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Easy Taco Skillet One Pan Dinner (gluten and dairy free)

This easy Taco Skillet Dinner is one of the easiest dinner to whip up in under 30 minutes. Full of all your favorite Mexican flavors and made with only 5 simple ingredients. Yes, 5 ingredients- salsa, lettuce, ground beef, tomatoes, and tortilla chips!

This recipe will be your newest friend. Your companion in meal planning. This has to be the easiest Mexican recipe ever.

Undoubtedly this easy taco skillet dinner is packed with delicious Mexican flavor. And it even packs a hint of heat.

The salsa used in this recipe is bursting with flavor. There are onions, fire roasted tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapeno peppers, and more of our favorite Mexican spices.

The ground beef and salsa combo brings extra moisture to this meat. Pair this with crunchy, fresh iceberg lettuce. And top the easy skillet with diced tomatoes

Why you will love this skillet dinner

  • Thankfully, this dinner idea comes together in under 30 minutes, perfect for busy weeknights when you need quick meals
  • It's a one pan dinner making clean up a breeze
  • It's simple to scale and make more to feed more people or make sure you're able to have plenty of leftovers
  • This dinner is something the whole family will LOVE
  • This good one-pan meal is a great party food to serve
  • You won’t spend endless time in the kitchen chopping, dicing, mixing, or measuring
  • Super fast- an easy one-pan weeknight dinner
  • This easy beef taco skillet recipe is great alternative to make on Taco Tuesday that only takes a couple of minutes and a little effort

Ingredients Needed

Get more info for these ingredients in this taco skillet dinner recipe in the recipe card below at the bottom of the post. You'll see ingredients quantities and instructions all together.

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  • lean ground beef
  • jar of salsa (We prefer Muir Glen organic medium salsa. It has just enough heat the adults enjoy it, but not so much heat the kids won’t eat it.)
  • shredded iceberg lettuce
  • diced tomatoes
  • bag of tortilla chips -- always check your brand to ensure that they're gluten and dairy free. We like to use Mission since they are certified gluten free
Jar of Muir Glen Medium salsa.

How to Make The Best Taco Skillet Dinner

  1. Over medium-high heat brown ground beef in a large skillet, and drain fat.
  2. Lower heat and stir in an entire jar of salsa to create a meat mixture.
  3. After salsa is heated through top with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.
  4. Remove from heat and serve with tortilla chips.

Storage

This skillet dinner is best when you first make it. The lettuce may become soggy when stored with other ingredients. But, if you need to store leftovers, do so carefully and with the knowledge that it may change texture or flavor.

So, leftovers should be stored in an airtight container and should be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Taco skillet on a chip.

What else can I add on to this easy skillet recipe?

Additional add-in’s could include any of your favorite taco toppings, like:

  • black beans
  • corn
  • dollops of guacamole
  • sliced green onions
  • fresh cilantro
  • pinto beans
  • diced green chilies
  • diced red pepper and other bell peppers
  • shredded dairy free cheese, Mexican cheese blend or cheddar cheese dairy free kinds
  • dairy free sour cream dollops
  • black olives
  • crushed Fritos chips
  • fresh squeezed lime juice
  • pico de gallo
  • and even hot sauce

What should I serve with this taco skillet?

Options are endless to serve with this taco dinner. You can try serving this with some Beef Street tacos, Mexican rice, Taco bake, alongside or in your favorite burrito bowls, and any of your other family favorite Mexican food options.

You can even serve this easy taco skillet recipe inside of homemade taco shells to create like a taco salad- YUM!

Additionally, you can serve this mixture on gluten free flour tortillas to create some yummy tacos. The best part about this recipe is that it is so versatile and easily customizable.

Close up of a gluten free dairy free taco skillet meal.

Tips and Variations

  • Naturally, this would be an easy meal for cooking while camping this summer too! Brown your beef over the fire and add in the salsa.
  • Instead of ground beef, you can use ground chicken or ground turkey if you desire.
  • To turn your ground beef into more of a taco meat, you can add some store bought or homemade taco seasoning if desired.
  • Don't forget to add your fresh veggies to bring even more flavor and texture to this meal if desired.

Will my tortilla chips get soggy?

They most likely will overtime. As the gluten free chips are sitting in the mixture, they'll be soaking up the juices from the salsa, meat, and other yummys in this skillet dinner recipe.

Easiest Taco Skillet

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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Author: Eating Gluten and Dairy Free

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 16 ounce jar your favorite salsa
  • 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
  • ½ tomato, diced
  • 1 bag tortilla chips

Instructions

  • Over medium heat brown ground beef in a large skillet, drain fat.
  • Lower heat and stir in an entire jar of salsa.
  • After salsa is heated through top with shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes.
  • Remove from heat and serve with tortilla chips.

Nutritional Disclaimer

These Nutritional Facts are ESTIMATED. Your actual nutritional info with this recipe may vary depending on the brands you choose. “Eating Gluten and Dairy Free” is not a registered dietician or nutritionist. The provided nutritional info above is based on a generic calculator, if you want more accurate info, use your nutritional calculator of choice where you can choose brands and get more info that way.

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Recipe Rating




Denise

Monday 19th of August 2019

I love easy recipes that don't require multiple dishes. Thanks for sharing. Yum

Jill

Thursday 22nd of August 2019

Denise, thank you for your lovely comment. I agree with you 100%. Enjoy, Jill