Ground beef recipes are an all-time favorite in my household, and it’s a bonus when I can incorporate seasonal ingredients into them. So, when zucchini came into season, I jumped at the chance to combine two of my favorite ingredients with this recipe – and the results did not disappoint! This Mexican-inspired ground beef and zucchini skillet is a quick, flavorful, nutritious, and family-pleasing dish that has easily become a favorite weeknight dinner for my entire family.
Recipe Highlights
It’s truly a one-skillet dish: All the ingredients come together in a single skillet, meaning my cleanup time is short, and there are hardly any dishes to do after dinner.
Quick to make and feeds the whole family: With minimal prep time and a short cooking time, this dish is ready in 30 minutes or less. Plus, it always makes more than enough to feed my whole family of 6, including my 4 hungry boys, ages 8-15.
It’s great for meal prep: This is one of my favorite meals to make because the leftovers store and reheat incredibly well. I personally like to double the ingredients to make it last longer throughout the week.
A great way to use up extra zucchini: This is one of my go-to dishes whenever I have an abundance of zucchini from my garden in the spring and summer months or a grocery store run.
Main Ingredients With Notes And Substitutions
- Ground beef: I use high-quality, lean ground beef for this dish; I personally opt for grass-fed beef because of its nutritional benefits. It is possible to substitute lean ground turkey for the beef in this recipe.
- Zucchini: I’ll make the most of my garden zucchini by using it in this dish, but store-bought zucchini also works. Yellow squash can be used in place of the zucchini, if desired.
- Sweet potato: Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of fiber, high in vitamin A, and contain some amazing antioxidants, which is why I try and incorporate them into as many recipes as I can.
- Taco seasoning: I’ll use my homemade taco seasoning, which I make in batches and always have on hand as a pantry staple, but store-bought seasoning will work just as well.
- Corn: I use frozen corn for this recipe.
- Shredded cheese: I opt for a Mexican-style or monetary jack shredded cheese blend for this dish.
- Fire-roasted tomatoes
- Black beans
- Red bell pepper
- Red onion
- Garlic cloves
Find the ingredient list with exact measurements in the recipe card below.
Ingredient Spotlight: Zucchini
Not only is it delicious and extremely versatile, but zucchini also provides a variety of health benefits. This veggie:
- Is an excellent source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K
- Is rich in potassium, magnesium, and folate
- Contains both soluble and insoluble fiber to support healthy digestion
How To Make This Easy Skillet Meal
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add avocado oil, and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Then, add the diced sweet potato, and cook, stirring occasionally.
- Add the zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and garlic to the pan and continue cooking until the vegetables are slightly tender.
- Move the vegetables to one side of the skillet, and place the lean ground beef on the other side. Cook, breaking the beef into pieces as it cooks. Remove any leftover grease from the skillet.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, and add the black beans, veggies, and homemade taco seasoning or a store-bought seasoning packet. Stir to combine. Then, sprinkle Mexican-style shredded cheese or cheddar cheese on top.
- Place the lid on the skillet, remove it from the heat, and let the cheese melt. Then, add fresh cilantro and green onions for garnish, and serve warm!
For serving size and the complete directions and ingredient amounts, scroll down to the recipe card below. All of our recipes include the nutrition analysis, listing calories (kcals), protein, carbohydrates/carb, fiber, sugar, sodium, cholesterol, and more per serving.
