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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
This low carb Mexican zucchini and ground beef skillet dish is a simple recipe that uses inexpensive ingredients. It goes well with cauliflower rice. What’s your favorite way to eat zucchini?
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.
Low Carb Mexican Zucchini Beef Skillet Recipe
Enjoy this quick and easy low carb meal idea! And be sure to leave a comment below to let us know how it turned out if you did give the recipe a try.
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Mexican Zucchini and Beef
Recipe Video (Click on Image to Play)
Ingredients
- 2 medium zucchini sliced and quartered
- 1 1/2 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
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 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.
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Jennifer Holmes
Delicious! Such a quick easy delicious meal. I added some cheddar cheese on top. Thank you for sharing
Janice
Delicious and easy.
Mica Nitschke
I made this recipe for my family the other night with zuchinni from our garden and it was amazing!! Would you mind if I share it with our customers in our monthly newsletter? We have a grass-fed beef company and like to share yummy recipes with our customers. Thanks! Mica
Lisa MarcAurele
Mica, as long as it’s a small community and credit is given, I’m okay with sharing in your newsletter. So glad you enjoy the recipe!
Jill
Very easy and delicious! I made just as instructed (used only 1 pound of ground beef) and topped with chopped avocado, sprinkle of cheese and a dollop of sour cream. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the recipe!
Carol C
This looked yummy from the first time I saw the recipe. I saved it until I could get to the store for the zucchini.
I chose to use ground beef like the recipe shows, but used plain diced tomatoes & the taco seasoning packet suggestion.
It is SO YUMMY! Bonus – it’s SO easy to make.
Sara
This was a winner! And we managed to use up zucchini from the garden in a new way that wasn’t boring! My kids don’t like the taste of green chiles, so I subbed a can of diced tomatoes with chipotle peppers and added some smoked paprika. We topped with sour cream, cilantro and some hot sauce. So yummy!
Karen
This is a keeper! Loved the taste and didn’t change a thing. My family loved it too. Thanks!!
Jennifer
Very easy and inexpensive. The whole family loved it. We topped with cheese and hot sauce.
Jenny
This is so good! Will add to dinner rotation.
Jenny
This was so good and easy to make! I added some Cotija cheese at the end which added some nice flavor.
Rachel
GREAT recipe! It’s amazing too if you add 1 oz of cream cheese for every serving. So 6 oz of cream cheese for the original recipe. I add it when I add the tomatoes and remaining spices. It also increases the fat content, which is lovely for keto.
Stacey
I only had regular diced tomatoes so I added a bouillon cube for flavor. And diced up 4 red potatoes. This is a delicious ‘twist’ on stir fry. Entire family loved it.
Ella
Super easy for a weeknight dinner, and very delicious. I had zucchini from the garden ready to use. I followed the recipe, except I used diced onion and red bell pepper instead of onion powder and red pepper flakes (cooked with the ground beef), and then because we also have an abundance of Swiss Chard from the garden, added some in the last few minutes of cooking. Thank you – we’ll make this again!
Kathy
I made this tonight and it was a total hit and they want it again. I eat
low carb but not Keto. I made it with the rice for those who wanted it. I
thought it was delicious. I did not drain the grease. I also added some yellow squash with the zucchini but I prefer the zucchini. I checked out some of your other low carb recipes and planning for another meal. So glad I found this site.
Lisa
This easy beef skillet dish is so delicious!
Deanna
I tried this recipe & totally loved it! Lots of flavor & simple to make. Definitely one I’ll make again!
Sharon
You did not drain the fat grease from the beef?
Lisa MarcAurele
Draining the grease is optional. Those on keto prefer to keep the fat.
Cheryl
If she used venison, venison is much leaner than ground beef, so there isn’t much fat to drain. It also depends on how much fat your beef has. If you have a 70%/30% beef, your meat will be swimming in grease. If it’s 93%/7%, there won’t be much to drain.
Denise
I made this for a second time for dinner yesterday. Hubby and I both love it. I did add a little bit of cheddar this time. I did go a little heavy on the pepper when I cooked the beef so it was a bit hotter than we like but still good. We have leftovers for lunch or another dinner. Thanks for the recipe!
Ellen
Family favorite recipe! Can I use yellow squash instead of zucchini? I have lots of yellow squash in my garden.
Lisa MarcAurele
Yellow squash works great in place of zucchini in the recipe!
Tanya
I am eating this as I type this review and wow, it is seriously so good! I used ground turkey with zucchini, yellow squash and some onion. No chili flake, but used all the other spices. Added shredded mozzarella on top. I’m surprised by how good it is. I am starting a low carb diet, so this will definitely be a staple. Thank you.
Lauryn
Really quick and easy…I’m all about quick and easy! My husband is on Keto, I am not so I added a little brown rice to my plate. Delicious!
Cathy
It is my favorite Keto recipe!!! Can I freeze this ?
Lisa MarcAurele
The zucchini might get a little mushy if frozen, but if that doesn’t bother you, it’s fine to freeze.
Audrey C
Added some shredded cheese and DELISH!
Anne
Yum. This is an easy ‘use what you have’ recipe.
I made this with 1/2# each ground beef & turkey. Added onion and 3 sliced mini peppers. Used fire roasted diced tomato with garlic, maybe a tablespoon of water (just swished out the can)and taco seasoning, and only 1 zucchini since I only had 1# ground meat.
I also added a little medium shell pasta (cooked 5 minutes and added the last 5 minutes). I know this messed up the ‘low carb’ but it was a nice touch.
