This Whole30 taco casserole is an awesome meal prep recipe or perfect for a paleo or gluten-free weeknight meal. Preparation is simple, just mix everything together, oven bake it, and pull out a delicious beef taco casserole for the family! It’s a great way to use up ground beef, and it’s healthy recipe option that’s loaded with veggies that can be enjoyed with a ton of different toppings depending on what you prefer!
Gather Your Ingredients!
All of the ingredients you’ll need for this Whole30 taco casserole are really common, easy-to-find ones. You’ll need ground beef, green peppers, an onion, potatoes and eggs. Then you’ll need three canned items, black olives, green chiles (you can use mild or hot, depending on your preference), and diced tomatoes. Make sure to drain the canned items really well or you’ll have some excess liquid that ends up in the casserole.
You’ll also need salsa, and a handful of spices, all which are likely already in your cabinet. I get my spices and salsa from Thrive Market for a discount (new members get a $20 shopping credit!), but they’re also really easy to find at most common grocery stores! Just make sure the salsa you grab is a no-sugar added one!
Related: Target Whole30 Compliant Items, Walmart Whole30 Target Items, Trader Joe’s Whole30 Compliant Items, What Is Whole30?
Steps to Making This Whole30 Taco Casserole
After preheating the oven, you’ll get to work on the ground beef. To transform it into taco meat, you’ll first add it into a large skillet to begin browning it. As it’s browning, add in all of the spices and the diced onion and combine it all together. Once it’s mostly all browned, grab a strainer and transfer the taco meat into it. It’s important to drain all of the grease really well so that it doesn’t end up in the bottom of the casserole!
From there, the rest is easy! Dump in all of the remaining ingredients into a casserole dish and stir it up to incorporate everything together evenly. This recipe does use beaten eggs as a binder, but if you’re egg-free, or want to skip this step, you can. The casserole won’t hold together well, but it’s still really good!
Pop it into the oven and bake it for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the potatoes are soft enough to be pierced with a fork. This will depend a bit on what size your casserole dish is and how thin or thick the ingredients are in it.
Add Fun Toppings!
There are so many ways to enjoy this Whole30 taco casserole. You can eat it over greens, like a taco salad. You can eat it on top of large bell pepper slices, in lettuce wraps or cups, you could have it over white or brown rice if you’re not eating Paleo or Whole30, the options are endless. There’s an equal amount of toppings you could choose to add, depending on what you or your family enjoy. Add avocado or guacamole, pico, (dairy-free) sour cream, more salsa, hot sauce, sliced jalapeno, more black olives, or whatever you have on hand and would like!
Other Whole30 Casserole Recipes You’ll Love
Creamy Sausage & Veggie Casserole
Chicken Bacon Alfredo Casserole
Buffalo Chicken Breakfast Casserole
PrintEasy Taco Casserole: Whole30, Paleo, Gluten-Free
This Whole30 taco casserole is an awesome meal prep recipe or perfect for a paleo or gluten-free weeknight meal. Preparation is simple, just mix everything together, oven bake it, and pull out a delicious beef taco casserole for the family! It’s a great way to use up ground beef, and it’s healthy recipe option that’s loaded with veggies.
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 6-8 1x
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 lbs lean ground beef
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1.5 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp cayenne (optional)
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 medium white onion, diced
- 2 green peppers, diced
- 2 medium russet potatoes, cut in a small dice (about 2 cups)
- 3/4 cup salsa
- 1 (4 oz) can mild green chiles, drained
- 1 (4 oz) can sliced black olives, drained
- 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, drained
- 2 eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef. While it’s browning, add in minced garlic and white onion and incorporate well with the beef
- While it’s browning, add the green peppers, potatoes, salsa, green chiles, black olives and diced tomatoes to a large casserole dish
- Once the beef is mostly browned, transfer it to a strainer and strain out all of the excess grease. Place back into the pan and mix in all of the spices and incorporate well
- Then, transfer the taco meat and onion mixture into the casserole dish along with the beaten eggs, and use a large spoon to stir in with the other ingredients. Once it’s well combined and evenly distributed, cover with foil or lid, place it in the oven and bake for 45 minutes-1 hour, or until the potatoes are baked all the way through when pierced with a fork
- Remove from the oven and serve on a bed of greens like a taco salad, and/or top with avocado/guacamole, pico, shredded lettuce, more black olives, sliced jalapeno, sour cream (dairy-free version for paleo/Whole30)
Notes
- Make sure to drain the canned items very well before adding into the casserole dish
- This is also a great chip dip (with chips, or with bell peppers thickly sliced) – trust!
- Don’t forget to cover with foil or casserole dish cover!
Nutrition Facts:
- Calories: 518
- Fat: 28 g
- Carbohydrates: 31 g
- Fiber: 6.1 g
- Protein: 37.8 g
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Cynthia says
Excellent recipe!! I have made it three times because it is so delicious.
Chris says
Love this, and make it often!
Kayla says
Very easy to make & yummy! I’ve made this 3 times. If you put the potatoes & peppers in with the meat while it’s browning, they come out much softer 🙂
Regina says
We’ve made this recipe several times. It’s so delicious!!
Kim says
Day one of my first Whole30 and this was dinner – so delicious! I omitted the egg (aka, forgot it!) and served over lettuce with avocado on top.
Sherri C. says
I’ve been so excited to make this as I’m on Whole30 but since it’s only me eating it I decided to just make a half portion. I cut all ingredients in half except I forgot and added 2 eggs. It’s in the oven now but I’m thinking I may have ruined it with that 2nd egg. Going to keep my fingers crossed!
Sara Pearson says
This had great flavor and consistency. I subbed zucchini for bell pepper and used grass fed beef, so I didn’t have any grease to drain lol. I also added grated Mexican cheese blend at the end of baking and broiled it for a few minutes. It makes for great leftovers too.
ShelE says
Oh, my word! I got a late start on this one today but I know this recipe’s going to be really good! How do I know? I tasted it as I went along. lol I always say: “Good things come to those who wait . . . for dinner!” And, also: Third time’s the charm. I had this in the oven twice, before adding in the olives, and then after mixing them in, without a cover. lol, again. But the other reason I know it will be good? It’s a Baily recipe. Every recipe of yours that I’ve tried, I like. Thank you a million times over for healthy Paleo recipes that keep me healthy. My husband & son add the non-Paleo toppings that keep them happy & then, we’re all happy!
paleobailey says
I’m so, so happy to hear this!! Thank you SO much!
Karen says
This recipe is so good! The first time I made it was too much for me so I halved it the 2nd time. I’ve tried many of your recipes, they are great! And I love that you’re a MN girl!
Ute says
Yum! Made this using turnips instead of potatoes because I was out. Added the onions to the pan with the ground beef, and used actual garlic. Turned out beautifully. I did put cheese on it, because cheeeese! What a great recipe!
paleobailey says
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! Turnips sound great! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with me!