Cheesy Mexican Cauliflower Rice Casserole
Cheesy Mexican cauliflower rice casserole is a quick and easy low carb recipe. Made with shredded chicken, black beans and taco seasoning, it’s a healthy family-favorite dinner.
Mexican is a dinner staple in our house. Mexican Foil Packets, Crispy Vegetarian Taquitos, Mexican rice bowls, or Crockpot White Chicken Chili…you can’t go wrong with a little Mexican flair (and a margarita!).
This low carb, cheesy Mexican cauliflower rice casserole is made with shredded chicken, corn, black beans, peppers, salsa and Mexican seasonings for a healthy comfort food recipe.
Casseroles are my saving grace during the cold winter months. Even though our winter hasn’t been too bad (SHHH, I know, don’t jynx it!!!), casseroles are still my favorite winter dinner recipe because they’re quick and can easily feed a crowd.
I made a double batch of this cheesy Mexican casserole Friday night: one batch was for my family to taste test and the other was for photographing on Saturday morning.
Well, this casserole was so good that we ate both dishes. Good thing it’s so easy to make ;).
I wanted to add an extra dose of veggies to the casserole, so I decided to grate the zucchini so that it’s highly disguised for those picky eaters you may have.
The zucchini blends right into this casserole, and with the rest of the ingredients, and all that flavor, you can’t even tell it’s there…
Unless you have a food detective on your hands, like I do in my house (I won’t mention any names…)
Adding the corn in the beginning with the rest of the vegetables gives it time to brown and toast bringing out an extra layer of delicious flavor.
I also added a chopped chipotle pepper for a tiny bit of heat and smokiness, but you can easily omit this if you’re not a fan of spice (or if you have little ones!)
Cheesy Mexican cauliflower rice casserole is perfect for an easy and healthy make-ahead family dinner. It’s cooked in one-pot then transferred and baked in a casserole dish for easy clean-up.
You can easily freeze the unbaked casserole for an even easier dinner plan. Just defrost before baking!
If you can’t tell I’m on a cauliflower rice-casserole kick. Aside from being low carb and healthy, it’s super easy to substitute as regular rice! Plus, who doesn’t love a good cheesy casserole?
For more cheesy cauliflower rice casseroles try my:
Cheesy Pesto Cauliflower Rice Casserole with Chicken & Broccoli
Cheesy Balsamic & Mushroom Cauliflower Rice Casserole
Cheesy Mexican Cauliflower Rice Casserole
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Chicken Breasts Boneless & Skinless
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Yellow Onion diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 Bell Pepper diced
- 1 15.25 oz can Yellow Corn drained and rinsed
- 1 Zucchini grated or finely diced
- 4 cups Cauliflower Rice see recipe notes
- 2 tbsp Chili Powder
- 2 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Cumin
- ½ tsp Oregano
- 1 cup Salsa
- 1 whole Chipotle Pepper, in adobe sauce finely chopped (optional)
- 1 15.25 oz can Black Beans drained and rinsed
- 1/3 cup Fresh cilantro chopped, plus more for serving
- 1/2 Lime plus more for serving
- 2 cups Shredded Mexican or Cheddar Cheese
- Greek Yogurt for serving (or Sour Cream)
Instructions
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Bring large pan of water to a boil, add chicken breasts and cook 15-20 minutes until chicken is fully cooked. Remove chicken from water and place on cutting board to cool.
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Meanwhile, heat olive oil over medium-high heat in large sauté pan. Add onions, garlic, peppers and corn. Cook, stirring occasionally until vegetables are softened and corn is slightly browned and toasted, about 8-10 minutes.
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Once chicken is cool enough to handle, shred using two forks.
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Add shredded chicken, grated zucchini, cauliflower rice, seasonings, salsa, and chipotle pepper (if using). Cook another 3 minutes.
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Stir in black beans, cilantro, lime juice and 1 cup of cheese.
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Pour into casserole pan, top with remaining cheese and bake at 375 for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted and inside is bubbly.
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Serve warm with a dollop of sour cream (or Greek yogurt), chopped cilantro and squeeze of lime, if desired.
Recipe Notes
*If you want to make your own cauliflower rice, simply add 1 head of cauliflower florets to food processor and pulse until riced. 1 head will yield about 3-4 cups.
I must confess, you had me at the word “cheesy” but this dish truly does sound so delicious! Another great recipe, and a must try!
Thank you Alexandra :).
Hi Alyssa,
I always love to try new recipes in my kitchen. And most of the Mexican recipes in my favorite list. Going to try this one and hope it will be also in my favorite list.
Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome Asma, I hope you like it!