Keto Tex-Mex casserole

Keto Tex-Mex casserole

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5
4.8
481 Ratings
Not enough ratings
Hearty and spicy like you daydream about. Loaded with classic Tex-Mex goodness — minus the carbs — this easy keto casserole will satisfy all your south-of-the-border cravings. And say goodbye to store-bought guac and packaged taco seasonings! Making your own is simple, healthy and delicious.
December 8 2015 by , photo by , nutritional review by in Recipes, Dinner, Meal

Keto Tex-Mex casserole

1
2
3
4
5
4.8
481 Ratings
Not enough ratings
Hearty and spicy like you daydream about. Loaded with classic Tex-Mex goodness — minus the carbs — this easy keto casserole will satisfy all your south-of-the-border cravings. And say goodbye to store-bought guac and packaged taco seasonings! Making your own is simple, healthy and delicious.
USMetric
4 servingservings

Ingredients

  • 1½ lbs 650 g ground beef or ground turkey
  • 1 tbsp 1 tbsp butter
  • 3 tbsp 3 tbsp Tex-Mex seasoning
  • 1 cup (9 oz.) 240 ml (250 g) crushed tomatoes
  • 2 oz. 55 g pickled jalapeños
  • 2 cups (8 oz.) 475 ml (230 g) cheddar cheese, shredded
For serving
  • ¾ cup 180 ml sour cream or crème fraîche
  • 1 (½ oz.) 1 (15 g) scallion, finely choppedscallions, finely chopped
  • 5 oz. (2½ cups) 140 g (600 ml) leafy greens or iceberg lettuce
  • 1 cup 240 ml guacamole (optional)
This recipe has been added to the shopping list.

Instructions

Instructions are for 4 servings. Please modify as needed.

  1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
  2. Fry the ground beef in butter over medium high heat until cooked through and no longer pink.
  3. Add Tex-Mex seasoning and crushed tomatoes. Stir and let simmer for 5 minutes. Taste to see if it needs additional salt and pepper.
  4. Place the ground beef mixture in a greased baking dish (about 9" or 23 cm in diameter). Top with jalapeños and cheese.
  5. Bake on upper rack in oven for 15–20 minutes or until golden brown on top.
  6. Mix the scallion with the crème fraîche or sour cream in a separate bowl.
  7. Serve the casserole warm with a dollop of the crème fraîche or sour cream, guacamole and a green salad.

Make your own Tex-mex seasoning

Don't be scared to recreate the flavors of Texas and Mexico right in the comfort of your own kitchen. Making your own Tex-Mex seasoning blend kicks sugar out the door and puts you in the driver’s seat. And, since variety is the spice of life, play around a little! Switch in hot smoked paprika or smoked salt. Grind up dried specialty peppers, or chop up a chipotle in adobo sauce. Taste as you go and you can't go wrong! Your Tex-Mex experience will be elevated to the next level.

How to vary this dish

This casserole can be varied in a million and one ways. You can wrap it up in our low-carb tortillas, fill a crunchy keto taco shell or serve it burrito style. The whole neighborhood will want to spend Taco Tuesdays at your place.

If you're not so much into the southern spice mood, substitute the Tex-Mex flavors (seasoning, jalapeños and guacamole) for pesto, or add garlic powder, basil, salt and black pepper. Top it with shredded mozzarella, sliced fresh tomatoes and a generous amount of grated parmesan cheese and you'll have an Italian version that's to die for.

If you feel like flirting with Indian cuisine you can substitute the ground beef for ground pork or ground chicken and season it with curry powder and Garam masala.

How to store this casserole

This dish can be stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator a day before you plan on serving it. Remove from the fridge about 30 minutes before reheating. Placing a cold baking dish straight from the fridge into a hot oven can cause your casserole dish to crack. Reheat in the oven at 300°F (150°C) until thoroughly warm.

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241 comments

  1. 51
    Jane
    April 30 2016
    We made this tonight (as per the Friday menu recommended) and wow - we really enjoyed this! It really took no time at all to prep, fry & shove in the oven. Easy peasy!

    I used the fattiest ground beef (chuck) we have here, which is about a 80 lean to 20 fat ratio.
    I also cooked the ground beef with the 1-2 tbsp butter and found it necessary to drain off a lot of the fat (grease) before I added in the tomatoes since the beef was pretty much floating in the grease. Next time, I probably won't use the butter, or at least use much less. I feel that's a good compromise seeing how I used the 80/20 chuck.

    I also used a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes - juice and all. The recipe called for a half can crushed tomatoes, and where I live, a typical can of crushed tom's is about 28 oz.. I used the diced toms (instead of crushed toms) since I already had a couple cans of the diced toms in my pantry.

