This Whole30-friendly Tex-Mex Beef and Rice Casserole uses cauliflower rice, ground beef, and salsa to make a delicious one-pan grain-free meal your whole family will love!
This simple and delicious Mexican-inspired recipe is straight from the pages of our second cookbook, Ready or Not, and many Nomsters have declared it one of their favorites from the book. In the spirit of sharing some indispensable recipes from our sunny yellow cookbook (e.g. All-Purpose Stir Fry Sauce and Potsticker Stir-Fry), I’m posting my Tex-Mex Beef and Rice Casserole on the blog because you need it in your kitchen arsenal. It’s family-friendly, gluten-free, packed with easily modifiable ingredients, perfect for meal prep, and you end up dirtying just one skillet!
Can you use another protein instead?
Yes! This paleo version of a taco casserole can be made with your favorite ground meat—beef, chicken, turkey, pork, bison, you name it. But as I’ve said before, don’t use super lean ground meat in this recipe—it won’t taste as good.
Can you adjust the spice level?
The spice level is totally modifiable! If spicy foods don’t agree with you, just leave off the jalapeño slices and use a mild tomato salsa instead. For those of you who LOVE hot and spicy food, you can crank up the heat by using serrano peppers (or your favorite mouth-scorching variety), adding crushed red pepper flakes, and/or mixing in a super spicy salsa.
What can you serve this with?
This one-skillet dinner already includes a healthy portion of protein and veggies, so you really don’t need to bother making a side dish. But if you want to add more veggies, you can serve this casserole with a big green salad—or add more fat by spooning on a dollop of guacamole.
Can you bake this in a casserole dish?
Of course! If you don’t have an oven-proof 12-inch skillet, you can transfer everything to a greased casserole dish that holds at least 2 quarts. You may need to adjust the cooking time depending on the depth of the container.
How can you save the leftovers?
Transfer the slices to a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to four days or in the freezer for up to 4 months. I love eating leftover slices of this casserole for breakfast or lunch—they taste great cold or heated up in the microwave or toaster oven.
Time to make Whole30-friendly Tex-Mex Beef and Rice Casserole!
Serves 4
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 pound riced cauliflower
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ cups roasted tomato salsa
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large eggs, whisked
- 6 cherry tomatoes, cut in half
- 1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, thinly sliced crosswise (optional)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, lightly packed (optional)
Equipment:
- All of my recommended kitchen tools are listed here.
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle. Heat a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef when the pan is hot.
Break up the meat with a spatula and cook, stirring occassionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until it’s no longer pink.
Mix in the onion and bell pepper and stir-fry for 5 minutes or until softened.
Stir in the riced cauliflower and minced garlic.
Next, mix in the salsa, oregano, and chili powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Remove the skillet from the heat, and pour in the whisked eggs. Gently stir to incorporate, and smooth the top of the casserole with a spatula.
Top with the sliced tomatoes (cut-side up) and hot pepper, if using.
Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the eggs are set and browned on the edges.
Rest the casserole for 5 minutes, and top with cilantro if desired.
Slice and serve or save the slices for packed lunches!
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Tex-Mex Beef and Rice Casserole (Whole30, Paleo, Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 pound riced cauliflower
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1½ cups roasted tomato salsa
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chili powder salt-free
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 large eggs whisked
- 6 cherry tomatoes cut in half
- 1 jalapeno pepper or serrano pepper, thinly sliced crosswise
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves lightly packed (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F with the rack in the middle. Heat a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef when the pan is hot.
- Break up the meat with a spatula and cook, stirring occassionally, for 5 to 7 minutes or until it’s no longer pink.
- Mix in the onion and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the riced cauliflower and the minced garlic.
- Next, mix in the salsa, oregano and chili powder. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Remove the skillet from the heat, and pour in the whisked eggs. Gently stir to incorporate, and smooth the top of the casserole with a spatula. Top with the sliced tomatoes (cut-side up) and hot pepper, if using.
- Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until the eggs are set and browned on the edges.
- Rest the casserole for 5 minutes, and top with cilantro if desired.
Eden says
Just wanted to tell you that I make this ALL THE TIME. It’s so good topped with sour cream, guac and cholula. I eat keto most of the time and my favorite part of this dish, beside the taste, is the low calorie count!
Eden says
I also use a green pepper usually and if I dont have the cherry tomatoes or jalapenos I make it anyway 🙂
Meredith says
Can you make this with frozen riced cauliflower? Any adjustments?
Michelle Tam says
You can use frozen! I just dump it in straight from the freezer. It doesn’t really add any extra cooking time.
Katie Petty says
Can I sub ground turkey for the beef? My son is allergic to beef😣. If I did, would I need to make any adjustments to other ingredients?
P.S.
I’m in love with your meals!
– Katie
Megan Nicole says
I just made this and I think you could absolutely sub in ground turkey.
Megan Nicole says
OMG. Stop what you are doing right now and make this. It’s phenomenal. If you have picky eaters who don’t like cauliflower, I promise you can’t even taste it or tell it’s in there! If you do dairy, I stirred in a generous amount of shredded habanero cheddar cheese just before I added the eggs, and served it with sour cream. I’m having seconds as I type. One of my favorites for sure!
