A one pot Southwest inspired meal that is loaded with flavor and served with a chipotle cream drizzled over the top!
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We head south of the border with this Keto one skillet casserole! It’s prepared and baked in the same pan making for an easy peasy any night of the week meal!
Homemade Taco Meat is where this tasty Keto entrée starts out, fresh veggies are added, then it’s covered it with cheddar cheese and in the oven it goes! Super easy to make and delivers so much flavor. This one will be a huge hit!
Don’t forget the sauce! Then garnish will some avocado, additional diced tomatoes or jalapenos and you have one impressive meal on the table in no time with hardly any mess!
What’s in Keto Southwest Skillet
- Grass-fed ground beef
- Cauliflower rice
- Baby corn (see note)
- Red bell pepper
- Onion
- Jalapeño pepper
- Cheddar cheese
- Chipotle pepper
- Tomatoes
- Fresh cilantro
- Smoked paprika
- Ground cumin
- Tomato paste
- Fresh garlic
- Chicken stock
- Lime
- Olive oil
- Sour cream
- Scallion
- Avocado
*Exact measurements are listed in the recipe card below.
How to Make Keto Southwest Skillet
Preheat oven to 375F.
Heat a large oven-safe skillet to medium and add in the ground beef.
Cook until browned, then remove and set aside.
Add in the olive oil, red pepper, jalapeño pepper, onions, salt and pepper, then sauté for a few minutes.
Add in the garlic and sauté for another 20 seconds. Add in the cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle pepper and allow to toast for 15 seconds.
Add in the stock and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Stir in the baby corn, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and zest.
Add the cauliflower rice and ground beef back in and stir. Mix in ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese.
Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and bake for 25 minutes. Then increase the temperature to 450F and bake an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is slightly golden.
While the casserole is baking, make the chipotle cream sauce by mixing up the sour cream, chipotle pepper and lime juice.
Serve with a dollop over the top of each plate, along with sliced scallions, chopped fresh cilantro and/or avocado.
Why Use Grass-fed Beef?
- The omega 6-3 ratios in grass-fed beef are far superior to grain-fed beef. This has numerous health benefits that you can read all about in this article.
- Compared to grain-fed, grass-fed beef contains more B-vitamins, thiamin and riboflavin.
- Grass-fed is higher in the minerals calcium, magnesium, and potassium, all of which are essential for Keto and low carb diets.
- Grass-fed beef is free of the hormones and chemicals that grain-fed cattle are fed daily.
- Beef reflects the flavor of what it’s fed. That is why regular grain-fed beef usually has a bland flavor that requires a lot of seasoning. In comparison, grass-fed beef fed from pastures will have a more rich and complex flavor.
More Keto Ground Beef Recipes
- Bacon Wrapped Meatloaf
- Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
- Beef Stroganoff Casserole
- Picadillo
- Big Mac Cheeseburger Salad
- Instant Pot No Bean Chili
Is Cream Sauce Made with Chipotle Keto?
The chipotle used in this Keto cream sauce comes in a can with adobo sauce. They are very low carb with only, 1 net per serving.
This sauce is perfect for Keto because it also adds healthy fat by made by combining the peppers with sour cream with added zesty flavor from the lime.
How Many Carbs in Baby Corn
Baby corn is prematurely harvested before it’s pollinated, and doesn’t have nearly as many carbs or sugar as adult corn and has a lot more fiber!
Baby corn has only 4 net carbs for the 5 ears used in this entire recipe. The baby corn is optional, so you can certainly omit it and still have a great tasting casserole!
Substitutions for Southwest Keto Casserole
- The flavors of this casserole are equally delicious with chicken, steak or even pork tenderloin.
- You can use any of your favorite cheeses or a combination instead of cheddar.
- If you need to make this skillet dish stretch a little further or if you just want additional veggies, you can add diced zucchini.
- This Easy Guacamole is delicious served on top of this Southwest Skillet in place of the sliced avocado.
Can I Freeze Leftover this Keto Ground Beef Casserole?
Absolutely! This low carb Southwest Skillet is perfect for freezing and meal planning. You can even make it in advance and freeze it for later.
The sauce will need to be made fresh when you’re ready to reheat it, as it does not freeze well. Be sure to use a freezer safe container and label the outside with what it is, and the date you made it.
If you’re interested in additional information on ways to Meal Prep, you may find this article, 25+Easy Keto Meal Prepping Ideas very useful.
More Low Carb Mexican Recipes
- Instant Pot Pork Carnitas
- Mini Taco Bites
- Mexican Breakfast Casserole
- Pico de Gallo
- Quick & Easy Taco Meat
- Easy Guacamole
Shop my favorite products on Amazon and check out my Keto Pantry List!
Baked Southwest Skillet with Chipotle Cream – Keto and Low Carb
Recipe Video
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound ground beef I use 85%
- 3 cups cauliflower rice
- 5 ears of baby corn chopped (see notes)
- ¼ cup red bell pepper diced
- ¼ cup onion diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper minced
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 smoked chipotle pepper in the can chopped
- ⅔ cup tomatoes I used Campari, quartered
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¾ cup chicken stock see my homemade chicken stock recipe here
- Juice and zest of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
For the Chipotle Cream
- ½ cup sour cream
- ½ smoked chipotle pepper in the can chopped, with 1 teaspoon of the juice
- squeeze of fresh lime juice
Optional Garnish:
- Scallions thinly sliced
- Fresh cilantro chopped
- Avocado
PREPARATION
- Preheat oven to 375F. Heat a large oven-safe skillet to medium and add in the ground beef. Cook until browned, then remove and set aside. Add in the olive oil, red pepper, jalapeño pepper, onions, salt and pepper, then sauté for a few minutes.
- Add in the garlic and sauté for another 20 seconds. Add in the cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle pepper and allow to toast for 15 seconds. Add in the stock and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cauliflower rice and ground beef back in and mix. Stir in the baby corn, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and zest. Mix in ½ cup of cheddar cheese.
- Top with the remaining cheddar cheese and bake for 25 minutes. Â Then increase the temperature to 450F and bake an additional 5 minutes or until the cheese is slightly golden.
- While the casserole is baking, mix the sour cream, chipotle pepper and lime juice. Serve with a dollop over the top of each plate, along with sliced scallions, chopped fresh cilantro and/or avocado.
NOTES
Full of southwest flavor. Stick to the recipe, I added extra chipotle and jalapeños and ended up burning my mouth, it was worth it 😉
Full of southwest flavor. Stick to the recipe, I added extra chipotle and jalapeños and ended up burning my mouth, it was worth it ?
Hi Darcie,
Yes those peppers can light your mouth on fire if you’re not careful, lol!