Cheesy Low-Carb Taco Casserole

This Cheesy Low-Carb Taco Casserole has ground beef, onion, Ro-Tel tomatoes, cauliflower rice, taco seasoning, and of course lots of cheese. And this is a low-carb and Keto taco casserole recipe that’s a hit with almost everyone who tries it. 

PIN Cheesy Low-Carb Taco Casserole to try it later!

Some of the most popular recipes on this site are low-carb casseroles, so for today’s Friday Favorites featured recipe I’m reminding you about this very tasty and popular Cheesy Low-Carb Taco Casserole! There’s something about a cheesy taco casserole that just screams comfort food, even when it’s made with healthy ingredients like the ones I used in my take on low-carb taco casserole.

What I love most about casseroles is the way you can cook once and then have leftovers for another meal or two to be reheated later or even frozen, and that makes casseroles like this perfect for Weekend Food Prep. And this low-carb taco casserole recipe with lots of cheese only has 5 net carbs per serving, so it’s also great for Keto!

And some readers have reported that their kids didn’t even notice there was cauliflower rice in this low-carb and Keto Taco Casserole!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

• Ro-Tel Tomatoes with Green Chiles (affiliate link)
• onion
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• pre-chopped fresh or frozen cauliflower rice
• sliced green onion
• ground beef
• Kalyn’s Taco Seasoning Mix
• salt
• grated Mexican Blend Cheese

Can this Low-Carb Taco Casserole work for Keto?

This low-carb and Keto taco casserole recipe only has 5 net carbs per serving and 25 grams of fat, so it’s definitely a good option for Keto.

What inspired this low-carb taco casserole recipe?

This recipe was inspired by the ingredients I used in my Ground Beef Cauliflower Rice Taco Bowls, with a bit of a comfort food detour with the cheese. (We used a lot of cheese to make this really worthy of the name “Cheesy” but if you want a recipe that’s dairy-free, check out the taco bowls.)

What adds Mexican flavor to the taco casserole?

For this cheesy low-carb taco casserole, we used 2 cans of Ro-Tel Tomatoes with Green Chiles (affiliate link), a southwestern ingredient I love in dishes like this. I highly recommend you use the mild variety of Ro-Tel unless you like it really spicy, and if you live somewhere where Rotel is hard to find, you can substitute a can of petite diced tomatoes and a can of diced green chiles, see suggestions in the recipe. (Notice that Roten is a 10 ounce can, so adjust for that) But please make sure you use some diced green chiles if you don’t have Rotel; that and Kalyn’s Taco Seasoning is what gives this casserole the taco flavors that are so good.

Tips for success with this low-carb taco casserole:

Be sure to drain the Ro-Tel tomatoes well and cook the cauliflower rice enough to evaporate some of the water content so the finished casserole isn’t too wet. If you use frozen cauliflower rice, I would thaw on the counter before you make the casserole.

Want more Low-Carb Mexican Food?

If you’re a fan of taco flavors, check out Low-Carb Mexican Food Favorites. Or take a look at Low-Carb Mexican Food in the Instant Pot on my Slow Cooker or Pressure Cooker site!

How to Make Cheesy Low-Carb Taco Casserole:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. Dump Ro-Tel tomatoes into a colander and let them drain while you prep other ingredients.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan and cook the onion.
3. Then add cauliflower rice and cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, until moisture in the cauliflower has mostly evaporated.
4. Turn off heat, stir in sliced green onion, and transfer cooked cauliflower rice to a bowl.
5. In the same pan, heat the second tablespoon olive oil and cook ground beef until it’s starting to brown, breaking apart.
6. Add taco seasoning and cook a minute or two longer.
7. Then add the drained Ro-Tel Tomatoes with Green Chiles (affiliate link) and cook another minute or two.
8. Stir in the cauliflower rice with about 1 teaspoon salt, and heat through.
9. Turn off heat and stir 2 cups grated Mexican Cheese Blend (or less.)
10. Put mixture into a casserole dish that you’ve sprayed with olive oil or non-stick spray and top with another cup of grated cheese.
11. Bake 30 minutes, or until it’s bubbling hot and the cheese is lightly browned.
12. Serve hot, with things like salsa, Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), Sour Cream, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, or chopped avocado to add at the table as desired

