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One Pot Cheesy Taco Skillet– this easy, delicious, veggie packed beef taco skillet meal is quick and great for a budget- as well as a low carb diet!
Easy cheesy beef taco skillet dinner that is perfect for burrito bowls, salads, skillet tacos, and more with tons of hidden vegetables that kids will eat!
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
We add lots of tips in our recipe – so you can make this dish, understand why it works and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. I also answer questions my friends and family have asked about my recipes, to help home cooks of any skill level better understand the processes we use and why!
Table of contents
Cheesy Taco Skillet Dinner
Nothing gets our family to gather around a table faster than two things- tacos and cheese. Mention either one, and my family is ready for a feast! For us, quick, hearty, and secretly-packed-with-veggies meals are our go to options- and this One Pot Cheesy Taco Skillet is one that doesn’t disappoint! This recipe is the perfect beef taco skillet dinner that is packed with vegetables, beef taco flavor, and tons of ooey, gooey melted cheese.
I developed this recipe to be a multitasking powerhouse – it is great for people on a low carb or keto diet, fabulous as a way to get kids to eat more vegetables without complaining, easy to make when time is tight, great for meal prep, and simple to modify for low calorie or other specialty diets, too.
This skillet is delicious topped with cheddar, monterey jack, a mexican cheese blend, sour cream – salsa, guacamole – anything you’d like to help take it over the top even more. It is truly customizable. And thanks to a heaping dose of cheese, it doesn’t taste like diet food at all.
How to Make One Pot Cheesy Taco Skillet
To make this recipe, we will need the following ingredients:
- Ground beef – Ground beef is easy to cook quickly, crumbles easily, and has a meaty flavor everyone loves – with lots of protein and fat, without carbs. If you’d like to use another meat, you can substitute ground chicken, lamb, pork, turkey – or even ground beyond meat substitute. We’ve tested them all in this recipe, and they are all delicious.
- Yellow onion – Onion adds a slightly sweet, earthy, and vegetal flavor that elevates taco skillets. Yellow onions are budget friendly, caramelize well, and hold up to high heat.
- Bell peppers – Bell peppers bring a slightly sweet, grassy, vegetal flavor – as well as bringing a bright pop of color and juicy, crunchy texture to the dish. Fun fact: different color bell peppers come from the same plant – but are picked at various stages of ripeness. You can pick whichever color you love!
- Diced tomatoes with green chilis – Diced tomatoes with green chilies (I buy Ro-tel brand) are an easy, inexpensive way to bring the bright, rich tomato flavor and crisp earthiness of green chilies into a dish, year round. Pick the heat level you like – mild, medium, or hot.
- Zucchini – I like to shred zucchini to mix into ground beef when making tacos, since the vegetable’s mild flavor and light, springy texture compliments ground beef and soaks up taco seasoning well. Zucchini is a great vegetable to “hide” into dishes for picky eaters as it will largely take on stronger flavors cooked with it. Peel the skin with a vegetable peeler, then grate with a cheese grater, for best results.
- Taco seasoning – For this recipe, any taco seasoning you love will work – from store-bought to homemade. Go for whatever you love the flavor of, or try our homemade taco seasoning mix.
- Baby kale/spinach mixture – Kale and spinach are both incredibly healthy – packed with nutrients and fiber – but can be a hard sell, especially for picky eaters. This recipe is the perfect way to incorporate more leafy greens in an easy way – I finely chop kale or spinach (go for whatever you have on hand, or whatever is in season, fresh is best for this recipe, not frozen, as it will throw off the flavor) and add to the skillet and mix in. When finely chopped before cooking, the greens cook down to such a small size, they are hard to tell they are there!
- Shredded cheddar and jack cheese – Cheddar and jack are both excellent choices for melting because of how they are aged – as they age, the casein in the cheese is attacked by the enzymes in the cheese, allowing it to break apart and melt smoothly when heated. Opt for freshly shredded instead of pre-shredded cheese sold in bags, as they are often coated in preservatives that can change the melting properties of cheese.
