Cheesy Mexican Taco Casserole (Low Carb)

This Cheesy Mexican Low Carb Taco Casserole is made with low carb flour tortillas, ground beef, taco seasoning, riced cauliflower, and lots of cheese! It is a comforting and hearty low carb recipe that is sure to fill your belly!

This low carb taco casserole is a family favorite! Layers of meat, soft tortillas, salsa, heavy cream, cheese, taco seasoning, and cream cheese makes for a deliciously hearty casserole. Since this recipe is made with low carb tortillas, which contain wheat, it isn’t considered 100% keto-friendly but more of a low carb meal. I used (3) low carb tortillas in the entire casserole, at just 4g net carbs per tortilla spread out over nine servings. If you want to lessen the carbs, even more, you can use less taco spice, or you can make your own homemade taco seasoning, which is keto-approved.

How To Make An Easy Taco Casserole (with Ground Beef)

This baked casserole is an easy weeknight meal you can make in advance and reheat when you get home from work. Casseroles are the ultimate comfort food, aren’t they? They’re always quick to throw together and smells absolutely delicious baking in the oven! The best part about this meal is that you can make it in advance and reheat the leftovers for another time.

Make sure you check out my other low carb casseroles too!

Step-by-step instructions:

Step 1: Saute the ground beef in a skillet with the onions until the meat is browned. While doing that, steam your cauliflower rice in the microwave following package directions. You could substitute beef with turkey or chicken if you prefer.

Another option is to use homemade riced cauliflower. It is cheaper to make at home! Just make sure it is steamed before adding it to your skillet.

Step 2: Add your cream cheese to the ground beef and cream together using a wooden spatula until it melts. This will ensure that your meat sauce for this low carb taco casserole is nice and smooth without chunks of cream cheese. 

Step 3: Next, add heavy cream, beef broth, taco seasoning, riced cauliflower, salsa, and pepper. Mix all ingredients until everything is nicely incorporated for the best Mexican flavor. The mixture should be thick and saucy.

Step 4:  Time to layer your taco casserole! Start by adding 1/3 of the ground beef mixture to the bottom of a 9 x 9-inch casserole dish. Top with 1/3 of the shredded cheese.

Step 5: Add one low carb tortilla in the middle of the casserole. Cut one tortilla in strips and place the pieces in all four corners to fully cover your casserole. The one extra tortilla shell will be enough to fully cover corners for each tortilla layer. Next, repeat the same layer with 1 cup of ground beef, a tortilla with the extra tortilla strips covering the corners and cheese. Finally, finish by adding the rest of the taco meat mixture topped with a final layer of cheese.

Tip: If you prefer not to use low carb tortillas, there are homemade options if you are strict keto and prefer using grain-free gluten-free tortillas. Here are two recipes for homemade keto tortillas. One is made with coconut flour, and another made with almond flour.

Step 6: Bake your casserole at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes and serve warm with fresh parsley (or cilantro) sprinkled on top! Add other toppings if you prefer. (see below)

Do I Have To Use Frozen Cauliflower In This Recipe?

No, you do not. Those steamed bags make it so so easy, though!

If you want to make your own freshly riced cauliflower, you can! Check out how to make cauliflower rice here. Making your own is more cost-effective, and I find it to have more of a bite!

What Toppings Can I Add To My Low Carb Taco Casserole?

Choosing your taco toppings are what make eating tacos so fun! So if you’re feeling up to it, you can add some additional toppings! Here are some delicious low carb ingredients you can top your casserole with:

• More Salsa
• Jalapeños
• Sour Cream
• Diced Tomatoes
• Shredded lettuce
• Green Onions
• Fresh Cilantro
• Avocado

How To Keep This Casserole Low in Carbs

If you are looking for a delicious lower carb dinner idea, this recipe is perfect for you. Just make sure you use low carb tortillas. The Mission Tortillas are only 4g of net carbs per tortilla, and you only need three for the entire casserole.

Also, I suggest making homemade taco seasoning instead of buying a store-bought package. This way, you don’t have to worry about any added sugars or starches since you’re in control of the ingredients! You can even make it spicier if you like!

Can You Freeze This Taco Casserole?

Yes! Similar to my other casseroles, you can also freeze this one. To do this, prepare the taco bake, as stated in the instructions below.

