The Low Carb Cabbage Taco Skillet is a flavorful, keto-friendly dish ideal for quick and easy weeknight dinners. This cabbage recipe meal is ready in less than 30 minutes!
For a delicious and nutritious meal, garnish with your favorite toppings, such as sour cream, green onions, and avocado.
This easy, healthy beef and rice recipe is inspired by some of my favorite Mexican one-pan wonders, including Mexican Chicken Skillet, Taco Casserole, and Tex-Mex Ground Beef Skillet.
For more great ground beef recipes, check out Beef Dinner Ideas.
Don't forget the drinks: my recommendation is to make a yummy skinny Margarita for an appetizer or a tasty frozen watermelon margarita for an after-dinner drink.
''We absolutely love this dish!! This is one of my favourite low-carb meals!'' -Bev
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Ingredients for Taco Skillet Recipe
- Lean ground beef - I opted for 93% lean ground beef, which is lower in fat than regular ground beef. If you prefer, you can substitute ground turkey or chicken to make this taco skillet without beef.
- Taco seasoning - Homemade taco seasoning is a tasty blend of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, chili powder, ground cumin, and chili powder. I prefer using a homemade taco seasoning mix for its freshness, better flavor, and the ability to control the salt content.
- Salsa - You only need about ½ cups of your favorite chunky salsa (we picked a medium spicy one). You can always add more when serving.
- Black beans - Beans are one of my favorite additions to any Mexican recipe because they're packed with filling protein and fiber. If you have different kinds of beans on hand, feel free to use them. Pinto beans would be especially good, but most types will work just fine.
- Cabbage is my favorite low-carb ingredient! For this taco skillet, you'll need a small to medium head of cabbage. Fried Cabbage helps make this taco skillet low-carb without the addition of rice or tortillas. It soaks up all the yummy flavors from the beef, spices, and salsa.
- Cheese - I used mozzarella cheese for a delicious layer of gooey cheese on top. For equally tasty results, you can also try cheddar, Monterey Jack, pepper jack, or a Mexican blend.
- Toppings - My favorite part! Garnish with plenty of toppings: cilantro, jalapeño, avocado or guacamole, salsa, and sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.
- Onion - Use any variety, but we like regular brown onion or sweet (Vidalia) onion.
How to Make a Healthy Taco Skillet
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground beef and cook until browned, then drain the excess fat.
- Mix in salsa and taco seasoning.
- Add cabbage, black beans, and water, stirring well to combine.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.
- Cover the skillet and simmer for 12 minutes, or until the cabbage is tender, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let the cheese melt.
- Garnish with sour cream, green onions, avocado, or your favorite toppings, if desired.
Suggested Toppings
Arrange small bowls of different toppings on the table so everyone can personalize their meal.
Our top picks include cilantro, green onions, avocado slices or guacamole, avocado crema, sour cream, cilantro, black olive slices, red onion, fresh tomato salsa, or diced tomatoes.
A squeeze of fresh lime juice ties it all together.
Substitutions
- If you don't have salsa, use a can of diced tomatoes and green chilies instead for a Rotel-style beef skillet.
- You can also use diced tomatoes and add extra spices to make it tasty.
- You might need to add some extra water if the beef and cabbage look dry.
Taco Seasoning
If you don't have all the ingredients, you can opt for store-bought taco seasoning.
Or combine a few spices for the perfect balance of heat and crave-able taco flavor: chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper.
🥢 Make Next: Asian Cabbage Stir Fry
What To Serve With Taco Skillet
We are keeping it low carb, but you can customize it with all sorts of Tex-Mex toppings. The sky is the limit!
Here are some pairing possibilities:
- Flour or corn tortillas
- Tortilla chips
- Jalapenos
- Guacamole
- Avocado
- Cheese
- Cheese dip/queso
How Do I Know If Ground Beef Is Cooked?
Ground beef is cooked when browned all the way through with no pink remaining, and the internal temperature reaches at least 160°F (71°C).
Storing Leftovers
- To Prepare Ahead. You can chop the vegetables up to one day ahead and keep them in the fridge.
- To Store. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days.
- To Reheat. Gently warm leftovers on a stovetop or in an ovenproof skillet in the oven at 350°F until heated through. Alternatively, you can microwave individual portions. Add some broth or water if it seems dry.
- To Freeze. Put any leftover filling in a sealed freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Recommended Tools
Ovenproof Skillet: This skillet will last a lifetime.
Measuring Spoons: Perfect for anything.
Sharp Chef's Knife: An investment piece that will help you prepare ingredients for every recipe.
