30 minutes, Mexican ground meat in one pan Includes tomatoes, black beans, corn, mild green chilies and green onions. It is packed with flavor and seasoned just right with homemade taco seasoning. This favorite family dinner is high in protein, loaded with vegetables and fiber, gluten free and dairy free! Use it as taco meat, to fill burritos, or add it to stews or pasta. Alternatively, just serve corn or rice tortillas on the side.
Mexican ground beef (30 minutes, one pan meal)
If you’re looking for ideas for a quick and easy Mexican-inspired dinner, you’ll be impressed with this flavorful ground beef skillet recipe! Tex-Mex flavored beef Makes an amazing combination together with black beans, yellow corn kernels, mild green chilies, green onions and fresh cherry tomatoes. The whole recipe is Made entirely in one mold in 30 minutes – A perfect option for a light weeknight meal. It is rich in protein, gluten-free, dairy-free and loaded with vegetables and fiber. Serve it as is or with my side dish recommendation: cilantro-lime black bean rice. Alternatively, use this recipe for taco meat, fill burritos, or even serve it with pasta!
If you want more Mexican-style weeknight dinner inspiration, don’t miss this delicious Mexican Black Bean Corn Stew Bake or this easy Mexican Chicken Pasta with Chili Peppers.
Why make it?
- A well rounded meal. Mexican Ground Beef is the ultimate comfort food recipe that has it all! Protein, vegetables, dietary fiber and carbohydrates. It is gluten free, dairy free and perfect for taco meat!
- Packed with flavors. Ground beef can taste so delicious when combined with the right ingredients and spices. Here, the ground beef is cooked with Mexican-style spices (you can also use store-bought taco seasoning). Then it is combined with black beans and lots of vegetables (corn, cherry tomatoes, green onions, mild green chilies). Add fresh cilantro for even more flavor!
- This is a budget friendly recipe that uses easily accessible ingredients such as ground beef, canned black beans, canned corn, and canned green chilies.
- Nice presentation. Often, ground beef recipes lack vibrancy and are dull in color, because ground beef is obviously not very colorful. In this recipe, however, the Mexican ground beef is dressed up with colorful vegetables that are not only healthy and delicious but also add life and turn this 30-minute meal into a restaurant-worthy presentation!
key components
- Ground beef. Use the leanest kind as you will drain off all the excess fat and liquid anyway after browning the meat.
- black beans. I used low sodium black beans that I washed and drained really well.
- corn. I used canned sweet corn kernels drained really well.
- Canned green chili. I used the mild variety. If you like your food spicier, use medium or hot.
- Green onions. Chopped green onions are finer than regular onions, and work great as a garnish!
- Tomatoes. I used sliced cherry tomatoes, you can also use regular tomatoes or canned tomatoes.
Spices you need
I like to make my own taco seasoning for the Mexican ground beef, however, you can definitely use store bought taco seasoning here as a shortcut. If you like to mix your spices, here’s what I recommend for 16 ounces of ground beef:
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt or more
How to make Mexican ground beef
1) cook the ground beef together with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan until brown. Strain off any fat or liquids.
2) Add spices – Chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt. Alternatively, use store-bought taco seasoning instead.
3) Add vegetables and beans. Add to the same pan drained and washed black beans, corn, sliced cherry tomatoes, finely diced green chilies and chopped green onions and mix well to combine over medium heat. Taste and season with more spices and more salt, if needed.
Substitutions, variations and additions
- Ground beef You can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken. Alternatively, use a plant-based alternative to make this recipe meatless.
- bean. I used rinsed and drained canned black beans. You can also use canned garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, or pinto beans.
- Tomatoes – You can use any fresh tomatoes you like or canned tomatoes.
- Use your favorite taco seasoning Instead of mixing your spices.
- add spices by adding chipotle powder or canned hot green chilies.
- Add fresh coriander. It is a classic ingredient in Mexican cuisine.