Toppings And Sides
I think this ground beef and zucchini skillet is plenty filling on its own, but it’s great served with a side of white rice, brown rice, quinoa, or even roasted potatoes, too. While this dish already is topped with cilantro and green onions, I sometimes like to get a little fancy and add some extra toppings, including:
- Avocado or my favorite homemade guacamole
- Diced red onion
- Diced tomatoes
- Fresh lime juice
- Salsa
- Sour cream
- Taco sauce
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“Truly one pot. Super easy, took 20 minutes, healthy, kids devoured it, lots of leftovers and quick cleanup. What else could you ask for!? Served with avocado and Greek yogurt as sub for sour cream. This is a perfect weeknight meal!” ~Lauren
Options For Storing And Reheating
Once cool, I transfer any leftovers to an airtight container, and store them in the fridge for 3-4 days. When I’m ready to enjoy this meal again, I reheat leftovers in the microwave or in a skillet over medium heat. I can also freeze leftovers for up to 6 months. To reheat from frozen, I’ll let leftovers thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat as normal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Summer squash (like zucchini and yellow squash) is harvested before it’s fully mature. As a result, it has tender skin and more flavorful flesh. Winter squash, on the other hand, is harvested in autumn and has thicker, tougher skin (or rind) that protects it from colder growing conditions and helps it last longer.
If possible, I highly recommend sticking with fresh zucchini for this dish. However, if needed, frozen zucchini can be used instead. Just make sure to thaw and drain any excess liquid first; otherwise, the mixture may become soggy.
More Ground Beef Recipes You’ll Enjoy
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Ground Beef and Zucchini Skillet Recipe
This recipe combines affordable, easy-to-find ingredients for a quick skillet dinner that’s high in protein and fiber, and can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons avocado oil
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (about 2 cups)
- 1 small zucchini, diced (about 1 cup)*
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced (about 1 cup)
- 1 small red onion, diced (about 1 cup)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons
- 1 lb lean ground beef*
- 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 (15 oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 packet taco seasoning (or 3 tablespoons of homemade taco seasoning)
- 1 cup Mexican-style or monetary jack shredded cheese blend
- Optional for garnish: ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro, 3-4 sliced green onions
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the avocado oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add the diced sweet potato and cook, while stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes.
- Add the zucchini, bell pepper, onion, and garlic; cook for an additional 3-4 minutes, or until the vegetables are slightly tender.
- Move the vegetables to one side of the skillet and place the ground beef on the other side of skillet.
- Cook the beef for 7-9 minutes, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Drain any excess grease after the ground beef is cooked through.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the black beans, tomatoes (with juice), frozen corn, and taco seasoning. Stir everything together.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese over top, place the lid on the skillet, remove from heat, and let the cheese melt for about 2 minutes.
- Remove lid, add desired garnishes, then serve.
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Notes
*Can use yellow squash in place of small or medium zucchini, and follow the recipe as normal.
**Can use lean ground turkey in place of ground beef. When cooking, drain any excess fat just as you would with beef.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 379
- Fat: 10 g
- (Sat Fat: 5 g)
- Sodium: 925 mg
- Carbohydrate: 27 g
- (Fiber: 8 g
- Sugar: 11 g)
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 62 mg
Dietary
The photos in this blog post were taken by Casey Colodny of The Mindful Hapa.
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This sounds delicious and will be in my line up this week! Also looks easy, which I love. Thanks for another great recipe
Perfect Barbara!
Could you make this with soy crumbles or meatless alternative? The rest of the recipe looks really good. I just try not to eat red meat.
You absolutely can use a crumbled meat alternative or even ground chicken or turkey.
Any suggestions of how to make this AIP?
Unfortunately, since AIP excludes nightshades, dairy, and legumes it would be incredibly difficult to remove the bell pepper, diced tomatoes, taco seasoning, black beans, and cheese and still have anything even close to the original recipe.
Great easy weeknight recipe! Love all the veggies, protein, flavor, etc! You guys always knock it out of the park!
We appreciate the kind words Haley! Thanks for the feedback and 5-star review!
EXCELLENT! We didn’t have corn or beans on hand yet this dish was still a major crowd please. Two thumbs up from my husband which is next to impossible 🙂 Made a double batch and stuck one in the freezer to enjoy later! Next time will serve w/ cilantro lime rice.
Hi Laura, we’re so glad you loved this recipe and were able to make it work with what you had on hand!