Nicole
I have made this recipe several times. It is simple and delicious. I add a handful or two if kale sometimes. I have also used it as a filling to a kinda shepherd’s pie with mashed cauliflower and cheese as topping. Delicious
Eden
Anyone have any ideas on what to replace the tomatoes in this recipe?
Lisa MarcAurele
You can probably just leave them out or use more squash.
)anelyn Jouett
This is a very good dish.
Kathleen
Added corn, should have done either or but not both pepper flakes and a can of Rotel . Still good though, enjoyed it.
Tammy
I’ve made this many times and it is so good. It’s a quick meal to make and my husband loves it with some keto cornbread .
Rita dixon
This is very good , added some venison and sausage, onion , and fresh tomatoes , fresh colored bell peppers, my husband loved it .
Irene
I cook zucchini with corn an fresh chili and one day i decided to add hamb. My family likes it. Then i saw your recipe and thought, huh, i already make that, nothing new
Beth
To me it’s basically the fixings that go inside of a taco. Nothing really special except the added zucchini.
Lynne Thomas
Yummy! Thanks. I used medium fresh salsa from the produce section instead of tomato and green chili. Added a yellow squash for fun. Great dinner for a picky 15 year old type1.
Denise Clapp
I didn’t have the Mexican Style tomatoes so I used Salsa. I also shredded some pepper jack cheese on top. Delicious!
Jessica
I made this tonight for my family and they really liked it. I shredded the zucchini and mixed it in with the ground meat, just because my little guys don’t like chunks of veggies. I used a medium spiced salsa instead of the mexican tomatoes and it was great. I think the tablespoon of chili powder may have been a bit too much so when I make it again, I’ll lessen that up a bit. Other than that, great and easy meal!
Zandra
Delicious. A real keeper.
Jodie
Made this for dinner. Used 3 garden tomatoes with green pepper in our manual food processor instead of canned, the zucchini came from garden as well. very good.
Lizbeth
I’m always looking for new recipes to keep my low-carb diet plan interesting. I found your recipe 3 weeks ago, and I’ve already made it twice, which is a lot, since I live alone and get 4 meals out of the recipe. This satisfies my urge to eat more zucchini, but the hamburger makes it hearty, and who doesn’t love Mexican flavors?! I’m planning to try your stir fry with hamburger and green beans this week. Keep up the good work!
Michele
I made this tonight and it is delicious! I used 93% lean ground turkey to cut down the fat content. I also used a medium pico de gallo fresh salsa in addition to the 10 Oz can of rotel diced tomatoes with chilies to spice it up a tad. Will definitely keep this recipe.
Rhonda H.
This is delicious (and healthy)! Our whole family loved it! Making it tonight for the second time.
Lori
How many grams of sodium per serving? I’m thinking if it’s a lot you can substitute fresh tomatoes and green peppers.
Lisa MarcAurele
I just recalculated and got about 500mg.
Jeff
I made this for my wife and I, we absolutely loved it. It reminded us of chili. Very surprised! A must try even if ur on the fence about liking zucchini
Valarie
I saw the zucchini sitting on the counter from the garden and thought “I should make a zucchini dinner of some sort.” So I googled -zucchini hamburger dinner- and your recipe was the first thing to pop up and I’m so glad it did! It was fast and easy and so very delicious! Thank you!
Lisa MarcAurele
Yay! I’m happy to help make good use of that garden zucchini! I happen to have some on the counter and will likely make this dish tomorrow.
Amy
Wow-Made this last night due to a zucchini overload in the garden and we just loved it! I added in chopped onions, green pepper and mushrooms as well. My husband is not a huge zucchini fan but really loved this recipe. I will be making this a lot in the future to use up the abundant supply my garden is giving. Love that it is so easy to make!
Sidenote: I brought leftovers to work for my lunch, My co-workers loved it as well and copied down the recipe:)
Kim
How much is 1 serving?
Lisa MarcAurele
It’s about a cup or so.
Allison Lowe
So yummy! I decided to add elbow macaroni to mine and it is so tasty!
Lynette
Loved this – whole family! Asked me to make it again this week. Some of them don’t like it quite as spicy, so I’ll have to tone that down a bit, but it will be on our regular rotation going forward. Thanks for sharing!!!
Jazmin
Does the whole recipe equals 272 calories?
Lisa MarcAurele
It’s per serving when divided into 6 servings.
Janis
Great Recipe! We are just starting low carb eating, with more meals like this it will be more enjoyable. Thanks!
Bob
I will try this tonight thank you.
Jeremy
Found this just while googling “Zucchini Ground Beef” because that’s what I had on hand. I’ve made it a couple of times and it is a very good recipe. I have on occasion added a couple splashes of beef broth to help soften the zucchini but I think that just depends on the amount of juice in the canned tomatoes. I’m sure you could add onion, peppers, cooked rice or a variety of other things if you wanted but I’d recommend the recipe as listed first, it will probably exceed your expectations.
Deb Gleason
This is one of our new favorite recipes! Very easy to make. I used Ro-Tel Tomatoes with Green Chilis, the Original Version which had no salt added. I also used 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder and 1/4 teaspoon ground Cayenne Pepper because I know we like those flavors, but not too strongly.
NVMom
Can you specify what a serving size is for this recipe?
Lisa MarcAurele
It’s roughly a cup or so.
Jayne
Absolutely delish! I added red onion and mixed in penne pasta to mine and my whole fam loved it! It will be something I make regularly. Thank you!