- Add cheese. Although I wanted to keep this recipe dairy-free, so there isn’t any cheese involved, you can certainly add it if you like. I recommend pepper jack and/or cheddar cheeses. They will go really well with Southwestern flavors. Top the Mexican ground beef with shredded cheese and bake in the ovenproof pan for about 15 or 20 minutes at 400 F until the cheese is melted.
Storage and reheating tips
- refrigerator. Refrigerate the leftover Mexican-style ground meat in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- freezer. Since there is no cream and no cheese, this is a freezer-friendly recipe. Freeze it in an airtight container for up to two months.
- How to reheat. This easy weeknight meal is so simple and low maintenance. You can reheat the cooled leftovers in the microwave. Alternatively, add the leftover cooked ground meat to the pan seasoned with olive oil and reheat over medium heat until heated through.
can you be early
This Mexican ground beef is great for making a meal. You can prepare the entire recipe in advance and refrigerate it in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It’s easy to heat it up in the microwave or on the stove in a pan (with the addition of a tablespoon of olive oil).
What to serve with Mexican ground beef
While the obvious choice is to use this recipe for taco meat, it’s so much more versatile than that! Here are some ideas:
- Rice. This is a great recipe to serve with plain rice. There is so much flavor in this Mexican ground beef that plain rice will do.
- Cauliflower rice It is an excellent option with fewer carbohydrates.
- Serve it over pasta. My favorites are angel hair pasta, bow tie, penna and fusilli.
- Roasted spaghetti squash – This is a great low carb and gluten free option.
- Zoodles Or spiralized zucchini is another delicious low-carb and gluten-free vegetable side.
- Corn tortillas. Heat corn tortillas and serve them as a side dish.
- Add an extra. My favorite is the delicious cilantro-lime black bean rice.
- Add salad. For a Mexican-style salad, try this Mexican Street Corn Pasta Salad with fresh corn, cilantro, peppers, lime juice, and cottage cheese.
Other Mexican-inspired recipes you might like
30 minutes, Mexican ground meat in one pan
30 minutes, Mexican ground meat in one pan Includes tomatoes, black beans, corn, mild green chilies and green onions. It is packed with flavor and seasoned just right with homemade taco seasoning. This favorite family dinner is high in protein, loaded with vegetables and fiber, gluten free and dairy free! Use it as taco meat, to fill burritos, or add it to stews or pasta. Alternatively, just serve corn or rice tortillas on the side.
Component
Ground beef
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 16 courage Ground beef
Homemade Taco Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt or more
vegetables
- 15 courage black beans Canned, washed, drained
- 15 courage corn seeds Cooked, canned, drained
- 4 courage Finely diced chili canned
- 8 courage Cherry tomatoes cut
- 6 Green onions chopped
Instructions
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In a large pan, with a heavy bottom, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook until completely cooked. Strain off any fat and liquid.
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Add all the spices listed on the recipe card (chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt) to the strained and cooked beef. You can also use store bought taco seasoning. Mix to combine.
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Add to the same pan drained and washed black beans, corn, finely diced green chilies (with liquid), half of the chopped green onions and half of the sliced cherry tomatoes and cook on medium heat for a few minutes until the tomatoes release their juice. .
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Taste and season with more spices and more salt, if needed.
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When serving, top with the rest of the sliced cherry tomatoes and the rest of the chopped green onion.
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Note: Depending on how you want to serve it (as taco meat, with pasta, rice, etc. – see suggestions below) you may want this ground meat to be more moist. In this case, you can add tomato sauce, salsa or pico de gallo. Alternatively, add a small amount of crushed tomatoes. Or add more fresh chopped tomatoes and cook on medium heat until they release juices, add a small amount of water to the mixture, if necessary.
diet
Nutritional information
30 minutes, Mexican ground meat in one pan
Amount per serving
% daily value*
* The percentage of daily values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
The nutritional information on this website is an estimate only and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a professional nutritionist.
