Keto Taco Casserole
This easy Keto Taco Casserole recipe has only 5 ingredients and a 5 minute prep time. It is a lifesaver on busy weeknights. Ground meat combined with a creamy salsa sauce and plenty of cheese makes the perfect base for your favorite toppings.
I love anything Mexican, Southwest, Tex-Mex, whatever you want to call it. Those vibrant flavors are always welcome after a few nights of baked chicken or other simple fares. I decided to take a classic taco casserole with refried beans and corn chips and make it keto friendly. My taco casserole recipe is great for a keto or low carb diet. It is also gluten-free, grain-free, and Trim Healthy Mama friendly.
My children really enjoyed this easy low carb taco casserole recipe. The ten-year-old boy had thirds. A couple of the children put it into taco shells and ate it that way but most of us topped it with sour cream and avocado and dug right in.
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Since I first made this keto taco casserole we’ve had it dozens of times and a friend even made it for us after my 5th baby was born! Everyone who has tried it loves it whether they are on a keto diet or not.
Ingredients Needed
Ground Meat – I typically use ground turkey but you can definitely make this into a keto ground beef casserole by subbing in browned ground beef. Shredded chicken works great as well.
Salsa – make sure to choose one without added sugar. If it has a lot of liquid drain it before adding it to the casserole.
Cottage Cheese – this is my secret ingredient for added protein and a creamy texture. I promise you cannot taste it in the finished low carb casserole.
Cheddar Cheese – you can use any type of shredded cheese that goes well with Mexican food. A Colby jack Mexican cheese blend is the one we use most often if we are out of cheddar.
Taco Seasoning – I make my own keto taco seasoning to avoid added ingredients like cornstarch and sugar. Homemade taco seasoning is cheaper and tastes better than those packets you see in the grocery store. My seasoning combines onion powder, garlic powder, minced dried garlic, minced dried onion, paprika, cumin, chili powder, oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
How to make Keto Taco Casserole
The best part about this keto taco bake recipe is that the entire hands-on time is only about 5 minutes and it has only 5 ingredients. I make my low carb Mexican casserole with ground turkey but you can sub in any meat of your choice or sauteed vegetables for a vegetarian entree.
First Step: Stir together the salsa, cottage cheese, and cheddar cheese.
Second Step: Spray a baking dish with olive oil or cooking spray. Brown the meat in the oven in the casserole dish. Next, break it up and drain the cooking liquid. I chop it right in the casserole dish with a potato masher.
Expert Tip: Yes, I just cook the ground turkey right in the casserole dish in the oven! This saves on having a frying pan to wash by cooking the meat in the oven instead of browning it in a frying pan.
Third Step: Cover ground turkey or ground beef mixture with the creamy cottage cheese sauce. I promise the end result will not taste like cottage cheese!
Expert Tip: if you really don’t want to use cottage cheese you can sub in half softened cream cheese and half sour cream.
Fourth Step: Next, sprinkle the keto taco casserole with cheese. Any tip of shredded cheese will work, cheddar, Monterey Jack, or a blend.
Fifth Step: Finally, bake the low carb taco casserole until hot and bubbly. Since you already cooked the meat as soon as the casserole is hot you can serve it.
Expert Tip: For the best golden brown cheese on top broil the casserole for 2-3 minutes right before serving. Make sure to keep an eye on it because it can go from golden brown to burned pretty quickly.
Tips
My casserole was a little juicy but I didn’t take the time to really drain the meat properly since ground turkey isn’t greasy. We didn’t mind. And the few portions of leftovers we had stayed moist. There is nothing worse than dried-out leftovers. We make ground turkey tacos all the time. My guests normally don’t even realize it is ground turkey vs ground beef.
If you drain the meat thoroughly AND drain the excess liquid from your salsa your casserole will not be so moist.
Variations
Peppers & Onions – Slice a pepper and an onion and put them right into the casserole dish with the raw meat. They will cook and soften along with the meat.
Green Chiles – Replace the salsa with a can of green chiles and diced tomatoes, such as Rotel.
Crushed Red Pepper – Mix some red pepper into the salsa mixture for a bit of heat.
Jalapenos – Place thinly sliced jalapeno peppers on top of the shredded cheese before baking.
What to serve with a Taco Casserole
Top with your favorite taco toppings and serve!