    I also let the tomato juice reduce a bit in the skillet before I transferred everything to an oven-safe dish, otherwise it would have been really watery.

    I diced up the jarred jalapeno's and added in with the beef as it was cooking, but I also put a couple jalapeno slices (rings) on top of the cheese for added pizzazz.

    This doesn't plate up pretty, looks a hot mess, but wow - it's super tasty and really filling! For sure add a big dollop of sour cream on top too!

  2. 52
    Londa
    May 2 2016
    No size on the crushed tomatoes?
    Reply: #53
  3. 53
    Reply to comment #52 by Londa
    Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    May 2 2016
    I would say that a can is approx 400g :)

    No size on the crushed tomatoes?

  4. 54
    Kim - UK LCHF Dieter
    May 4 2016
    I always dry fry the minced beef/ground beef & there is plenty of fat that comes out of the meat.
    I kept the fat in & I used a whole tin of chopped tomatoes/crushed tomatoes.
    As the kids were having this too, I kept the jalapeno's out & used mature cheddar, as we don't have alot of the cheesesin the UK, mentioned in most of the recipes.
    The Sour Cream with a few chopped chives is lovely on the top.
    Kids didn't enjoy this so much, but the grown ups liked it.
  5. 55
    Logan
    May 18 2016
    Looks super simple and delicious can't wait to try it. Also, i'm only 14 and i'm already trying to get in a good habit of eating healthy and such. So thanks to this site and many others I have the knowledge I need to do so.
  6. 56
    Kat
    May 21 2016
    This was good but I'd like it more in the winter than on a warm spring day. Next time I think I'll use chopped fresh tomato instead of crushed tomato, and leave the tomatoes uncooked. I'll just do up the beef with all of the spices in the frying pan, and then serve it over lettuce and tomato, like a taco salad instead of a casserole. I prefer the cheese uncooked too; I like it shredded and sprinkled on top for a lighter taste.
    I made the guacamole and some cauliflower rice as sides and they were delish.

    It was a nice recipe that I just need to modify a bit to suit my own tastes. In the spring and summer I don't like heavy or rich foods; I'd rather just have BBQ and salads. We're allowed lettuce and non-root veggies, so that's good.

    It's day 5 for me and I already lost 8 Ibs so this really works, and fast. I don't normally eat breakfast but I did try at first, but find I'm not hungry until noon. If I don't feel like left overs for lunch I just have my eggs for lunch and it's working great. I didn't feel sick at all but I fell asleep after lunch both yesterday and today, lol. I only slept for a short time but I felt groggy after. Other than that after-lunch slump, I feel good. I've even been walking more.

    Thanks for the 2 week challenge; can't believe tomorrow is day 6 already!

  7. 57
    Reply to comment #8 by MonaLisa
    Southern Gent
    May 21 2016
    If you look on the label of the container, it will never say "soured cream" it's always "Sour cream". but yeah, most people with half a brain will get it, geez!
  8. 58
    Southern Gent
    May 21 2016
    There is absolutely no reason to cook hamburger meat in butter unless you're using the leanest hamburger meat there is. typically, 80/20 or 70/30 hamburger meat will have more than enough fat in it to cook it without having to add butter and also in the recipe it should be instructed to drain the fat before adding the meat to the casserole dish otherwise you will have a very greasy slop instead of a nice filling Tex-Mex Casserole.
    Replies: #89, #157
  9. 59
    Atkins
    May 23 2016
    Need nutritional information to calculate net carbs for Atkins please!!
    Reply: #61
  10. 60
    Reply to comment #35 by Marie
    Atkins
    May 23 2016
    Cheddar or Pepper Jack would be great!
  11. 61
    Reply to comment #59 by Atkins
    Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    May 23 2016
    Hi Atkins!

    If you hover your mouse over the symbol for "Strict Low Carb" on the pictures then you will get that info.

    The amount of displayed carbs is net carbs (Total amount of carbs - fiber)

    Need nutritional information to calculate net carbs for Atkins please!!

  12. 62
    Atkins
    May 23 2016
    Thank you!!
  13. 63
    Marion
    May 26 2016
    How do you get net carbs
    Reply: #64
  14. 64
    Reply to comment #63 by Marion
    Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    May 26 2016
    Hi Marion!

    If you hover your mouse over the symbol for "Strict Low Carb" on the pictures then you will get that info.

