This 20 minute cheesy taco skillet is loaded with veggies, protein and fiber. It’s a delicious low-carb meal that the entire family will love!
At times I’m all about the quick and easy meals. They allow me to quickly get something on the table and spend more time with my family and less time in the kitchen. For other quick meals try Quick & Easy Mexican Pizzas, Best Ever Baked Ziti, or Easy Ham Fried Rice.
Another Easy Dinner Idea
Life has suddenly gone from relaxed to chaotic. Sound familiar? I don’t know what it is about this time of year, but we are SO busy. School, outings, endless chores and errands take up much of our time.
By the end of the day I’m exhausted and trying to get the kids focused on something (other than me) for more than 5 minutes is a struggle. By the end of the day I don’t want to think about what to make for dinner, let alone make it!
That’s where this magic 20 minute cheesy taco skillet comes in. It’s a lifesaver and can easily be tweaked to use what ever you have on hand!
How to Make a Taco Skillet
Normally I’d make taco meat, rice, beans etc. but this one-pan meal is just too easy. I can whip it up with whatever we have in our fridge or pantry, and I don’t have to worry about measuring all of the spices out thanks to McCormick’s NEW Organic Taco Seasoning Mix, which happens to be certified organic & non-GMO (always a bonus)
The new recipe mixes come in three additional flavors such as Chili Seasoning Mix, Fajita Seasoning Mix and Brown Gravy Mix. Can’t wait to try those out!
Let’s start with this delicious Mexican-inspired meal:
Add olive oil to a large skillet on medium heat.
When the oil is hot, sauté the onion, carrot and zucchini until soft
- (I like to toss in extra veggies, corn is also a great addition, although the carrot and zucchini become so soft and tender even picky eaters will have a hard time finding them)
Push the vegetables to the edge of the pan
Add the beef (I used 93% lean ground beef, ground chicken or turkey work well too)
Brown the meat for 3-4 minutes before adding the seasoning mix
Continue cooking the beef until cooked throughout
Add the tomato sauce, broth, black beans and tomatoes
Allow the mixture to simmer until the sauce thickens
Sprinkle the cheese over the top
Cover with a tight fitting lid (or a large piece of aluminum foil) and remove from the heat
After about a minute or two, remove the lid
Top with green onion and lettuce
Serve the skillet as a dip, use it as a taco or burrito filling, or as a nacho topping… the options are endless!
Garnish with chunks of ripe avocado, a dollop of light sour cream or sprinkle of freshly chopped cilantro
Serve hot and enjoy! We can’t get enough of this simple, wholesome, flavorful one-pan meal. It has quickly become a favorite at our house, I hope it’ll become one at yours too!
Recipe FAQ
Can you use Velveeta? We recommend not using Velveeta because that’s not quite the texture we are going for. We want a chunky and fresh tasting dip that’s delicious as well. We recommend shredded cheese because when that melts it works much better than the weird texture that Velveeta is.
Can you make this in the crock-pot? You can cook your taco meat and veggies and then add it in with everything else into the crock-pot and cook on low for 3 hours. Add the cheese into the pot for the last 10 minutes. Then keep it on warm until you are ready to serve it.
How to serve? Serve with corn chips, tortilla chips, or even pita chips. Basically whatever you would eat bean dip with would be a good choice for this taco dip.
What to serve with it? Another great Mexican appetizer are our jalapeno popper dip, mango pineapple salsa, or our best ever 7 layer dip
Taco Variations
Other Add-Ins/Extras: Just a few ideas on how you can change these up…
- Cream cheese: Some recipes use cream cheese to make it really creamy and to thicken it up a bit
- Cut up a block of full fat cream cheese and add that in while you’re having everything simmer
- Top it with jalapenos to add some extra spice
- You can also use red pepper flakes or paprika
- Top it with olives
- You can use beef broth instead of chicken broth if you want to
- If you don’t have cheddar cheese you can use a Mexican cheese blend
Storing Tips + Tricks
Store your dip in the fridge for about 3-4 days in an airtight container. Especially if your dip has dairy you may want to keep it for a little bit less time, to be safe.
Reheat it in the microwave until warmed through.
How to keep hot dips warm? You can serve hot dips in a slow cooker to keep it warm while you have guests. Other than that serve it in the original dish it was cooked in so that it retains some of that heat.
20 Minute Cheesy Taco Skillet Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 onion - diced
- 1 carrot - julienned
- 1 zucchini - quartered lengthwise and sliced
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 packet McCormick Organic Taco Seasoning Mix
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup chicken broth or water
- 1 (14.5 oz) can black beans - drained and rinsed
- 2 tomatoes - seeds removed and diced
- 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese - or a blend of cheddar and monterey jack
- 2 green onions - sliced
- 2 cup shredded lettuce
Optional Garnishes
- Diced Avocado
- Sour Cream
- Chopped Cilantro
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, sauté the onion, carrot and zucchini until soft. Push the vegetables to the edge of the pan and add the beef. Brown the meat for 3-4 minutes before adding the seasoning mix. Continue cooking the beef until cooked throughout.
- Add the tomato sauce, broth, black beans and tomatoes. Allow the mixture to simmer until the sauce thickens.
- Sprinkle the cheese over the top, cover with a tight fitting lid (or a large piece of aluminum foil) and remove from the heat. After about a minute or two, remove the lid and top with green onion and lettuce. Serve the skillet as a dip, use it as a taco or burrito filling, or as a nacho topping. Garnish with avocado, sour cream or cilantro, if desired.
We love this recipe. The flavors made it delicious It was so easy to make.
This was so stink’n good and I was surprised at how quickly I was able to make it. Great recipe!
This is such a great idea – I love anything I can make in a single pot for weeknight dinners! We will be trying this tonight!
Hey girl this looks amazing! Yummy!