sour cream sauce, cilantro and green onions.

a casserole dish filled with cheesy taco casserole and topped with diced tomato and cilantro

Key ingredients & substitutions

  • Ground beef – Use 80/20 ground beef for this recipe. You can also use ground turkey, ground chicken, or venison.
  • Onion – White or yellow onion can be used; however, yellow onion has the lowest net carbs.
  • Oil – I use avocado oil for this recipe, but another neutral oil like light olive oil or ghee will also work.
  • Rotel – Use a can of rotel or a can of diced tomatoes along with a small can of diced green chilis. You can also use a can of diced tomatoes or tomato paste and diced fresh green chilis if that’s what you have– just add the fresh ones at the same time as the zucchini and cauliflower rice so that it can soften.
  • Zucchini – Use a medium zucchini, diced. Don’t peel the zucchini as the peel will soften when cooked and adds extra fiber and nutrients to the dish.
  • Black olives – Can omit if preferred.
  • Riced cauliflower – Either rice a head of fresh cauliflower by pulsing florets in a food processor or use a bag of frozen riced cauliflower or fresh cauliflower rice found in the produce section.
  • Cheese – Use shredded Colby jack cheese. Monterey jack, cheddar cheese, or a Mexican cheese blend will also work. You could also mix in cream cheese into the taco meat for a creamier option.
  • Tortilla chips – Make your own low carb tortilla chips or use store-bought ones like Quest Chips or Mr. Tortilla Chips.
  • Green onions – After dicing the green onions, use both the white and green parts.
  • Sour cream – If you want to save on fat and calories, use plain greek yogurt.
  • Seasoning – including chili powder, oregano, salt and garlic; however, taco seasoning is a quick an easy substitute that will add flavor.

Keto Taco Casserole Recipe Video

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Keto Taco Casserole Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • ¼ cup chopped yellow onion
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 10 oz can Rotel or diced tomatoes
  • 1 zucchini, diced
  • 2.25 oz canned sliced black olives
  • 8 oz riced cauliflower
  • 8 oz Colby jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup crushed low carb tortilla chips, optional
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 green onions

Lime Sour Cream Sauce Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons sour cream
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • pinch of salt

Keto Taco Casserole Directions

  • Keto Taco Casserole
  • a small plate with a portion of keto taco casserole on it with chips and a lime wedge

    What makes this low carb taco casserole different

    There are many low carb or keto taco casserole recipes on the web, but this one stands out as one of the best for flavor and nutrition.

    • Instead of mixing ground beef with a few veggies, tossing cheese on top and calling it a day, this recipe added extra vegetables like zucchini and cauliflower for next-level heartiness and nutrition. With low-carb chips, you won’t miss out on the element of crunch that traditional taco casseroles are famous for.
    • Many other low carb taco casserole recipes use eggs to help bind everything together. We avoid the egg in this recipe and the eggy flavor that just doesn’t belong in a taco dish.
    a crunchy taco casserole with green onion slices, cilantro and tomatoes next to cherry tomatoes on the vine

    How to serve taco casserole

    Make this keto mexican casserole your own by adding any of the following keto-approved toppings!

    Storage information and meal prep instructions

    To meal prep this recipe, prepare and cook the veggie and taco meat mixture on the stove, place in a casserole dish, and let cool. Store it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When ready to cook, add the cheese on top and bake as directed.

    Other ingredients like cheddar cheese and vegetables can be chopped and prepped ahead of time as well.

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you can, remove any extra tortilla chips before storing as these will get soggy in the refrigerator, add new just before eating!

    Reheat this recipe by placing it back in the oven at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes, or until heated through or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.

    Keto Taco Casserole: FAQS

    Can I use frozen cauliflower?

    Yes! Frozen riced cauliflower is easy to use in this recipe.

    I don't care for cauliflower. What can I use in place of the cauliflower rice?

    The cauliflower rice can be omitted in this keto casserole recipe or substitute with Hearts of Palm rice instead.

    Can this be baked in a skillet?

    Yes, instead of transferring the ground beef mixture to a casserole dish, just keep it in an oven-safe skillet, top with cheese and bake as directed for a one pot skillet casserole recipe.

    Are tortilla chips keto?

    Traditional tortilla chips are not keto. Keto-approved brands include Quest tortilla protein chips and Hilo Life tortilla chips. You can also easily make your own!

    Nutritional information & Macros

    Nutrition Information

    Keto Taco Casserole

    Servings: 6

    Amount Per Serving
    Calories 488
    Fat 38.4g
    Protein 25.4g
    Total Carbs 13.3g
    Net Carbs 8.2g

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    4 Comments

    1. 2 tablespoons of chili powder seems a bit excessive. Is that a typo? Otherwise, my family really loved this recipe. Thank you!

        1. You guys must like it spicy! lol I used chipotle chili powder. I wonder if that makes any difference. At any rate, it was delicious and we’ll be having it again this week — minus about a tablespoon of chili powder or so, because apparently we’re wimpy. 😉

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