Mexican Ground Beef Skillet

This Mexican Ground Beef Skillet is an easy and healthy dinner recipe for busy families. It’s super versatile and can be eaten on its own, with veggies, or used in tacos. It’s also gluten free, paleo, and Whole30 compatible.

Need an easy recipe that you can make into multiple meals?

This ground beef skillet meal is definitely for you! It’s got simple flavors that aren’t overly spicy, so it’s great for a family meal, plus it’s made from simple ingredients you probably already have.

When creating this recipe, I really wanted to make something that had universal flavors that everyone could enjoy and that would make for easy leftovers.

This really fits the bill – you can eat it over vegetables or rice (or cauliflower rice), turn it into taco meat, use it on top of nachos, make burrito bowls, or even enchiladas! So many options. 

And if you love Mexican-inspired healthy meals, check out these cheesy chicken enchiladas or some ground pork tacos.

What makes this paleo ground beef recipe so great

• It’s fast and easy! You need less than 10 ingredients and it cooks up in under 30 minutes!
• This ground beef recipe is super versatile – eat it on it’s own, with some roasted veggies or cauliflower rice, or include it in other dishes like tacos or burrito bowls.
• It’s gluten free, paleo, and Whole30 compatible so it makes for a healthy dinner!

What you’ll need for this recipe

(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)

• Onion: white, yellow, or purple all work fine
• Bell pepper: any color of bell pepper will do – I use yellow in this recipe.
• Ground beef: I’ve made this recipe with just over a pound and just one pound of ground beef – either will work. A learner cut of beef is best so you don’t have to drain off the fat – I would recommend a lean or extra lean piece of ground beef, like a 95/5 or 90/10.
• Spices: ground cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. Make sure they’re not old otherwise the flavor will be less potent)
• Kosher salt: this recipe calls for Diamond Crystal kosher salt, which is less salty by weight than other brands. This gives you a little more control when salting your foods. If you have a different brand of kosher salt you may want to use slightly less than the recipe recommends.
• Diced tomatoes: this recipe calls for plain diced tomatoes, but you can also use fire-roasted ones or tomatoes with diced chilies in them.

How to Make Mexican Ground Beef Skillet

1. Remove the top and seeds from the bell pepper, cut into strips and dice. Dice the onion as well and set in the same bowl as the peppers. Place the spices and 1.5 tsp of kosher salt in a small bowl.
2. Pour oil in a large skillet and heat over medium heat. Pour the diced veggies in and the remaining kosher salt. Cook for 5 minutes, then remove from skillet and set aside.

3. Place the ground beef in the pan and break it up with a wooden spoon. Once it’s mostly browned (3-5 minutes), season the ground meat with the remaining kosher salt and spices. Cook until the meat is fully browned.
4. Add in the can of diced tomatoes (including the juices) and the cooked veggies. Stir to combine. Cover the pan with a lid and let the meat and veggies simmer over low heat for 10 minutes. Once done, garnish with green onion, avocado, or whatever you like and enjoy!

Topping Ideas

• chopped green onion
• guacamole or plaid avocado slices
• chopped cilantro
• sour cream (omit if dairy free, paleo, or Whole30)
• a squeeze of lime juice
• pico de gallo
• jalapeno

What to eat with Mexican ground beef

• in tortillas (corn or almond/cassava tortillas if paleo)
• on top of roasted veggies
• with rice (white, brown, or Mexican rice – if not paleo or Whole30)
• on top of zucchini noodles
• with cauliflower rice
• on top of spaghetti squash
• in my Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• as a topping for nachos
• in enchiladas
• for ground beef burrito bowls

Tips for cooking ground beef in a skillet

You might have some questions about this dish – let’s get to those now.

Can you cook ground beef in a cast iron skillet?

Yes, you can cook ground beef in a cast iron skillet. It will cook up the same as in a non-stick skillet or other pan.

Do you need oil to cook ground beef?

No, you don’t need oil to cook ground beef. Ground beef naturally has fat in it and as long as you stir it a little while it’s cooking, it shouldn’t stick to the pan.

