Are you a Mexican food lover like me? If you’ve followed this paleo recipe blog for any length of time, you know it’s a biggie in mi casa…
Maybe it’s because when I moved to Arizona from the Northwest, I discovered good Mexican food on just about every corner here and over the years I got pretty hooked on the stuff. To this day there’s a Mexican dish on our menu at least once a week – done paleo and gluten-free of course.
This taco casserole is all about a little spicy comfort food that’s easy to make.
The idea is simple…a sweet potato “crust” filled with taco fixings and then garnished with fresh veggies. No cheese, no sour cream…but this one has so much flavor, you’re not going to miss the dairy.
You can also spoon this casserole dish on top of a bed of lettuce with some guacamole and salsa, or make our paleo tortillas and eat this one all wrapped up inside…yummy! [av_sidebar widget_area=’Lockerdome’ av_uid=’av-2ix1wo’]
Either way, this paleo recipe is one of those easy go-to meals when your looking for something hearty with a south of the border flair.
Think about the ingredients: organic ground beef, sweet potato, onion, peppers, tomato, olives and avocado. That’s a whole lot awesomeness all in one meal!
The taco seasoning in this recipe is one of my favorites and you’ll wind up with more than you need. Just bottle up the remainder in a spice jar. One less step the next time you’ve got a Mexican dish to season!
I always try to max-out the veggies in my casseroles and slow-cooked meals. You get a variety of flavors plus wholesome nutrition you can feel good about serving your family in this one.
This casserole makes about 4-6 servings, depending on your tribe’s paleo appetites.
I had plenty of leftovers and made some tortillas to brown-bag it to work for lunch the next day.
Gobble this one up and enjoy peeps!
Ingredients
- 1 tbs chili powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 large raw sweet potato, grated
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1/2 onion, diced
- 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 green bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1 green chili pepper, chopped
- Olives, diced tomatoes, sliced avocados - or whatever finishing toppings you like
Instructions
- First combine all the taco seasoning ingredients in a small bowl – set aside
- In a frying pan add 2 tbs of a fat of your choice (I used coconut oil)
- In a large frying pan over medium heat, add the ground beef, onions and peppers and 2 tablespoons of the taco seasoning. Cook until ground beef is brown and veggies are tender
- Next add the 1/2 cup tomato sauce, and stir. Simmer awhile to allow flavors to combine, and set aside
- Next peel and grate the sweet potato, and place in a small mixing bowl
- In another small bowl, whisk 1 egg, and pour it into the sweet potato bowl
- Mix egg and sweet potato together
- Grease an 8" x 8" baking dish (or similar size pie pan) with coconut oil, then press the potato/egg mixture into bottom and sides of dish to form a crust
- Next pour the cooked meat and veggie mixture over the crust and even out into a flat layer
- Bake at 350º F for about 30 minutes
- Remove from oven and garnish with diced tomatoes, olives, and avocado slices (or whatever garnishes you like)
- Scoop and serve hot