Don’t bake. Instead, wrap your freezer-safe dish in plastic wrap and tin foil to prevent freezer burn, and freeze up to 3 months. Make sure your meat mixture is thoroughly cooled before you freeze it.

When you’re ready to eat your casserole, thaw it overnight in the fridge and bake the next day. Baking time may be a little longer since the casserole could still be cold or slightly frozen.

More Low Carb Mexican Food Recipes:

• Keto Cheesy Mexican Skillet
• Taco Chaffles
• Keto Taco Salad
• Best Low Carb Mexican Shredded Chicken
• Queso Keto Taco Soup
• Cheesy Keto Nachos with Bell Peppers
• Best Keto Chicken Taco Soup
• Keto Baked Chicken Fajitas
• Low Carb Mexican Cauliflower Rice
• Keto Chicken Enchilada Casserole 

Low Carb Mexican Taco Casserole Recipe:

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Mexican Taco Casserole (Low Carb)

A cheesy, meaty layered taco bake that is low carb is sometimes all you need after a long day. This Healthy & Low Carb Mexican Taco Casserole is filling made with ground beef, salsa, cauliflower rice, taco seasoning, cream cheese, and soft flour tortillas layered in a casserole dish! Your entire family will love this hearty, healthy dinner with just 5g net carbs per servings

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Low Carb Taco Casserole

Servings: 9

Calories: 417kcal

Author: Kasey Trenum

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ lbs ground beef
• ¼ medium yellow onion
• ¼ medium bell pepper, chopped
• ½ cup heavy whipping cream
• ½ cup beef broth
• 3 oz cream cheese
• 10 oz riced cauliflower, steam bag
• 3 tbsp taco seasoning (click for recipe) (Make your own or use a packet)
• 1/2 cup salsa
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 3 Mission tortillas, low carb
• 3 cups Colby jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease a 9 x 9" baking or casserole dish.
• Brown ground beef in a skillet with onion and green peppers. Saute until the meat is browned. Then, drain the ground beef. While doing that, steam the riced cauliflower in the microwave following package directions.
• Add the ground beef back to the skillet with the cream cheese. Use a wooden spoon to 'cream' the beef and cream cheese together until it melts. This will ensure your meat sauce is nice and smooth without chunks of cream cheese.
• Over high heat, add riced cauliflower, whipping cream, beef broth, taco seasoning, 1/2 cup salsa, and pepper, then bring ingredients to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer with the lid on for 5 minutes.
• Remove lid. If the meat mixture has a lot of liquid, let it simmer on low until more moisture evaporates, and it thickens up with the lid off.

  If it has already thickened, take the skillet off the heat. If it seems TOO thick, simply add a bit of broth! You'll want it a bit saucy as the tortillas will absorb some of the moisture to keep the casserole from being dry.

  *Every stove cooks differently so you will need to be the judge. You want it to be a bit saucy to moisten your tortillas.
• To assemble the casserole, spread 1/3 of the taco meat mixture (approx 1 cup) on the bottom of the casserole dish.

  Follow with 1/3 of the shredded cheese. Then place one of the low carb tortillas in the middle of the dish. Use a pizza cutter, or knife, to cut one tortilla in pieces and use half of those pieces to cover the corners of the casserole so that all the taco meat mixture is covered with tortillas.

  Repeat the steps above for the second layer. The recipe video in this post is very helpful for a step-by-step visual.
• Finish the casserole with the last of the taco meat mixture and a final layer of cheese.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle parsley (or cilantro) on top and serve warm.

Video

Notes

Tip: If you prefer not to use low carb tortillas, there are homemade options if you are strict keto and prefer using grain-free gluten-free tortillas. Here are two recipes for homemade keto tortillas. One is made with coconut flour, and another made with almond flour. 

* Use less taco seasoning or my homemade taco seasoning linked in the post to further reduce the carbs. 

* You can prepare this ahead of time! Just assemble as stated above and refrigerate covered until ready to reheat. Keep in the fridge for no more than 2 days before baking.

* Freeze this casserole for up to 3 months and allow to defrost in the fridge overnight before baking.

Nutrition

Calories: 417kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 30g | Fiber: 6g

Tried this recipe?Mention @kaseytrenumblogger or tag #kaseytrenumblogger!