Spice up your next low-carb Taco Tuesday with this Keto Fajita Casserole! Packed with sizzling flavor, this Mexican-inspired keto casserole tastes indulgent but is guilt-free with just 7 net carbs per serving.
Casseroles, or covered dishes as we call them down South, are one of my favorite recipes to create. A full meal that only requires a handful of ingredients, minimal hands-on time, and zero babysitting? Yes, please!
The thing about casseroles is that folks tend to assume they’re full of canned soups, butter crackers, and sour cream. These aren’t exactly healthy, let alone carb-free. But it turns out that healthy casseroles are possible, you don’t have to sacrifice taste just to make sure a recipe is keto-friendly.
Take this casserole, for example; I had chicken, peppers, and some onion that I needed to use up before they went bad. Since Mexican is my favorite, I knew what I had to try.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Casseroles are perfect one-pot weeknight dinners for busy families! With only about a 30-minute prep time that can be done days or weeks beforehand, you can have a keto fajita casserole waiting in your fridge or freezer, ready to bake.
- The Keto Fajita Casserole is a family favorite that’s easily customizable around allergies and picky eaters. Already low carb, the Keto Fajita Casserole is also gluten-free and can be altered to be dairy-free or vegetarian.
- You can stretch leftovers out by reheating your casserole and serving it over Keto Mexican Style Cauliflower Rice.
What Make Makes This Fajita Casserole Keto-Friendly?
One of the reasons casseroles are so great is because of how versatile their recipes are. To make a keto-friendly casserole, all you need to do is pay attention to the macronutritional contents of the ingredients you’re using. For those of us on Ketogenic diets, we want to make meals with low-carb, high-fat ingredients like high-fat meats and vegetables. Potatos and rice, while typically casserole ingredient staples, are high in carbs, so leave these out.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts, boneless and skinless (3 to 4 large breasts)
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons butter, divided (or oil, for frying)
- 4.5 ounces chopped orange bell pepper
- 4.5 ounces chopped red bell pepper
- 2.5 ounces chopped red onion
- 2 cups cauliflower rice (frozen or fresh)
- 8 tablespoons store-bought queso, not melted (I used Gordo’s brand)
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- Cilantro (optional)
How to Make Keto Fajita Casserole
Think of this casserole as a plate of keto fajitas with all the fixings. Just like when you make or order normal fajitas, this dish is completely customizable. If you don’t want chicken, you can easily turn this into a keto beef or steak fajita casserole.
To bulk give the casserole its melty gooyness, you have the white queso and Monterey Jack cheddar, as well as the cauliflower rice (instead of normal rice or potatoes).
You can use frozen cauliflower rice, but just be aware you’ll have extra liquid at the bottom of your Keto Fajita Casserole when you’re done baking. But don’t worry! The extra water won’t affect the taste or ruin the meal.
Pro-tip: After you serve the first plate, you can drain excess liquid from the casserole dish into the sink.
FAQ
Yes! You can either substitute the chicken breast with either plant-based u0022chickenu0022 strips or a block of tofu. Adding black beans or lentils are other great ways to pack your keto casserole with protein.
Yes! There are many dairy-free substitutes for queso and Monterey Jack cheese. In place of cheese queso, you can create your own cashew, roasted cauliflower, black bean, or vegan queso dip. You can also swap out traditional Monterey Jack for either something like Daiya Jack Style Shreds, a shredded cheese-alternative, or other vegan substitutes. To capture the same flavors cheese adds to a dish, you can also sprinkle the casserole with Nutrional Yeast before baking.
Pairing desserts with the flavors of chicken fajitas can feel daunting, but it’s easy. This Easy Keto No Bake Cheesecake is always a crowd pleaser, but you can also serve keto-friendly ice cream or berries with Sugar-Free Keto Cool Whip.
You can prep you Keto Fajita Casserole days or months before you bake, depending on how proactive you want to get about meal planning. After assembling your casserole, you can leave the dish either in the fridge for 3 – 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just be sure the dish is covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and you thaw your frozen casserole before baking.
My family really enjoyed this nonconventional keto Taco Tuesday and I hope yours does too!
Low Carb Fajita Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless and skinless (3 to 4 large breasts)
- 1.5 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 2 tablespoons butter divided (or oil, for frying)
- 4.5 ounces chopped orange bell pepper
- 4.5 ounces chopped red bell pepper
- 2.5 ounces chopped red onion
- 2 cups cauliflower rice frozen or fresh
- 8 tablespoons store bought queso not melted (I used Gordo’s brand)
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- Cilantro optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch pieces. In a small bowl, combine the spices. Season the chicken with half of the seasoning.
- In a large skillet, heat half of the butter (or oil). Once hot, add half of the chicken. Cook 3 to 4 minutes until browned. They do not have to be cooked through as they will finish cooking in the oven. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with remaining chicken.
- Add the peppers, onions, and cauliflower rice to the bowl with the chicken. Season with the remaining spices and toss to coat.
- Add half of the mixture to a medium sized casserole dish. Add half of the queso to the top of the mixture. Repeat once more with remaining mixture and queso.
- Top the casserole with the shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 25 minutes. Let the casserole rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.
Nutrition
