Keto Taco Pie is a family-friendly and delicious weeknight meal that brings all the flavors of traditional tacos without the need for a tortilla. This simple recipe involves adding ingredients into a pan and baking them together, making it an easy and satisfying keto dinner. If you enjoy Keto Taco Pie, you might also want to try Keto Bacon Chicken Ranch Casserole.
Why Keto Taco Pie?
This dish is similar to a crustless quiche, featuring eggs and heavy cream, and loaded with taco meat and seasonings. You could call it a taco quiche! The base recipe isn't very spicy, making it suitable for both kids and adults. However, you can easily adjust the spice level by adding canned diced chilies or your favorite hot sauce.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef: About a pound of ground beef is ideal, but you can use other ground meat if preferred.
- Taco Seasoning: Use your favorite type or brand. For a low-carb option, choose a seasoning with low carbs or make your own to avoid added starches or flour.
- Heavy Cream: This is a staple in many keto recipes due to its high fat and low carb content.
- Eggs: These bind the mixture together, ensuring the taco pie bakes up firm.
- Garlic: Adds flavor throughout the dish.
- Cheddar Jack Cheese: Melts beautifully, but you can use cheddar cheese or another type if desired.
- Pepper: Adds a hint of spice.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Brown the ground beef: In a 9-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat, crumble and brown the ground beef until it is no longer pink.
- Add taco seasoning and cream: Add taco seasoning and some of the heavy cream to the skillet. Stir until combined, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat.
- Combine remaining ingredients: In a large bowl, combine the remaining heavy cream, eggs, garlic, cheese, salt, and pepper.
- Pour over beef: Pour the egg mixture over the ground beef in the skillet.
- Sprinkle with cheese: Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Bake: Bake for 30 minutes, or until the center is set and the cheese is lightly browned.
These numbered steps match the numbered photos above and are for illustration purposes.
Tips and Tricks
- Use a pie pan: Cook your meat in a regular skillet. Mix the filling and transfer it to a deep dish pie pan that you've lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Bake as directed.
- Cheese Selection: For the cheese, it's often recommended to buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself. It is superior in taste and melts great!
- Adjust taco seasoning: Some people find the taco seasoning too salty. Be conservative with the salt. The taco seasoning makes more than is required for the Taco Pie.
- Consider homemade seasoning: Making your own taco seasoning allows you to avoid fillers, MSG, and sugars often found in store-bought seasonings. A simple blend of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, salt, onion powder, pepper, and oregano works well.
Serving Suggestions
Keto Taco Pie can be served as is or with various low-carb garnishes such as:
- Chopped tomatoes
- Sour cream
- Pico de gallo
- Low-carb salsa
- Avocado
- Fresh cilantro
- Jalapenos
It pairs well with a simple salad with sugar-free salad dressing, Keto Broccoli salad, or Keto Coleslaw. Keto Tortilla Chips and keto lemonade are also great accompaniments.
Read also: Customize Your Keto Taco Bowl
Nutritional Information
Each serving of this low-carb pie contains approximately 4 grams of net carbs. You can further reduce the carb count by making a from-scratch taco seasoning.
Freezing and Reheating
- Freezing: Cool the pie completely, then wrap it tightly to keep it airtight. It can be frozen for future use, and it's recommended to bake it first before freezing. Cut the pie into pieces for more even reheating. Cover with foil and freeze. Individual pieces can be frozen separately in freezer-safe containers or wrapped in foil.
- Reheating: From the refrigerator, reheat the taco pie in a 300°F (150°C) oven, covered lightly with foil for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through. Single slices can be reheated similarly but will take less time. The microwave can also be used for a faster reheat. There is no need to defrost the pie before reheating.
Recipe Variations
- Spicier Pie: Add canned diced chilies or a few splashes of your favorite hot sauce. You can also add some diced green or red peppers, or even some diced jalapeno peppers with the hamburger.
- Meat Options: While ground beef is traditional, you can use ground turkey or other ground meat.
- Larger Portions: Double the recipe and bake it in a larger 9×13″ pan, adding 8-10 minutes to the baking time.
What to serve with Low-Carb Crustless Taco Pie
Serve this taco pie with some sliced green onions, sour cream, diced tomatoes and avocado or guacamole to put on top. Other options are salsa, taco sauce, sliced jalapeño peppers, and grated cheese.
For a side, a simple garden salad, sliced cucumbers, cucumber salad, or a tomato salad work well. These low-carb tortilla chips with some salsa complement this recipe perfectly.
This dinner works well with some sparkling water with a twist of lime. However, if you would like an alcoholic choice, you may want to check out this keto mojito. To end this meal, a scoop of Low-Carb Margarita Sorbet (with or without alcohol) makes a great choice!
Read also: Easy Low-Carb Cheese Crackers
Read also: Keto Calorie Counting: A Detailed Guide