30-Minute Mexican Ground Beef and Zucchini Skillet

This 30-Minute Mexican-Inspired Ground Beef and Zucchini Skillet is a delicious high-protein, low-carb meal! Packed with fresh veggies, this healthy meal takes taco night to a whole new level!

If you’ve been around The Roasted Root for a number of years, you know that skillet recipes and bowl recipes are my absolute favorite.

Back with an all-new bowl recipe, these Mexican-Inspired Ground Beef and Zucchini Bowls feature taco vibes with a plethora of hidden vegetables! 

If you follow a high-protein diet and you try to keep your carbs relatively low, this healthy bowl recipe is for you.

For those of you who don’t eat a low carb diet, simply serve the ground beef and vegetables with your choice of steamed brown rice or white rice (this is what I do).

Be sure to pick up your favorite taco toppings, like cheese, avocado, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), tortilla chips, or salsa to complete this flavorfest! It’s the ultimate comfort food the whole family will love.

For my fellow gardeners, this easy meal is a great way to use up an abundance of zucchini from your garden.

The best part is this quick healthy dinner recipe comes together in 30 minutes or less from start to finish! 

The Inspiration For This Recipe:

I combined concepts of three of my classic recipes to develop this taco flavored dreamscape.  

My 30-Minute Vegetable and Ground Beef Skillet, Mexican Ground Beef and Cabbage Bowls and my Thai Zucchini and Chicken Skillet. 

The basic premise is we’re combining meat and vegetables with delicious, bold flavors, and hiding vegetables all around to get an infusion of high-quality nutrients.

For my friends who are always looking to add more variety to their diet and enjoy cleaner food, this easy dinner recipe is a must for busy weeknights!

Let’s discuss the healthy ingredients to make this ground beef and vegetable recipe. The complete ingredients list can be found at any grocery store.

Ingredients for Ground Beef Zucchini Skillet:

Ground Beef: The star of the show here, we need one pound of ground beef. Use lean ground beef (93/7 or 90/10) for less fat or do as I do and stick with fattier ground beef (80/20). 

Fresh Vegetables: Fresh zucchini, carrots, green cabbage, onion, and garlic are the fresh vegetables needed to make this recipe.

They all get grated, sliced, or finely chopped so that they basically disappear into the warm embrace of ground beef taco meat.

We need three cups of grated zucchini, which is about three medium zucchini squash (or yellow squash).

Chili Powder: The ingredient that brings all the taco flavor to the yard! Chili powder is what makes us feel like we’re eating delicious beef tacos.

I use store-bought chili powder but you can also use homemade chili powder or taco seasoning. If you enjoy the flavor of green chilis, add one 4-oz can of green chilis. 

Tomato Sauce: A little tomato sauce completes the flavor profile, as it adds a slightly tangy element.

Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Season everything to taste using salt and pepepr.

​Recipe Adaptations:

• Mix up the vegetable selection by using yellow squash, broccoli, cauliflower, red cabbage, fresh tomatoes, etc.
• You can replace the ground beef with your favorite ground meat such as ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground pork. Note that for leaner cuts of meat you may consider adding some extra avocado oil or olive oil to enhance the flavor.
• Serve this tasty meal with cauliflower rice, black beans, or regular rice to add more volume.
• Replace the tomato sauce with 2 tablespoons of tomato paste.
• Swap out the red bell pepper for green pepper.
• Rather than grating the vegetables, you can chop them into small pieces if you’d prefer. 
• Add a little heat by adding cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.

If you have fresh herbs like fresh parsley or fresh cilantro, feel free to add some in.

Bowl Toppings:

Pick your favorite toppings, like cheese! Cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack cheese and mozzarella cheese are all great options.

I also like serving the bowls with tortilla strips, guacamole or avocado, salsa, hot sauce, cherry tomatoes, and sour cream.

Now that we’re experts on this Mexican zucchini beef skillet, let’s make it!

How to Make Mexican-Inspired Ground Beef and Zucchini Skillet:

Grate the zucchini and carrots using a box grater or use the grating attachment on a food processor. Finely chop the onion, garlic, and cabbage. 

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. I recommend using a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a deep lip. You can also use a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven.

Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.

Stir in the chopped bell pepper and garlic and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes.

Scoot the vegetables off to the side of the skillet and place the ground beef on the hot surface. Use a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon to break the meat into smaller chunks as it’s browning.

Stir in the chili powder and sea salt. Continue cooking and chopping the meat until it is entirely cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes. If you’d like, pour out the excess grease for less fat (I leave mine in).

