Name: Tex Mex Cauliflower Rice with Ground Beef
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1/2 head cauliflower, just about 4 cups of riced cauliflower, approx. 1 lb.; 1 lb. ground lean beef; 1-2 Tbs. olive oil; 2-3 Tbs. taco seasoning (this seems like alot, but I find that it works well since this makes such a big batch); 1/2 - 1 tsp. chipotle sauce, depending on how spicy you like it; 1 red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, diced; 1 small yellow onion, diced; 1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and membranes removed, minced; 10 oz. can diced tomatoes and green chilies, such as Rotel; 1/2 cup broth; 2 Tbs. chopped cilantro, optional, as a garnish; 1/2 cup chipotle ranch dressing, optional, as a garnish; 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, optional, as a garnish; 4 nicely ripened avocados, flesh removed from skin; 1 orange; 1-2 tsp. chipotle sauce; 5-6 Tbs. fire-roasted tomato salsa; kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

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Yay, another one-skillet speedy meal for the win! This Tex Mex Cauliflower Rice with Ground Beef is so flavorful and filling – your family will love it and they will never notice that’s it low-carb. #lowcarb #groundbeef #speedymeal #skillet #skilletmeal #texmex #mexican #cauliflower #cauli #rice #keto

$Yay, another one-skillet speedy meal for the win! This Tex Mex Cauliflower Rice with Ground Beef is so flavorful and filling - your family will love it and they will never notice that's it low-carb.$

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Howdy –

Don’t you love a good skillet meal? You know, one that you can have on the table in 30 minutes….or less?? And because it’s all done up in one, single pan there’s SO MUCH LESS clean up involved! Our family really enjoyed this speedy skillet meal – it’s super flavorful and very

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filling. It also holds well in the fridge as leftovers that can be reheated later. Win! Win! Win!

How to Make Tex Mex Cauliflower Rice with Ground Beef

Cauliflower Rice. This is actually raw cauliflower that is chopped up to look like rice. I find that it’s a better value to buy a head of cauliflower and throw it into the food processor to make the rice. But, if you’re into speed and convenience, you can purchase bagged cauliflower rice in the produce section of most grocers. I never do it, but it can be done!

Lean Ground Beef. We’ve always got tons of ground beef in the freezer since we raise cattle. I’m always on the lookout for flavorful skillet meals that include ground beef! If you’ve got ground turkey or ground venison on hand that you’d like to use, this is a great recipe for either one of those.

Olive oil. If you’re using super lean ground beef, you’re probably going to need this to keep your beef from sticking to the skillet as you cook it. You can actually use any kind of oil that you prefer for this recipe, but if you’re going for straight-up low carb, stick to olive oil or coconut oil.

Taco seasoning. If you don’t have any on hand, mix equal parts of cumin, chili powder, granulated garlic, and oregano leaves and you’ve got it covered.

Chipotle sauce. I always keep this ingredient in my fridge! You can purchase chipotle sauce in the Hispanic section of your favorite grocer, or if you want to go the more economical route, purchase a can of whole chipotles in adobo sauce (also in the Hispanic section of the grocer) and throw the contents into your food processor; pulse to process until the chipotles and adobo are a smooth consistency, then place into a mason jar and store in your fridge. Anytime you want to kick up a recipe and give it a bit of spice, you can now do so. And keep in mind that chipotles are smoked jalapenos, so there’s alot of spice and heat involved, as well as some good smokiness! Totally an ingredient/condiment worth keeping on hand.

Sweet bell pepper, onion, jalapeno. These are the aromatics and the foundation of your skillet meal – super important! Wear plastic gloves when working with the jalapeno since the jalapeno juices can burn your skin and nail beds.

Diced tomatoes and green chilies. In our area, this would be Rotel brand, but you can use whatever you’ve got. Or, if you don’t have that on hand, add a can of diced tomatoes and use a bit of extra chipotle sauce in place of the green chilies. Works great!

Broth. I use chicken broth, but you can use beef broth or vegetable broth, too. If you don’t have broth on hand, substitute water….or beer, but then you’re not low-carb anymore. Oops!

Cilantro, chipotle ranch dressing, guacamole, cheddar cheese. These are all of your assorted garnishments – use them however you’d like. If you only have ranch dressing on hand, stir in some of those minced chipotles that we spoke of (above) and you’ve got it chipotle ranch knocked out.

Easy Recipe Tips for Making Tex Mex Cauliflower Rice with Ground Beef

What kind of a skillet should I use? If you’ve got a big cast iron skillet on hand (I like a 12″ cast iron skillet) I’d use that, but you can truly use anything that’s got a nice heavy-bottom that holds the heat well – this really promotes good browning.
What if I don’t have a food processor for chopping the cauliflower? Well, there’s that. I feel your pain. That just means that you get to use a little bit of ELBOW GREASE to get your cauliflower in order. Whip out the cutting board, grab your favorite chef knife and get to work! It won’t take as long as you think, truly. Cut your cauliflower into florets, then chop the florets into small rice-size pieces. You can do it! (And get a food processor on your Christmas list RIGHT NOW, please! I know this is a big investment, but a food processor is a life-time purchase that you will use all the time. )
Can I add beans to this skillet meal? Oh, wow! I think the addition of black beans in this recipe would be delish and they would also give great visual contrast. However, keep in mind that beans are carbs and that would change the low-carb status of this meal.

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