This low carb Mexican zucchini and ground beef recipe is a simple dish made with low cost ingredients. It’s an easy low carb high fat dinner recipe perfect for summer.
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We had a really good zucchini crop this year. The last few years, our plants ended up getting powdery mildew so they didn’t produce but one or two fruit.
However, I think some of the issue was due to us overwatering the plants in the evening. This year, there was a lot of rainy days so we didn’t bothering adding any additional water and the plants did amazing.
What Is Mexican Zucchini
This easy skillet recipe combines everything you love about Mexican food – without all the carbs. Add your favorite salsa and top with some cheese – this tastes like an unstuffed pepper.
Chopped zucchini pairs well with ground beef. I came up with this Mexican Zucchini and beef skillet dish recipe one night for an easy dinner.
How To Make Mexican Zucchini
I’ve made a similar dish in the past using leftover salsa. This time, I just added a whole can of diced tomatoes with green chilis.
I added a few Mexican spices to give it a little more flavor to make up for the salsa seasonings. If you can’t find canned tomatoes with chilis, a can of regular diced tomatoes will do.
You can even add a few diced peppers if you have some. I typically just taste as I go and look around to see what ingredients I have on hand that would be great additions. My cooking is super simple as I don’t have a lot of time to fuss.
I like to slice up fresh zucchini into bite size pieces. My favorite cut is to cut each slice into quarters. You can cut them into smaller diced pieces, if you prefer.
It’s been a long time since I’ve bought actual ground beef. When I call for ground beef in a recipe, that means ground hamburger venison for me. We always have a freezer full of ground venison which seems like an endless supply.
Frequently Asked Questions About Mexican Zucchini
The entire recipe is in the printable card at the bottom of this post. First, here are some questions about the recipe along with my answers.
Zucchini tastes best when it’s cooked al dente. If you cook it too long it gets mushy which isn’t good. Cooking the zucchini for five to ten minutes in the covered skillet should warm it up and still keep it firm.
I usually use venison in this recipe, so you can use any type of ground meat that you have on hand. This would taste really delicious with some chorizo or even ground chicken.
I can see this tasting scrumptious with some thinly-sliced steak instead of ground beef.
This low carb Mexican zucchini and ground beef skillet dish is a simple recipe that uses inexpensive ingredients. It goes well with cauliflower rice. To stay on-theme, make cauliflower Mexican rice – it is bursting with fresh flavor.
You can also serve a side of low-carb Instant Pot taco soup. Talk about a filling meal! Even family and friends who don’t eat keto will enjoy everything you make.
I named this recipe Mexican Zucchini and Beef because it is an easy skillet meal made with traditional Mexican flavors and spices.
There is a vegetable called a Mexican squash. It has a mild flavor and has a whiter and sweeter flesh than zucchini, but shaped similarly.
No, you don’t have to peel zucchini. It has a very soft and thin skin that is perfectly edible. You can see in my photos that I didn’t peel it. The skin has lots of fiber so keep it on.
The most time-consuming part of this recipe is chopping up the zucchini and browning the meat. You might be tempted to do all your food prep on your day off and just store in the fridge.
The only downside to this is that after you cut the zucchini, it doesn’t store very well. It will start to shrivel up.
You can fry your ground beef and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days. Then when you are ready to make dinner, just chop your zucchini and add it to the skillet with the meat.
Yes, you can freeze this recipe. Freezing it will save you prep time. All you have to do is grab it out of the freezer, let it thaw, and then reheat it on your skillet.
This recipe will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Looking for more recipes that won’t take a lot of time? Check out this collection of easy low carb recipes at Community Table that I put together.
And be sure to try my zucchini pizza boats if you need another recipe to use up your summer crop.
Almost any other veggie will taste really good with the spices and meat. Chop up some peppers or throw in some yellow squash or even a few cups of broccoli.
If you are tracking your macros, keep in mind that every vegetable you add will increase how many carbs are in a serving.
Other Keto-Friendly Zucchini Recipes
Do you have a garden full of zucchini? You may want to try some of my other recipes featuring this garden-fresh vegetable:
- Crockpot Zucchini includes yellow squash, seasonings, cheese, and a crunchy topping.
- Keto Zucchini Fritters is a crispy side dish made with coconut flour – it closely resembles hash browns.
- Squash Frittata can be made with any summer squash but I like to use the yellow kind along with zucchini.
- Mexican Squash Casserole is an adaptation of a taco casserole but uses vegetable slices in place of the tortillas.