- Green onions – Green onions are a great garnish for tacos as they provide a milder kick than white onions, while still giving a bit of a sharp, somewhat spicy and peppery “bite”.
Once you’ve gathered your ingredients, we will use this method:
Prep. Peel skin from zucchini and shred, dice onion and bell pepper, chop kale/spinach, and shred cheese so they are ready to add to skillet as you cook.
Cook. Brown ground beef (I don’t drain off the fat, and instead use it in place of additional oil, but you can drain and use olive oil as needed as you prefer), then add onions to cook to soft, add peppers, greens, tomatoes, and melt cheese. Cook until beef has fully cooked, vegetables have softened, and cheese has melted.
Serve. Serve over rice, in burritos or tacos, over cauliflower rice, inside avocados, as a keto bowl – or just dig in!
Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Cheesy Taco Skillet
Add mushrooms. 8 oz sliced or chopped cremini mushrooms help to boost the meaty skillet flavor and are a great low carb, low calorie option!
Use fresh green chilies. Fresh roasted green chiles make an exceptional addition for a spicy, smoky kick!
Try other greens. Diced beet greens or arugula are lovely, slightly peppery substitutes to kale or spinach.
Add a carrot and jalapeno salsa. Fresh shredded carrots mixed with pickled jalapenos makes an awesome topper when the skillet is done – similar to fresh carrot and jalapeno salsa from a mexican restaurant.
Add root vegetables. Turnips, squash, sweet potatoes, and other root veggies, when shredded or diced into small bites, make an awesome addition if you’re not watching starches or carbs!
Add red pepper. I love red pepper strips in skillet tacos – the red pepper brings a delicious tangy and smoky-sweet flavor.
Use high heat. For this recipe, you want to cook as high enough as you can without burning anything. Since there are so many variations to stovetops, pan choices, and how much moisture is in your veggies and meat, this will vary per person. Keep the pan hot, without burning – on whatever setting that represents on your stove.
Don’t drain the fat. Don’t drain off excess liquid from the breakdown of the vegetables. When you add the taco seasonings, this will help to create a deliciously rich and meaty sauce that packs a huge punch of flavor!
Don’t rush cook time. Don’t rush the cooktime on the vegetables. Getting a nicely browned veggie is crucial for flavor development!
Break up meat if making in slow cooker. If making in a slow cooker, pre-brown the meat, or check on it frequently while meat is browning – or you’ll have a giant lump of meat not too unlike clumps of oddly shaped meatloaf, and less like tacos.
Add carbs if you’d like. Forget low carb – this taco bowl dinner also makes a mean pasta salad or rice bowl- simply dump over macaroni for a delicious cheesy macaroni taco skillet!
FAQs
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container for up to four days, or frozen for up to four months.
Any ground meat (and even beyond meat substitute) can be used in this recipe. You might need to add a bit of olive oil or another fat if using a lean meat or meat substitute to keep it from sticking to the pan, as ground beef has a higher fat profile and will give off it’s own fat to cook in the pan.
This recipe was developed to be easily customizable – you can swap vegetables, add other vegetables that you love, stir in beans – any flavors you like.
You can omit kale, spinach, or greens if you like – we developed this recipe to be a great way to get picky eaters to eat more vegetables, however, it is really delicious even without the added greens too!
You can pick a spicy version of Ro-tel, stir in cayenne pepper, add hot sauce, or stir in fresh hot chilies to spice up this dish.
What to Serve With Cheesy Taco Skillet
If you love this easy cheesy skillet, be sure to check out some of my favorite side dishes to bring that Southwest flavor you crave – like our Spicy Garlicky Beans, creamy and cool Avocado Tomatillo Salsa, crunchy and delicious Easy Frito Pie Casserole, or some Bacon Wrapped Cheddar and Garlic Jalapeno Poppers!
I also have an incredibly hearty and delicious meaty tasting version of this skillet that is COMPLETELY vegan! I know that sounds hard, but it is so good – and deceptively simple. Get my Meaty Vegan Taco Skillet Recipe here.