    The amount of displayed carbs is net carbs (Total amount of carbs - fiber)

  15. 65
    Amy
    May 26 2016
    Made this tonight and it was absolutely amazing! Left out frying in butter and didn't add jalapeños but was still delicious. Served it with sour cream. Thanks for the recipe.
  16. 66
    Chasity
    May 27 2016
    I don't care for tomatoes. What could i substitute for the crushed tomatoes?
    Reply: #67
  17. 67
    Reply to comment #66 by Chasity
    Kristin Berglund Team Diet Doctor
    May 29 2016
    Hi Chasity!
    You can leave it out, the result will be a bit dryer but it will taste great anyway. If you like to substitute it with something I would recommend ajvar relish or a nice pesto. It won't taste the same but I think it could work just fine. Let us know how it worked and good luck!
  18. 68
    jazz
    May 31 2016
    How many Carbs per serving?
  19. 69
    Peter Biörck Team Diet Doctor
    May 31 2016
    Hi Jazz!

    If you hover your mouse over the symbol for "Strict Low Carb" on the pictures then you will get that info.

    The amount of displayed carbs is net carbs (Total amount of carbs - fiber)

  20. 70
    Peggy
    June 2 2016
    Just tried this tonight. Had salad on side, as well as guacamole and sour cream. Was like a deconstructed taco salad. Hubby said this was a kick ass recipe. Thanks for post.
  21. 71
    incog99
    June 10 2016
    Tried it tonight. I agree with the others no butter needed to fry the hamburger because it makes it too juicy. My jalapenos were whole! I didn't cut them up and wow it was a hot dish but I ate them anyway. I used a mixture of colby/jack and shredded cheddar cheese and it was delish. The sour cream was luscious on top, just a big dollop. Oh, and I lost 9 lbs. this first week.
  22. 72
    Christopher
    July 2 2016
    Hi, this is a pretty tasty recipe. Maybe the protein is a bit high... but can somebody tell me where all the fat listed is coming from?

    The hover over says:
    Fat: 74%, Protein:23% and netcarbs: 3% with 6g
    this means:
    Fat: 148G
    Prot: 46g
    netCarb: 6g

    with the ingredients I used (80% lean ground beef (maybe that is it?, although was best I could find :) ),
    I calculate without the guac the fat at 67g, Protein:46g, netcarbs:7
    with the guac : fat: 97g, Prot:49 and netcarbs around 10g (and this would be a monster meal).

    Anyway, were is the extra fat the hover over is claiming? I am missing it!

  23. 73
    heather
    July 14 2016
    The fat percentage means percentage of calories from fat, not percentage of food grams that are fat. Each fat gram has 9 calories, each protein and carb gram has 4 calories. So if you multiply the 67 fat grams by 9, you get a total of 603 calories from fat. The 46 protein grams multiplied by 4 = 184 calories, and the 7 net carbs multiplied by 4 = 28 calories. This adds up to a total of 815 calories. 603 (the fat calories) is 74% of 815.
  24. 74
    Karen
    July 17 2016
    Delicious and the hubby loved it too! I will have this often. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
  25. 75
    Michelle
    July 28 2016
    Made this tonight and it's very delicious... I also love the extra recipes for the taco seasoning and the guacamole. Easy to follow the recipe. Thanks for a great healthy low crabs dinner.
  26. 76
    SeaGail
    August 11 2016
    The percentages when you roll your mouse over the Strict low carb icon is so cool - PERFECT!
  27. 77
    Sean
    August 22 2016
    Aw, man! This is so yummy. I'm eating it as I type this.

    Nom Nom! :-)

  28. 78
    Melanie
    September 18 2016
    Giving this a whirl, also making enough for 2 meals so I can have with baked eggs tomorrow. The OH doesn't believe in this WOE and is in fact a carb & sugar disaster zone (at the same time as being a fully paid up member of the CICO paradigm), just need to stay the course and survive in a household that is largely not optimal.
    Reply: #80
  29. 79
    April
    September 19 2016
    I made this a week ago, and the newly-committed-to-low-carb family enjoyed it. I omitted the jalapeños, but I added a single serving of pinto beans (to the whole recipe) to give it some extra flavor while not increasing the carbs substantially. We used ground turkey instead of beef as well. Everyone liked it, and two days later, the leftovers found their way onto a piece of low-carb pizza crust with a white sauce base---also a success.
  30. 80
    Reply to comment #78 by Melanie
    April
    September 19 2016
    Hang in there, Melanie. My spouse and teen weren't convinced at first either when I started this in June. Having seen me drop a size-and-a-half in pants over the last 12 weeks has made a believer of them. My teen joined me three weeks ago, and my spouse committed this week as well.
  31. 81
    sam
    September 20 2016
    can this be frozen?
  32. 82
    Debbie
    September 27 2016
    As far as the taco seasoning, do you recommend using the full recipe you provided with the recipe for this dish? Can't wait to try this recipe. It looks delicious. Thank you.
  33. 83
    lindsay
    October 2 2016
    I've made this twice now, whole family likes it. And it is so quick and easy. I have it with salad and the boys have it in wraps like burritos. Brilliant!
  34. 84
    Cynthia
    October 5 2016
    Hi guys, I add everything I eat to a food diary just to see what I'm eating not exactly to count everything. But is this really close to 700 calories per serving like my diary suggests or is it unaccurate? I'm more interested to find out if it's at all accurate. If not, I'll be finding a new one. ?
    Reply: #85
  35. 85
    Reply to comment #84 by Cynthia
    Nicky
    October 17 2016
    If You read above another person said around 800 calories, so yes, yours is correct perse. But this diet is not based on calories. Its to swap energy source from carbs to fat. Eating carbs leave us hungry in a short period and give us sugar highs and lows. Eating this way makes you overall less hungry ( less calories/food) and sugars are balanced, so great for diabetics.
  36. 86
    gbl
    October 30 2016
    Everything is presented so beautifully...err...plated. If you should publish a cookbook in English I'm sure it would be a run-away best seller. I'll take three to start.
  37. 87
    Pat
    October 31 2016
    The recipes have duplicate wording over portions, like the star rating, even though I joined. How do you see a recipe without this overlap?
  38. 88
    gbl
    November 2 2016
    Making this for the first time today.