Lauren Wallace says
Can you use frozen cauli rice? or regular rice?
thanks!
Nancy Schwartz says
I thought this was very, very bland. I have some hatch green chili powder and once I added that to my serving and more salt, it was better. I would try this again but start out with more salt (I had done 1.5 teaspoons initially) and adding some additional seasonings.
Andrea says
Just made this for the first time, following directions almost exactly. We feed our dogs from the table so I sliced the onions instead of chopping them so we could pull them out. Personally, I found it a bit dry and would add a full 2 cups of salsa next time. I used both the tomatoes and the sliced pepper and it made it very pretty. We can have dairy, so next time, and they will definitely be a next time, I’ll top with some shredded cheese, just because we love it. I may mix it in too, like one of the other comments suggested. Highly recommend!!
Carolyn Swann says
I’m one of those people who like very spicy and flavorful foods. I have made this several times since purchasing the cookbook and it is one of my go-to make-ahead meals. I’m not sure about the people who said it was bland because I found this recipe to be very flavorful! Maybe it is the salsa they are using. I suggest using the salsa in her cookbook or find a salsa that you have used prior to this to ensure the flavors are acceptable. Personally, this is a must for every family – creamy and delicious! Thanks Michelle…love your recipes and your new cookbook!
Melissa says
What kind of utensil are you using to brown the beef?
Rene says
Delicious for any meal of the day. It’s often a breakfast go to during Whole 30 for me and sometimes I add a few more eggs because… I love eggs, lol. We enjoy it a little spicier and tend to kick up the spice a notch. I’m always impressed with the final product and how it really scratches the comfort food itch. YUM!
Lynne Miles says
This was delicious and easy to make. It also look beautiful with the slice tomatoes and jalapenos on top. It also froze really well for hubs to take for lunches.
Janet Carmichael says
This recipe is so easy and has ingredients you are likely to have in your pantry and freezer. I think using a roasted salsa is key to the flavor. I’m so glad that we can now review recipes as I’ve been wanting to say great things about many of these recipes for some time!
If you have bought Ready or Not! Do it now. It’s a great cookbook, fun to read, fun to cook out of it. Thanks Michelle!
Holly Masclans says
This is a family favorite! It’s a casserole so once it’s in the oven there is time to make a salad. I make it once a week.
Brian W Lehtola says
Dear Michelle,
I have been receiving you frequent emails for so long that I feel that you are a relative of mine. I bought your book “Nom Nom Paleo” soon after it was published because I had been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. I no longer follow a Paleo diet, but I still look at your recipes every week and use many of them (the simple ones with fewest uncommon ingredients).
So, I just want to say “Thank You” for your recipes and for always making cooking look like such fun.
I appreciate you!
Janine Snyder says
If you want to take this over the top, make a batch of cashew queso to drizzle on top. I love make ahead meals that are a one dish deal. Perfect for busy nights. Thank
You!
Lilly says
I am allergic to tomatoes and all citrus and a lot of your sauces and recipes use both (your stir fry sauce for example) and this recipe for example.
Do you have any suggestions for alternative options to salsa or marinara or citrus juice in your stir fry?
Michelle Tam says
Maybe a green tomatillo salsa in place of tomato-based salsa? Maybe white balsamic vinegar + sweetener for citrus?
Rachel says
I love this recipe and have made it many times. I recently stopped eating eggs and am curious if there’s another binder anyone has used- flax eggs?
Jessie says
Silly question, but is there some place to see the actual size of the cast iron you just in the recipe? I clicked on link to favorite gadgets, but there are several pans, skillets etc.
I find myself often starting in what I thought was correct pan per instructions, but then finding my definition of “medium,” for instance, is wrong. Or does one just measure out 2 qts of something random and test first?
Michelle Tam says
Whenever I refer to a large skillet, it is almost always a 12-inch skillet.
Bekki Kahler says
Anything I can sub for the meat to make this lacto-ovo vegetarian without changing the rest of the recipe? I want to try this soon and maybe use black beans as protein.
Carol M says
I love dishes with ground beef and cauliflower and this sounds great except I can’t have eggs so what can I substitute??
Michelle Tam says
You can leave them out and make a Tex-Mex stir-fry!
Shelley says
Love it!! Great way to start a round
DIANE ASOYUF says
Delicious.I added 3 cups of Salsa and mixed some cheese in with it. I will definitely make again
LKL says
I’ve made this many times with ground beef and we love it, but I tried ground chicken last night and was *amazed* that it tasted exactly the same. I told my husband it was chicken and he didn’t believe me!
Christina Gibson says
Just pulled this out of oven to eat soon for dinner. Smells and looks so good. Have not made it before. Stuck to the recipe. I just love your app. Have had it since 2014 maybe? So organized and so many details all taken care of for you. You and Henry could not make this blog and app any more user friendly. Thanks for that.
Danielle says
Does this have a frittata like texture? Not a fan of baked egg dishes like frittatas wondering similar this might be
Michelle Tam says
It is kinda frittata-like in texture…