Should you season ground beef before browning?

You should season ground beef either right before or while it’s browning. If you wait until after it’s browned it might not absorb as much flavor.

When making this paleo ground beef recipe, here are some cooking tips to keep in mind, as well as some fun recipe variations!

Cooking Tips

• Be sure to stir the diced onion and bell pepper when cooking so it doesn’t burn! Otherwise it will give the dish a charred flavor.
• When cooking the ground beef, stir it well to ensure all of it is browned. Sometimes uncooked pieces can be hard to spot.
• Depending on what beef you use, you may or may not need to drain the fat. I use a lean ground beef so don’t have that as an instruction, but if you use a fattier ground beef you should drain off excess fat.
• Don’t strain the diced tomatoes before you pour them in the skillet.  The extra juice will help cook everything and blend the flavors.

Recipe Variations

• Try using diced tomatoes with chiles to give a kick of heat to this dish!
• Replace the ground beef with ground turkey for a lower-fat version!
• For an earthier flavor use green bell pepper; for a slightly sweeter flavor use a red bell pepper.

See how simple this ground beef recipe is? It’s perfect for a weeknight meal and makes even better leftovers. Be sure to pin it below to save it for your next busy week!

Pin This Skillet Meal for Later!

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR MORE EASY PALEO GROUND BEEF RECIPES, CHECK THESE OUT!

• Paleo Meatloaf Muffins
• Weeknight Paleo Ground Beef Stroganoff
• Sweet Potato Beef Sliders
• Paleo Ground Beef and Broccoli
• Ground Beef & Cabbage Stir Fry

OR TRY ONE OF THESE OTHER PALEO DINNER RECIPES:

• Turkey Paleo Meatballs
• Ground Pork Tacos
• Grilled Pineapple Chicken
• Smoked Pork Chops
• Ground Chicken Burgers

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If you try this Mexican beef skillet recipe and love it, then don’t forget to give the recipe a 5 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!

Mexican Ground Beef Skillet

This Mexican Ground Beef Skillet is an easy and healthy dinner recipe for busy families. It’s super versatile and can be eaten on its own, with veggies, or used in tacos. It’s also gluten free, paleo, and Whole30 compliant.

5 from 10 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: #groundbeef, dinner

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Calories: 303kcal

Author: Taryn Solie

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp oil avocado or olive
• ½ yellow onion
• 1 bell pepper
• 2.5 tsp kosher salt divided
• 1.33 lbs ground beef
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
• green onion for garnish
• avocado for garnish

Instructions

• Remove the skin and ends of the onion then dice it using a large cutting board and large sharp knife. Remove the stem and seeds of the bell pepper and dice it as well.
• Pour oil in a skillet or large non stick pan over medium heat and add in the diced onion and bell pepper. Add in 1 tsp of the kosher salt and stir to combine. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender, then remove from skillet and set aside.
• Place the ground beef in the pan over medium heat and break it up with a wooden spoon. Once it’s mostly browned (3-5 minutes), add in the remaining kosher salt, ground cumin, garlic powder, & chili powder and cook until the meat is fully browned.
• Open the can of diced tomatoes and pour them in (without draining). Put the cooked vegetables in the pan as well, then cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.
• Once done, garnish with avocado and/or green onion and serve over cauliflower rice (or regular rice if not paleo)

Notes

• Be sure to stir the diced onion and bell pepper when cooking so it doesn’t burn! Otherwise it will give the dish a charred flavor.
• When cooking the ground beef, stir it well to ensure all of it is browned. Sometimes uncooked pieces can be hard to spot.
• Depending on what beef you use, you may or may not need to drain the fat. I use a lean ground beef so don’t have that as an instruction, but if you use a fattier ground beef you should drain off excess fat.
• Don’t strain the diced tomatoes before you pour them in the skillet.  The extra juice will help cook everything and blend the flavors.

Nutrition

Calories: 303kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1142mg | Potassium: 480mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 809IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 51mg | Iron: 3mg