Healthy One-Pan Mexican Skillet

ByMadison Thurman
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This Mexican one-pan skillet is a great dinner recipe to add to your weeknight meal rotation. I have been loving a one-pan dinner lately, especially when they are healthy and still delicious. Another great thing about this recipe is that it is so customizable. I used my favorite vegetables that work well the Mexican flavors but you can substitute your favorites.

As mentioned in my last recipe, we are headed to Anna Maria Island, FL in a few weeks! I have been working hard on eating healthy, and I find that dinner is the meal that I tend to indulge the most. It’s the end of the day, I have had a long day of work, and I “reward” myself with an indulgent meal. Don’t get me wrong that is still my preference. I am just working especially hard these few weeks leading up to a beach vacation so I can feel proud in my bikini – sorry if any men are reading this in advance…:)

Please give this one pan meal a try, and if you love this one be sure to check out my other one-pan dinners! Enjoy everyone!

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Why You’ll Love This One-Pan Meal

  • Easy. This is perfect for week-nights, and it makes a big batch!
  • Customizable. This is great on it’s own, over rice, or if you are my husband, wrapped in a tortilla shell. Because everything needs to be a burrito in this household!
  • Meal prep friendly. This is an amazing leftover situation. Take it for lunch, or warm up for dinner.
  • Swap the protein! Ground turkey would work perfectly here!
Ground beef, tomatoes, bell peppers, and zucchini all mixed together in a skillet with seasonings.

How to Make This One-Pan Mexican Skillet

Please see recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full recipe details.

  1. Prep. I always start getting my ingredients prepped. This helps alleviate any chaos in the kitchen! Have your veggies chopped, cheese shredded, and beans and corn drained.
  2. Brown the meat. In a cast iron skillet, drizzle with avocado oil and set to medium-high heat. Brown the ground beef until cooked through, about 6-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Take ground beef out and set aside on a plate.
  3. Veggies. To the same skillet, add in the bell peppers, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and mushrooms. Sauté the veggies for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. I seasoned with cajun seasoning and pepper. You also want to add 1 tsp of cumin onto the veggies.
  4. Beans and corn. Add back the cooked ground beef. Then add in black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes, zucchini, taco seasoning, and the rest of the cumin. I sprinkled a bit of garlic and onion powder too just for more flavor!
  5. Cover. Cover with a lid and cook on low for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes give it a stir and taste. Adjust any seasonings as needed. Add in the shredded cheese and let cook uncovered for another 5 or so minutes. There may be some liquid coming out of the zucchini at this point. You can leave it and it creates a nice broth onto the rice, or you can keep cooking for a few minutes uncovered to cook off the liquid. See recipes notes for turning this into a burrito!
  6. Serve. To serve, spoon the mixture over white rice. Top with sour cream, avocado, fresh cilantro, and hot sauce. Enjoy!
  • Diced mushrooms, onions, jalapenos, and bell peppers on a wooden cutting board.
  • Ground beef, tomatoes, bell peppers, and zucchini all mixed together in a skillet with seasonings.

Recipe FAQs

Absolutely. Ground turkey or chicken would work well. For a vegetarian option, skip the meat and add another can of black beans or pinto beans!

Recipe Variations

  • Change the protein. Try ground turkey or chicken!
  • Make it spicy. Add cayenne pepper and drench your bowl in hot sauce.
  • Make it a burrito. This should come as no surprise, my husband wrapped his up and a tortilla. See recipe notes!
  • Top with crunch. I will admit I did eat most of my bites using a tortilla chip as a spoon, no complaints here!
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Ground beef, tomatoes, bell peppers, and zucchini all mixed together in a skillet with seasonings.

Healthy One-Pan Mexican Skillet

Easy one-pan dinner that is healthy at the same time. This is a crowd pleaser and is packed with vegetables. Serve over white rice and plenty of avocado!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 6
Course: Dinner
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
  • 2 bell peppers diced
  • 1 white onion diced
  • 1 jalapeno diced
  • 8 oz baby portabello mushrooms chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 large zucchinis chopped into quarters
  • 1 14 oz can fire-roasted tomatoes with it's juice
  • 1 15 oz can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 15 oz can of corn drained and rinsed
  • 2 tsp taco seasoning
  • 1 tbsp cumin divided
  • 2 cups shredded colby jack cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste

Method
 

  1. Let's start with prep! Before getting started, make sure to chop all of your veggies, shred your cheese, and drain and rinse the beans and corn. Having everything ready to go helps create a calmer environment once you start cooking.
  2. Next, let's brown the ground beef. In a skillet over medium-high heat, drizzle skillet with avocado oil, about a tablespoon. Add in the ground beef and cook for 6-8 minutes until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Remove cooked beef and set aside.
  3. To the same skillet, add in the bell peppers, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and mushrooms. Sauté the veggies for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally. I seasoned with cajun seasoning and pepper. You also want to add 1 tsp of cumin onto the veggies.
  4. Next, add back in the cooked beef to the skillet. Add in the black beans, corn, fire-roasted tomatoes with it's liquid, zucchini, taco seasoning, and the rest of the cumin. I sprinkled some onion and garlic powder at this point too just for fun.
  5. Cover and cook on low for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes stir and taste. Adjust any seasonings as needed. Add in the shredded cheese and let cook uncovered for another 5 or so minutes. may be some liquid coming out from the zucchini at this point. You can leave it and it creates a nice broth onto the rice, or you can keep cooking for a few minutes uncovered to cook off the liquid. See recipes notes for turning this into a burrito!
  6. Serve up! To serve, spoon the mixture over white rice. Top with sour cream, avocado, fresh cilantro, and hot sauce. Enjoy!

Notes

**How to make this into a burrito**
Cook the excess liquid off for a few minutes, by cooking over medium heat without the lid. To a large flour tortilla, add a small layer of white rice. Top with meat and veggie mixture. Add extra cheese, and sour cream on top. Wrap up and enjoy. You can also toast the burrito in a skillet on each side if you love that toasted flavor like me. Enjoy!

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