Beef and Cauliflower Taco Skillet
A couple of months ago I posted a side dish, Southwest Cauliflower Rice, and ever since I’ve been dying to flesh it out into a main dish. This week I finally got around to it, and OMG, so good! I added some ground beef, black beans, and a bunch of fresh ingredients on top, so you get this wonderful mix of hot and cold flavors and textures, kind of like when you eat a taco, but in bowl form.
Is it Spicy?
The heat level in this recipe depends on the spiciness of two ingredients: the canned diced tomatoes with green chiles (like Ro-tel) and your chili powder. Unfortunately, with both of these ingredients, some brands are spicy and some are not. So you may need to do some experimenting to find the brands that match the heat level that you prefer.
Fresh or Frozen Cauliflower Rice?
You can use either fresh homemade cauliflower rice or frozen store-bought cauliflower rice for this recipe. Both types of riced cauliflower cook very quickly and you shouldn’t need to make any changes to the recipe based on the type of cauliflower rice used.
Take the Taco Seasoning Short Cut
The recipe below includes all the herbs and spices in my homemade taco seasoning. If you don’t have a well stocked spice cabinet, you can use a packet of store-bought taco seasoning in place of the chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper listed in the recipe below.
Other Topping Ideas
This recipe is so flexible! If you don’t like some of the toppings that I used, here are some other ideas:
- Sour cream
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Pickled red onions
- Black olives
- Green onions
- Lime crema
- Jalapeños (fresh or pickled)
- Sliced radish
Make it Low Carb or Vegetarian
If you want to make this tasty skillet low-carb, you can skip the black beans and use a full pound of ground beef instead.
If you want to make this taco skillet vegetarian, add an extra can of beans in place of the ground beef. You can use an extra can of black beans, or add a can of pinto or kidney beans.
Beef and Cauliflower Taco Skillet
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic $0.16
- 1 Tbsp olive oil $0.16
- 1/2 lb. ground beef $2.50
- 3 cups riced cauliflower $1.25
- 1 10oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles $0.55
- 1 15oz. can black beans $0.50
- 1 Tbsp chili powder $0.30
- 1 tsp smoked paprika $0.10
- 1 tsp ground cumin $0.10
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano $0.05
- 1/4 tsp salt $0.02
- 1/8 tsp pepper $0.02
- 2 oz. cheddar cheese, shredded $0.38
- 1 avocado $0.99
- 1 tomato $0.46
- 1/4 cup finely diced red onion $0.10
- 1 handful fresh cilantro $0.10
Instructions
- Mince the garlic. Add the garlic, olive oil, and ground beef to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the ground beef is browned. If you're using a high fat content beef, you may want to drain off the excess fat before the next step.
- Drain the can of black beans and add them to the skillet along with the diced tomatoes with green chiles (not drained), chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook until the skillet is simmering.
- Add the riced cauliflower to the skillet (no need to thaw, if frozen). Continue to stir and cook over medium heat until the cauliflower is tender (about five minutes).
- While the beef and cauliflower are heating, dice the tomato, avocado, and red onion. Roughly chop the cilantro.
- Top the beef and cauliflower mixture with the shredded cheddar. Place a lid on the skillet, and let it heat over medium for a few minutes, or until the cheddar has melted.
- Once the cheese is melted, top the skillet with the tomato, avocado, red onion, and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
How to Make Beef and Cauliflower Taco Skillet – Step by Step Photos
Mince two cloves of garlic. Add the garlic to a large skillet with 1 Tbsp olive oil and ½ lb. ground beef. Cook over medium heat until the ground beef is browned.
Drain one 15oz. can of black beans and add them to the skillet along with one 10oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chiles (not drained), 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, ½ tsp oregano, ¼ tsp salt, and ⅛ tsp pepper. Continue to cook and stir until the skillet is simmering.
Add 3 cups riced cauliflower to the skillet. Continue to cook and stir until the riced cauliflower is tender (about 5 minutes).
While the cauliflower and beef are heating, dice one tomato and one avocado. Finely dice about ¼ cup red onion. Roughly chop one small handful of cilantro.
Top the skillet with 2 oz. (about ½ cup) shredded cheddar cheese. Place a lid on the skillet and let it heat over medium for a few minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
Once the cheese is melted, top with the fresh tomato, avocado, red onion, and cilantro, then serve!
That’s one FLAVORFUL bowl!!
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