This 15-Minute Paleo Taco Skillet Dinner is ready in just about 15 minutes and it’s loaded with quality protein, fibrous leafy greens and if you top it with avocado, you’ll get some bonus healthy fats. A perfect, low-carb, one pan meal to please all!
I have been loving a good one-pan meal these days. Despite the, I am sure, blanket assumptions that when you don’t have kids, you have all the time in the world for meal planning, it can actually be quite hard, even still, in a child-free home. Without the forced structure and routines that comes with having little ones, we can often flail and have to just “make do”.
I am not that great at planning ahead some weeks and I am often not that methodical with our meal planning, so there are always staples that we have around, so there are always those staple-inspired meals. You know the ones – they aren’t all that glamorous and they are more about the function than the fashion.
Besides being self-contained, what’s so wonderful about this meal, as usual, is that it’s a highly customizable dish. You can add any other veggies you might have around, bell peppers, zucchini, carrots or celery, I have added shredded cabbage, and I feel like maybe even squash could work. If you can tolerate them, add in beans or corn. I prefer baby spinach for my greens, but kale or even chard would be lovely.
We often serve this skillet with cassava flour tortilla chips on the side for scooping, but you can also add torn charred tortillas right to the skillet while cooking (cassava, corn or flour – take your pick). I also love this served over cauliflower rice.
The topping possibilities are beyond endless and honestly this is where I like to have some fun. I really dig avocado, cilantro and scallions, these are musts, always. But, the crunch of a thinly cut radish is also incredible. Try some quick pickled red onions for a little tang. If you’re body does OK with dairy, you can also sprinkle a little queso fresco on top or you can really live it up with something more melty, sprinkle some shredded cheddar or Monterey jack on top and stir that beauty in the broiler for a hot minute.
Paleo Taco Skillet Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil, olive oil or ghee
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 ½ lbs ground meat, grass-fed beef, organic chicken or turkey
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon sea salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup salsa, green or red
- 1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo sauce, roughly chopped(optional)
- 3 cups baby, spinach, kale, chard or other greens
- additional options: bell pepper, jalapeño, zucchini, black, pinto or kidney beans
options for serving:
- fresh tomato
- avocado
- cilantro
- thinly sliced radishes
- queso fresco, cheddar (or dairy-free cheese)
- sour cream, or dairy-free sour cream
- green, red or white onion
- green chiles
- tortilla chips or torn tortillas, we serve with grain-free cassava flour tortillas
- cauliflower rice
- hot sauce
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil or ghee over a medium-high heat. Add the onions (add bell pepper if using) and cook 3-5 minutes until translucent and barely tender.
- Add ground meat, chili powder, ground cumin, sea salt and black pepper. Cook until meat is browned and no longer pink.
- Add the salsa and chipotle pepper. Reduce heat and simmer until warmed through and slightly thickened.
- Stir in the greens at the end. Cook until just wilted.
- Serve topped as you'd like.
2 Responses
How does the grain-free cassava flour compare to the almond flour variety of tortillas? My biggest problem (other than cost, but what can you do) is they tend to fall apart and have a slight pastry taste to them which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but definitely takes away from the Tex-Mex flavor.
Created an account just to tell you that I must have made this at least once a week since you posted the recipe. It is the perfect post-work meal & I love how adaptable it is to what’s in the fridge (and how fast it’s on my plate). Thank you!