- Keto Apple Fritter Bread With Zucchini is a delicious way to serve zucchini in a sweet low-carb dessert.
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Mexican Zucchini and Beef
Recipe Video (Click on Image to Play)
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini sliced and quartered
- 1 ½ pounds ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 10 ounces Mexican style diced tomatoes with green chilis (salsa or diced tomatoes could be used), canned
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Brown ground beef with minced garlic, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat until meat is browned.
- Add tomatoes and remaining spices. Cover and simmer on low heat for another 10 minutes.
- Add the zucchini. Cover and cook for about 10 more minutes until zucchini is cooked, but still firm.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
Additional Info
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
Unauthorized use of this material without written permission from Lisa MarcAurele is strictly prohibited unless for personal offline purposes.
Single photos may be used, provided that full credit is given to LowCarbYum.com along with a link back to the original content.
First Published: July 15, 2015… Last Updated: October 7, 2020, with new photos and additional recipe information.
Jamie
This recipe is really good!! It’s on my meal rotation. Sometimes I add shredded mozzarella cheese. Could this recipe be canned to be enjoyed all year?
Lisa MarcAurele
I’m not sure about canning meat. I don’t know a lot about the safety with canning.
Denise
I also love casseroles. I’ve made this one several times. Leftovers are also good for lunch or another dinner. Thank you for this recipe and I will check out your other ones!
Patricia Knapp
Quick, simple. I’ve made this quiet a few times. I started adding sweet frozen corn as well. One dish and done. Love it! can serve with tortillas, crackers or as a stand alone.
Katie
This was delish! I subbed ground turkey instead of the ground beef, and threw in some corn and chopped kale for extra veggies. Soooo good, and so easy! Will definitely be making this again 🙂
Trisha
This turned out delicious! I didn’t have onion powder so I subbed 1 small medium yellow onion diced. I had to use a little over 2 pounds of ground beef, so I ended up adding an additional can of diced tomatoes in addition to the Rotel. This was very good! I definitely will be making again. I also increased the amount of zucchini used ( I used 6 small zucchini) and it was perfect! Thank you for this simple and delicious low carb recipe 😋
Sherry
I made this last night and it turned out really well. I made a couple changes, added beef broth because there wasn’t enough juice from the tomatoes and used taco seasoning instead of chili powder. Topped with cheese.
Lisa MarcAurele
Great additions! Thanks for sharing!
Jenny
Super delicious, quick and easy. Thanks for the awesome recipe.
Jess
I made this for dinner this evening, and it is delicious!! We are not low carb, so we put it on top of cornbread, and omg. Better than I thought it was going to be. I didn’t have two zucchini, so i used one zucchini and two yellow squash, along with a can of plain diced tomatoes. It needed a bit more chili powder, cumin and garlic though, so i did add a bit more.
Thank you!!
Sidney Patin
Question about Zuchinni – We love to grow Zuks in the garden. In your article you said “However, I think some of the issue was due to us overwatering the plants in the evening. This year, there was a lot of rainy days so we didn’t bothering adding any additional water and the plants did amazing.” Why would it make a difference whether the plants get water from the sky or from the hose? Any comments appreciated, we had some issues with powdery mildew last year.
Lisa MarcAurele
My husband does the gardening as I’ve always had a bit of a black thumb. I have read somewhere that zucchini plants only need about an inch of water every week. I also read that a little extra water is needed when they begin bearing fruit because the fruit needs more water to develop properly. Dry conditions and humid weather (which we can have a lot of here in New England) is said to be the primary cause of powdery mildew.
Michelle
I’ve fixed this recipe for supper several times. It’s an easy one skillet meal. I like to add sharp cheddar cheese and a small bit of sour cream to my plate. This is most definitely one of my favorites.
Dana Grilikhes
Delicious! Very quick and great work night dinner.
Janet
Easy healthy recipe that my family loves.
Leigh Jones
Easy, delicious and very flavorful!
Beth Hamilton
Awesome recipe- I added a yellow squash and a yellow and orange bell peppers. Next time will try the black beans
Beth Hamilton
I added yellow squash and I also put the meat mixture over jasmine rice. So yummy
Michelle
I’ve fixed this recipe several times, it’s one of my favorites. This is a 1 pan meal. Easy clean up. I use 1 zucchini and 1 squash. My husband and I can make 2 meals out of this recipe. I recommend this recipe.
Michelle
I’ve made this recipe several times. We love it. It’s a super easy, one skillet meal. We melt shredded cheese over the top and a bit of sour cream, it’s perfect. My husband and I get 2 meals out of this recipe.