Sour Cream – we use sour cream by the bucket in my house. A Costco-sized container only lasts about a week.
Avocados – you can either just serve sliced avocados or make keto guacamole. We always have avocados on the counter in various stages of ripening. They get eaten as quickly as they ripen in my house.
Diced Tomatoes – if you love tomatoes feel free to add a few fresh ones on top of this. Or top with some fresh keto salsa.
Lettuce – you can serve this with shredded lettuce under or on top.
Other Salad Veggies – chopped bell pepper and green onions also go well with this.
Cilantro – if you are a cilantro fan sprinkling some of the top adds color and flavor. I love the fresh taste that cilantro adds to Mexican dishes and use it generously!
Keto Tortilla Chips – serve this as a dip with some low carb chips or pork rinds.
Cauliflower Rice – make a taco bowl and serve this keto taco casserole on top of a bed of cauliflower rice. Either fresh or frozen cauliflower rice both work well!
Black Olives – thinly sliced black olives are great with this recipe.
Common Questions
Is Cottage Cheese Low Carb or Keto?
Yes. You can use cottage cheese while eating low carb or keto. Eating an entire tub of cottage cheese is not keto but using 2 cups divided by 6 servings is totally fine. Higher fat cottage cheese has lower carbs so you can choose a cottage cheese that is full fat for a keto casserole.
I used Nancy’s Organic Lowfat Cottage Cheese in this keto Mexican casserole. One of the reasons I love using cottage cheese is because it is high in protein. This one is also naturally gluten free and contains live probiotics.
In my house, I am the only one who eats cottage cheese plain but the rest of my family eats it in low carb recipes such as casseroles, cottage cheese cheesecake, and other baked goods. I just don’t mention the cottage cheese until after they’ve tried this keto taco casserole recipe and liked it.
Scared of the cottage cheese? Try my Keto Taco Pie instead!
Can you have sour cream on keto?
Yes, sour cream is definitely keto friendly. It has only 0.3g of net carbs per tablespoon. Try to buy one without additives and fillers.
Can I Make This in a Slow Cooker or Instant Pot?
Yes. Either will work! And make sure to check out my recipe for crock pot keto chicken tacos.
Slow Cooker – To make in a crock pot simply cook the meat, drain the liquid, and then add the other ingredients.
Pressure Cooker – For an instant pot recipe, you can brown the meat on the saute setting, drain any cooking liquid, and then add the other ingredients.
How do I store leftovers?
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. I will put lunch-sized portions in small glass containers and then just reheat in the microwave when I meal prep.
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Keto Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 1.5 - 2 lb ground turkey or beef
- 2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 1 cup salsa
- 16 oz cottage cheese
- 8 oz shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Mix the ground meat and taco seasoning in a large greased casserole dish. Mine is 11 x 13. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, mix together the cottage cheese, salsa, and 1 cup of the cheese. Set aside.
- Remove the casserole dish from the oven and carefully drain the cooking liquid from the meat. Break up the meat into small pieces. A potato masher works great for this. Spread the cottage cheese and salsa mixture on top of the meat. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Return the casserole to the oven and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes until the meat is cooked thoroughly and the cheese is hot and bubbly.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Love Mexican food? Try these low carb keto recipes next:
Spicy Chicken Empanadas with Cilantro Sour Cream
Originally Published February 16, 2017. Revised and Republished January 5, 2023.
So, I’ve made this like…. Six times…. Haha! It’s wonderful! Am I totally crazy in thinking that you used to have a link to your own homemade taco seasoning??
Yup! It’s here: https://joyfilledeats.com/freezer-friendly-taco-meat/
Thank you!! This has been my favorite homemade taco seasoning recipe that I’ve found!! I have it in my recipe box so I won’t lose it now!
We discovered your website the Pinterest and have become huge fans. This is the third time I’ve made this particular casserole; the whole family loves it! Tonight I’m serving it with guacamole and grain free tortilla chips. Thank you!!
Hi…I loved this recipe. Was afraid my hubby wouldn’t touch it with cottage cheese, so I drained my salsa (I used mango habanero and it was soo good) and mixed it in my blender with the cottage cheese, so it came out more like a thickened ricotta mixture. He couldn’t tell it was cottage cheese and gobbled it up. Makes for a more creamy texture. Thank you so much for all your great recipes and hard work creating them!
