BEST BEEF AND CAULIFLOWER TACO SKILLET RECIPE
A few months ago I posted a side dish, Southwest Cauliflower Rice , and ever since I’ve been dying to add it to the 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, like you’re eating a taco, but in bowl form.
Is it spicy?
The heat level in this recipe depends on the spiciness of two ingredients: canned tomatoes with green chilies (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 experiment a bit to find the brands that match your preferred heat level.
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 cauliflower rice cook very quickly and you don’t need to make any changes to the recipe based on the type of cauliflower rice.
Take the taco seasoning shortcut.
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 very flexible! If you don’t like some of the toppings I’ve used, here are some more ideas:
Sour cream
Crushed tortilla chips
Pickled red onion
Black olives
Green onion
Lime crema
Jalapeños (fresh or pickled)
Chopped Radish
Make it low carb or vegetarian
If you want to make this delicious skillet lower carb, you can leave out the black beans and use a pound of ground beef instead.
If you want to make this taco skillet vegetarian, substitute an extra can of beans for 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
This Beef and Cabbage Taco Skillet has layers of flavor, color and texture and all your favorite taco flavors in one hearty bowl.
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
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
Finely chop the garlic. Add the garlic, olive oil, and ground beef to a large skillet and cook over medium heat until the beef is browned. If you’re using leaner beef, you’ll want to drain off the excess fat before the next step.
Drain the can of black beans and add the chopped tomatoes along with the green chilies (not drained), chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir and cook until the pan boils.
Add the rice and cauliflower to the pan (no need to thaw if frozen). Continue to stir and cook over medium heat until the cabbage is tender (about five minutes).
While the beef and cabbage are heating, chop the tomatoes, avocado and red onion. Roughly chop the red pepper.
Top the beef and cauliflower mixture with the shredded cheddar. Place a lid on the pan, and let it heat on medium for a few minutes, or until the cheddar melts.
Once the cheese is melted, top the skillet with the tomatoes, avocado, red onion, and red onion. Serve immediately.
HOW TO MAKE BEEF AND CAULIFLOWER TACO SKILLET – STEP BY STEP GUIDE
Chop two cloves of garlic. Add garlic to a large pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and ½ pound ground beef. Cook on medium heat until the beef is browned.
Drain a 15oz. can of black beans and add to the pan with a 10 oz. cans of diced tomatoes with green chilies (not drained), 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon oregano, ¼ teaspoon salt, and? Black paper. Continue to cook and stir until the pan boils.
Add 3 cups of rice and cauliflower to the skillet. Continue to cook and stir until the cauliflower is tender (about 5 minutes).
While the cabbage and beef are heating, chop a tomato and an avocado. Finely chop ¼ cup red onion. Coarsely chop a small handful of red pepper.
Top the skillet with 2 oz. (about ½ cup) shredded cheddar cheese. Place a lid on the pan and let it heat on medium for a few minutes, or until the cheese melts.
Once the cheese is melted, top with fresh tomatoes, avocado, red onion and cilantro and serve!