And if you’re looking for an even easier and healthier version, check out this Slow Cooker Chicken Taco Bowl recipe!
One Pot Cheesy Taco Skillet Recipe
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Check out my web story on this skillet here.
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One Pot Cheesy Taco Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 2 bell peppers diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilis
- 1 large zucchini shredded
- taco seasoning
- 3 cups baby kale/spinach mixture this sounds like a lot- it cooks down to a small amount
- 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar and jack cheese
- green onions to garnish
Instructions
- In a large pan, lightly brown ground beef and crumble well.
- Drain excess fat.
- Add onions and peppers, and cook until browned.
- Add canned tomatoes, taco seasoning, and any water needed for taco seasoning to evenly coat mixture (up to 1 tbsp- the liquid from the tomatoes will help)
- Add greens and let fully wilt.
- Mix well.
- Cover with shredded cheese and let cheese melt.
- When cheese is melted, serve over a bed of lettuce, rice, or in a taco or burrito!
pinned this back in 2018/2019 and have made this as a “Taco Tuesday” replacement. I sometimes do not have spinach or zucchini but my girls love it anyway it’s made.
Zucchini being left out also lowers the carbs and when I do put Zucchini I dry it out first before putting it in skillet due to the watery effect it does add. I also will cook the ground beef with the taco seasoning and the tomatoes with Chile then freeze it. This way on busier nights all I have to do is to throw it all together or my girls can and have dinner done within 15 minutes. Love this recipe- Thank you.
Have you used frozen kale& spinach?
Yes – they taste great, but do give off a lot of water. Defrost before adding if you can and squeeze them over a colander to prevent a ton of water in the pan if possible!
This recipe is excellent as is, but if you have a few extra minutes, a few tips on how to make it even better: simmer down the veggies and meat until the pan is almost dry before adding each of the ingredients, throw in some garlic and cilantro if you like them, and broil for a few minutes to get the cheese on top extra toasty.
Thanks for the recipe! It’s in regular rotation at my house.
Love all those tips!!!! <3
I made this after seeing the recipe. It was very easy to make, and delicious! I felt really good about all the veggies in it – my non-vegetable loving husband liked it, as well as my 2 y.o. granddaughter! I will make it again, for sure. One problem I had with it (the only problem) was that at the end, it was watery on the bottom. I’m wondering if it is because of the zucchini? I loved being able to hide that it in there, but am considering leaving it out next time. Great recipe, thanks!!
Yes it’s watery because of the zucchini. I have never added it, usually because I have all the ingredients except that, and it comes out perfect. I wasn’t sure how much taco seasoning to use, it doesn’t really say so I just pour in the whole packet.
Put the recipe first so we don’t have to scroll through your life story
Please click the “skip to recipe” button directly at the top to not be inconvenienced with cooking tips.
TY! I will try this recipe it looks yummy!
PS- I do not think you were being rude at all
Maybe learn how that “skip to recipe” button works and you won’t have to be so rude. Wow.
This recipe is excellent as is, but if you have a few extra minutes, a few tips on how to make it even better: simmer down the veggies and meat until the pan is almost dry before adding each of the ingredients, throw in some garlic and cilantro if you like them, and broil for a few minutes to get the cheese on top extra toasty.
Thanks for the recipe! It’s in regular rotation at my house.
Thank you for the help I am going to try this recipe out
Or, open your eyes and click the skip to recipe button at the very top. So rude for no reason?
It does not say that at all. Personally I think she said it in a nice way
WOW! this looks amazing. I gotta make this dish, maybe Saturday. Thank you for sharing. I can hardly wait to give it a try.
I am fairly new the world of diabetes and I am now ALWAYS on the look out for quick and easy and delicious low carb recipes! I work full time and have a part time job so work a second job some evenings and weekends. This really fits the bill for all of that! AND – it’s easy enough to take to work and warm up the next day! FABULOUS! Thank you! Keep more like this one coming!