    I don't know if anyone else pointed this out: Scallions are not Chives. A significant difference in taste.

  39. 89
    Reply to comment #58 by Southern Gent
    V
    November 7 2016
    I knew before making it that adding butter would be silly, so I didn't. I used 80/20 ground beef, and it was still swimming in grease. It was gross so I drained it. I can't imagine why you'd want to add even more. I know this is a high fat diet, but eating all that grease would've made me ill.

    I also don't see the point of making this into a "casserole" since It's mostly just ground beef. Next time I'll just serve it as taco salad as I usually do.

  40. 1 comment removed
  41. 91
    Robin
    November 13 2016
    We really enjoyed this recipe but made a few changes. As we couldn't find pickled jalapenos, we just used 2 large chopped jalapenos instead (without the seeds or membranes). I had a 10 oz can of Rotel chopped tomatoes and green chilies in the pantry and used them instead of plain crushed tomatoes. And we had shredded 4-cheese Mexican mix in the fridge, so I used that. Came out great! I especially liked it with guac on the side and my sweetheart added hot sauce to his. This is definitely on the keeper list!
  42. 92
    Robin
    November 13 2016
    Nearly forgot!
    Sam - we did freeze it and it came out fine.
    Debbie - we used the whole taco seasoning amount in the recipe.
    I made it for 4 servings the first time and may go ahead and make more the next time for the specific purpose of freezing it in smaller amounts.
  43. 93
    Krista
    November 15 2016
    I had some leftover shredded cauliflower in the fridge; i put it in the bottom of the dish and then added this on top, and then baked. Really great; I'll do that again!
  44. 94
    William
    December 24 2016
    I made this dish tonight....has good taste...just way too much grease. And again the instructions seem to be missing steps..Maybe someone needs to proof read or actually try to make the dish following the instructions....I dont remember if it was this dish....IE: in one place it called for 1-2 cloves of garlic and then the instructions made no mention of the garlic. Another said in the ingredients scallions...in the instruction no mention of scallions but said to finely chop the chives...no mention of chives in the ingredient list
  45. 95
    William
    December 24 2016
    My "Smart" phone has an app called SHealth that tracks meals and activities. It would be nice to have the nutrition info in grams instead of %...other wise i'd have to enter every ingredient
  46. 96
    Rhonda Krogstad
    December 27 2016
    Are you kidding me over a hundred and forty grams of fat in this dish I hope that's in the whole thing and not one serving and BTW what is one serving
    Reply: #98
  47. 97
    Fabulous
    January 16 2017
    This is a staple in our house. I first made it 1/2 a year ago when I started LCHF and it was so easy that I can actually make it during the week. My bf LOVES it, it's his fav LCHF Diet Doctor recipe! I put several bunches of sliced scallions into my sour cream (I buy cultured sour cream for more probiotic benefits).

    And we up the ante with extra extra pickled jalapeños! GREAT dish!

  48. 98
    Reply to comment #96 by Rhonda Krogstad
    Jessica
    January 22 2017
    If you look at the setting the default says 4 servings.
  49. 99
    Caroline
    February 10 2017
    Drain the grease- at least a little!
  50. 100
    M
    February 24 2017
    Delicious! Not much of a 'recipe', but rather a taco beef baked with cheese. Didn't brown in butter and drained the grease off the burger. Made the tortilla recipe and used this as the taco filling.
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Ratings

5
87%
4
9%
3
4%
2
0%
1
0%
4.8
1
2
3
4
5
481 Ratings

Ratings

5
87%
4
9%
3
4%
2
0%
1
0%
4.8
1
2
3
4
5
481 Ratings