More Cabbage Recipes For Dinner
Before You Head Out
If you gave this recipe a try, I'd be so thankful if you could leave a ★★★★★ rating and review below. It helps other readers, supports my work, and means the world to me. Thank you for being part of The Yummy Bowl family. Happy cooking! ❤️
Recipe Card
Low Carb Cabbage Taco Skillet (Keto-Friendly)
Ingredients
Method
- Cook the Ground Beef. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned, then drain the excess fat.1 pound of ground beef, 2 tablespoon olive oil
- Add Seasonings. Mix in salsa and taco seasoning.3 tablespoon taco seasoning, ½ cup of salsa
- Add Vegetables and Beans. Add cabbage, black beans, and water, stirring well to combine. Taste for salt and black pepper.4-5 cups of cabbage, 3 tablespoon water, ½ cup canned black beans, salt and black pepper
- Simmer. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium. Cover the skillet and simmer for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender.
- Melt the Cheese. Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle with cheese. Cover and let the cheese melt.¾ cup of mozzarella cheese
- Garnish and Serve. Garnish with sour cream, green onions, avocado, or your favorite toppings, if desired. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Notes
- To Prepare Ahead. You can chop the vegetables up to one day ahead and keep them in the fridge.
- To Store. Store any leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to three days.
- To Reheat. Gently warm leftovers on a stovetop or in an ovenproof skillet in the oven at 350°F until heated through. Alternatively, you can microwave individual portions. Add some broth or water if it seems dry.
- To Freeze. Put any leftover filling in a sealed freezer-safe container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
- This recipe makes about 2-3 servings.
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!Note: Nutrition information is estimated and varies based on the products used.
Full Nutrition Disclaimer can be found here.
Taco Skillet: FAQs
Here's a helpful tip for cooking ground beef: Let the pan heat up before adding anything.
You don't need cast iron for this recipe - use any pan you have, make sure you have a lid to cover it!
Sometimes, when using extra lean ground meat, it's important to add oil to prevent burning.
This recipe uses 93% lean ground beef, so I first added oil to the skillet. However, it's not necessary - you could use higher-fat ground meat or accept a bit more browning.
If you don't have all the herbs and spices, just use one packet of store-bought taco seasoning instead.
Sure thing! You can swap out the ground beef for any other ground meat, such as turkey, chicken, or pork.
Or, for a vegetarian twist, you can add an extra can of beans, whether you add more black beans or pinto beans.
The secret to moist ground beef is choosing a higher fat content, like 80/20 or 85/15, and cooking it until it's browned and no longer pink.
You may have overcooked it or cooked it at too high a temperature.
Add some broth or liquid and simmer the beef on low for 10 minutes to fix this. It should then become more tender.
Your ground beef may be juicy due to its fat content. Ground beef with a higher fat percentage will release more juices as it cooks.
Simmering ground beef over low heat can also result in juiciness as it retains more of its natural moisture.
This will depend on where you'll be using it.
For this cabbage skillet, I recommend browning the beef first and then simmering it with other ingredients, where it will continue to cook and become tender.
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Andrea
Wow! This recipe was so delicious! Very easy to make and such a hearty meal! Thank you for sharing!
Charity
Do you drain and rinse the black beans?
Julia
yes, I always rinse and drain any canned beans.
Kelsey
This was so easy & delicious. I opted to throw it in the crockpot on low for a couple hours and it turned out so good! My fiancé absolutely loved it!
Julia
thank you Kelsey for your comment
Jill T
This was surprisingly delicious! I do think pepper jack cheese would be awesome, so we’ll try that next time. Yum!
Liz Franklin
Absolutely in love with the suggested toppings section. It's always a struggle to think of new things to add to keep dishes exciting. Avocado and lime juice added such a fresh twist. Might experiment with some jalapeno for extra kick next time.
Jarred P.
jalapeno sounds amazing in this! if you like heat, try chipotle powder too, adds a nice smoky flavor.
Liz Franklin
Thanks for the suggestion, Jarred! Smoky flavor with chipotle powder sounds delicious. Definitely trying that next.
Debra Awesome
this has has become one of my favorite keto recipes. I've made this using deer meat and now elk meat. I generously add Mexican cheese on top and then serve with avocado. Delicious!
Dave K.
Everything was delicious, next time will add tortilla chips!
Kaitlyn V.
just made this taco skillet tonight and wow, even my pickiest eater gobbled it up! love finding a recipe that's both easy and a hit with the kids. thanks julia for another great dish! might try adding some black beans next time for an extra protein kick. anyone else try adding different proteins?
Amy G.
I've tried with grilled chicken before and it turned out great! Wondering if quinoa might be too much of a stretch for a mix-in? Thoughts?
Julia
enjoy an easy 30 minute one pot keto cabbage taco skillet dinner!