Add the grated zucchini, carrot, and cabbage to the skillet and stir well.

Stir in the tomato sauce and bring the mixture to a full boil.

Cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is heated through and the vegetables reach your desired level of doneness, about 3 to 5 minutes.

I like leaving the vegetables al dente so I only cook them for a few minutes after adding them to the skillet, until all the food is piping hot.

Serve in bowls with your favorite toppings like avocado, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), grated cheese, chips, and salsa.

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

​a great meal prep recipe, you’re getting a great deal of protein, micronutrients and fiber in one sitting! I recommend doubling or tripling the recipe if you’d like lots of leftovers. As it stands, this recipe makes 2 to 3 servings (depending on how hungry you are).

Nutrition Facts:

For me, this recipe makes two large meals but it can be broken into three to four meals if you’re not as hungry or serving it with side dishes. When calculating the nutrition facts based on 2 servings using lean ground beef (93/7), each serving contains 588 calories. 

There are 27 g fat per serving, 37 g total carbohydrates, and 11 g fiber for a total of 26 grams of net carbs. 

At 54 g protein per serving, this is an easy way to hit some macro goals!

Easy dinners like this are perfect for fast and healthy weeknight dinners on busy nights when you’re trying to get dinner on the table quickly.

If you love healthy bowl recipes and easy dinner recipes like this, also try out these healthy dinner recipes:

Explore More Bowl Recipes:

• Bang Bang Salmon Bites Bowls  
• Moo Shu Chicken Bowls  
• Sesame Garlic Steak Bites Bowls  
• Teriyaki Chicken and Cabbage Bowls  

Bowl food for life!

Mexican Ground Beef and Zucchini Skillet

Mexican-inspired flavors make this healthy high-protein meal so delicious! Enjoy feeding your taco craving with this vegetable-packed nutritious dinner. Remember to pick up your favorite toppings like cheese, sour cream, and avocado to top the meal!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

2 Servings

Equipment

• ▢
  Large 12-inch Skillet

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 Tbsp avocado oil
• ▢ 1/2 medium-sized yellow onion, diced
• ▢ 1 pound ground beef
• ▢ 2 Tbsp chili powder
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 3 cups zucchini, grated
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• ▢ 1 large carrot, grated
• ▢ 1 cup green cabbage, chopped*
• ▢ 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
• ▢ 1/2 tsp sea salt, to taste
• ▢ 1/4 tsp black pepper, to taste

For Serving:

• ▢ Fresh limes
• ▢ Avocado
• ▢ Salsa
• ▢ Sour Cream
• ▢ Grated Cheese

Instructions

• Grate the zucchini and carrots using a box grater or use the grating attachment on a food processor. Finely chop the onion, garlic, and cabbage.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. I recommend using a 12-inch nonstick skillet with a deep lip. You can also use a large thick-bottomed pot such as a Dutch oven.
• Add the onion and sauté, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the chopped bell pepper and garlic and continue cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes.
• Scoot the vegetables off to the side of the skillet and place the ground beef on the hot surface. Use a rubber spatula or a wooden spoon to break the meat into smaller chunks as it’s browning. Stir in the chili powder and sea salt. Continue cooking and chopping the meat until it is entirely cooked through, about 3 to 4 minutes. If you’d like, pour out the excess grease for less fat (I leave mine in).
• Add the grated zucchini, carrot, and cabbage to the skillet and stir well. Stir in the tomato sauce and bring the mixture to a full boil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until everything is heated through and the vegetables reach your desired level of doneness, about 3 to 5 minutes. I like leaving the vegetables al dente so I only cook them for a few minutes after adding them to the skillet, until all the food is piping hot.
• Serve in bowls with your favorite toppings like avocado, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), grated cheese, chips, and salsa.

Notes

*Use coleslaw mix to save time

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving (of 2) – Calories: 588kcal – Carbohydrates: 37g – Protein: 54g – Fat: 27g – Saturated Fat: 8g – Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g – Monounsaturated Fat: 12g – Trans Fat: 1g – Cholesterol: 145mg – Sodium: 969mg – Fiber: 11g – Sugar: 20g

Course: Beef Main Dishes, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy low carb dinner recipe, ground beef and zucchini skillet, ground beef recipes, healthy dinner recipes, high protein meals, high protein recipes, keto dinner recipes, paleo dinner recipe, zucchini recipes

Servings: 2 Servings

Calories: 588kcal

Author: Julia

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