Blending it is a great idea! I’m going to try that next time I make this. I made it with shredded chicken last week and we loved it that way too.
We do a very similar casserole that my husband created…its basically the same as above except we saute whatever veggies we have in the house to use up (usually onions, bell peppers and zucchini) with the salsa and use that 🙂 also great over cauliflower rice if you really want to add some bulk and stretch out the meal!
i really enjoy your blog and recipes!! Thank you for all your hard work!
Adding sauteed veggies is a great idea. Thanks for sharing!
How many calories are in 1 serving?
429. There is a nutrition box at the bottom of the post.
I can’t see it anywhere under a box.
I just switched to a new recipe plugin. I’ll add the nutrition data again later today. In the meantime you can just plug the url in here to bring it up: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe_parser
Too much sodium for my blood pressure. Any ideas?
You could use a lower sodium cheese. Or use less cheese. A salt free taco seasoning would help too.
Can this be frozen and then heated?
I think so. I would drain the liquid from the salsa if you are planning on freezing it. Or you can precook the meat and then just assemble and bake with the frozen meat.
Omg! This recipe is amazing! Mine also was a little watery- I’m thinking its because of the salsa. I will definitely be making this again!
I don’t like cottage cheese can I use something to replace it?
I would use a combination of cream cheese and sour cream.
I also don’t like cottage cheese myself, but we made this last nite and I couldn’t even taste it. It was really good!
I was out of cottage cheese and it was too late to run to the store. I had ricotta on hand & I subbed it instead. It was DE-LISH! We all loved it. Not 1 morsel was left ☺
Nooo! I NEED! the recipe for that salsa in the picture! 😀
It’s just store bought and I’m not even sure which brand it is. I normally buy chunky mild and make sure it doesn’t have added sugar.
It looks absolutely divine! I live in Ireland and the Mexican culture here consist of burrito and taco shops, and the salsas are abysmal, truly. I’m really jealous at what other countries have on offer in that regards.
Hubby doesn’t like salsa, tomatoes, or onions in anything. Can I just skip the salsa? Should I add some water or something to make sure it’s still moist? I’m about to make this tonight. Thanks!
You can skip the salsa but I wouldn’t add anything else.
Is the ground beef raw when you mix in the taco seasoning and put it in the oven? I have never cooked raw beef in the oven that I can remember. 🙂
Yup! It saves the step of browning it in a frying pan first.
I really don’t like cottage cheese, could I sub with ricotta??
I think a combo of cream cheese and sour cream would work better.
I think I’m going to try it with shredded roasted chicken. I have a question tho, what’s the point of the cottage cheese? I’m sure it will be good, but I just think lasagna.
It makes it creamy and adds protein.
This Taco Casserole is amazing and so easy! I browned the hamburger on top of the stove and added onion but followed the rest of the recipe (used Hood brand cottage cheese since that’s what I had). Thanks so much for this great recipe! My husband, who is pretty picky, loved it as well.
I just discovered your blog today and I’m already a fan! My husband is diabetic and I’m trying to drop some weight, which lead me to your Easy Mexican Taco Casserole via a “low carb casserole” search on Pinterest. It just came out of the oven about 45 minutes ago and my family of four loved it! It will definitely go into regular rotation. Yummm!
We made this and it was really good. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, we cooked the hamburger then added it and I didn’t use the same cottage cheese. The problem I had was that it was really watery. I don’t know if it was our salsa or cottage cheese but even when reheated it was watery. Any thoughts how to fix this? I really like the flavors and simplicity, but I’m afraid my family may veto this if I don’t figure it out 🙁
Mine came out really watery as well. I was able to drain a lot of liquid off and it turned out better. I don’t know what to do to make it not watery. Probably won’t make this recipe again
That is the nature of cottage cheese. You could use half cream cheese and half cottage cheese but it would reduce the protein. Also, make sure to drain the meat very well. You can drain some of the liquid from the salsa too. Chunky salsa would work best. We just served it with a slotted spoon. My kids still loved it 🙂
You have inspired me to have a Mexican night. Brilliant recipe – I’ll definitely give it a go!
I could just dive right into this! LOL
I have a weakness for all things taco! I know my family would love this casserole.
This is absolutely a recipe that my family would dig into Taryn. And, I am all into layering simple ingredients together that results in big flavor. Looks great.