More Dinners with Taco Flavors:

• Instant Pot Cheesy Chicken Tacos
• Kalyn’s Perfect Taco Salad 
• Fish Taco Cabbage Bowl 
• Flank Steak Tacos
• Taco Zucchini Boats

Weekend Food Prep:

This recipe has been added to a category called Weekend Food Prep to help you find recipes you can prep or cook on the weekend and eat during the week!

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Yield: Makes 8 servings.

Cheesy Low-Carb Taco Casserole

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Cheesy Low-Carb Taco Casserole has ground beef, onion, Ro-Tel tomatoes, cauliflower rice, taco seasoning, and of course lots of cheese!

Ingredients

• 2 cans Ro-Tel Tomatoes with green chiles, mild ((10 oz. size can, see notes)
• 1 medium-large onion, chopped small
• 2 T olive oil, divided
• 1 lb. package fresh or frozen cauliflower rice
• 1/2 cup sliced green onion
• 1 lb. ground beef
• 1 T Kalyn's Taco Seasoning Mix (See note)
• 1 tsp. salt (or to taste)
• 3 cups cup grated Mexican Blend Cheese (Use less cheese if you prefer; we wanted it cheesy!)

Instructions

1. If you're using frozen cauliflower rice, I would thaw on the counter before you start the recipe.
2. Dump the Ro-Tel Tomatoes with Green Chiles (affiliate link) into a colander placed in the sink and let them drain while you prep other ingredients.
3. Heat oven to 375F/190C and spray a large casserole dish with olive oil or non-stick spray. (I used an oval-shaped dish that was 11" long and 8" wide at the widest point.)
4. Chop the onion, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan, and cook onion until it's cooked through and starting to get some color.
5. Add the cauliflower rice and cook over medium-high heat until the moisture in the cauliflower has mostly evaporated and there's no water in the bottom of the pan, about 3-4 minutes.
6. Turn off heat and stir in the sliced green onions. Transfer the cooked cauliflower rice to a bowl.
7. Heat the second tablespoon of olive oil to the pan, add the ground beef, and cook until it's browned, breaking apart with a turner as it cooks.
8. Add the Taco Seasoning and cook 1-2 minutes more, then add the drained Ro-Tel Tomatoes and cook another minute or two.
9. Stir in the cauliflower rice, season with salt to taste, and cook until it's heated through.
10. Turn off heat and stir in 2 cups grated Mexican blend cheese.
11. Transfer mixture to the casserole dish and top with another cup of grated Mexican Blend.
12. Bake about 30 minutes, or until the casserole is bubbling hot and cheese is nicely browned on top.
13. Serve hot, with things like salsa, Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link), Sour Cream, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo, or chopped avocado to add at the table as desired.

Notes

I always use Kalyn's Taco Seasoning Mix for this kind of recipe, but any kind of taco seasoning mix will work. If you can't find Ro-Tel tomatoes where you live, use a 14.5 oz. can petite diced tomatoes and a 4 oz. can diced green chiles.

This recipe was created by Kalyn with recipe testing help from Jake and Kara.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 364Total Fat 25gSaturated Fat 11gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 90mgSodium 581mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 2gSugar 3gProtein 27g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This low-carb or Keto taco casserole is a good main dish for any low-carb diet. It can also work for any phase of the original South Beach Diet, although if you are strictly following South Beach you’ll want to use lean ground beef and probably a bit less cheese.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Casserole Recipes to find more recipes like this one! Use the Diet Type index pages to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This popular low-carb or Keto taco casserole was first posted in 2017. It was last updated with more information in 2023.

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