Keto Cauliflower Taco Bake

I gotta say, out of all the different foods to choose from: American, Italian, Greek, etc... Mexican has ALWAYS been my favorite!

I just love blend of seasoning that comes with Mexican food. Plus there is the salsa, the guacamole, and the SPICY deliciousness! I love me some spicy food. If my mouth is burning and my eyes are watering by the end of my meal, I'm a happy camper! But don't worry! This recipe is not too spicy. Especially if you use the mild Rotel tomatoes. I use original, and that gives me a little kick, but doesn't burn my whole face off. 😝

I also have a huge love for cauliflower rice!!! I loved it even more when I realized that Green Giant has a bag of frozen cauliflower rice in the freezer section at the grocery store! What a glorious day when I discovered this! I no longer had to bust out the food processor and make a huge mess! I do always make sure it is Green Giant brand, because they don't have any additives whatsoever. It is simply the vegetables, and that's it! I love reading the ingredients on the back of packaged food and have it read ONLY what you are expecting to purchase! No funny stuff!

Now, I did use the cauliflower medley on this recipe simply because the plain riced cauliflower was gone. The only difference is that the medley has peas and carrots mixed in, but just a small amount. It does add 1 gram more carbs per serving, equaling 5 grams of carbs per serving, whereas the regular cauliflower rice only has 4. One gram doesn't make a huge difference for me, but if you hate that idea, don't go for it!

And I only added the cauliflower rice because I didn't think that just the meat, cheese, Rotel, green onion, and olives would be enough. I felt like it needed a little more veggie to it. I am a HUGE fan of veggies! If I have a meal that doesn't include veggies, it just feels wrong. It's super strange because I didn't used to be like this, guys! I used to be a normal human that could eat a burger with a bun and fries with ketchup and feel satisfied with myself. Not anymore! And I gotta say, I don't really miss that old carb and no veggie life.

I went off on a tangent, haha! It's time to get back to the meal!

I used this recipe for meal prep, and it worked out perfectly and was SO DELICIOUS!!! There's just something about the seasoned taco meat mixed with the rich cream cheese and sour cream, and then topped with your favorite taco fixins?! I mean, really. What could be better?! So, what do you say? Are you ready for the recipe??? Here it is!!

Ingredients:
1 lb 73/27% ground beef
12 oz Green Giant frozen cauliflower rice (in the microwavable bag)
4 oz cream cheese (I use the whipped kind, it makes it easier to mix)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 10 oz cans Rotel tomatoes, drained well
2 3.8 oz cans sliced black olives, drained
1 bunch green onions, sliced, separated (reserve 1/4 cup for garnish)
8 oz shredded Mexican style cheese blend
Taco seasoning:
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp pepper
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp chili powder
a sprinkle of cayenne pepper

Directions:
1. Cook ground beef in a skillet on med-high heat, breaking up, until browned
2. Once beef has browned, add taco seasonings and 1/4 cup of water. Simmer for 5 min.
3. Meanwhile, cook cauliflower rice in microwavable bag for 5 minutes
4. Once cauliflower is cooked, using hot pads, open top of bag and cinch around the edges with one hand and flip upside down over the sink. With the other hand, squeeze the bulk of the cauliflower (using the cinched hand to keep it from falling out) to drain the excess fluid out from the bag.
5. Once cauliflower is drained, add into a large bowl with the cream cheese, sour cream, and add the taco meat. Mix evenly.
6. Grease a 9x11 oven safe dish, and layer the cauliflower/meat mixture evenly on the bottom.
7. Using a slotted spoon, scoop drained Rotel tomatoes over the cauliflower/meat mixture and cover evenly. Layer olives on top of tomatoes, all but 1/4 cup of green onions on top of olives, and sprinkle shredded cheese on top of it all, covering evenly.
8. Bake in the oven at 350 for about 15-20 minutes until bubbly and cheese begins to brown on top.
9. Garnish with remaining green onion
10. Serve hot, or scoop into meal prep containers and eat throughout the week!

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I did! Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for more great recipes!

With love,