Mexican Squash and Beef Noodles Recipe

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This easy Mexican Zucchini is made in one skillet and is sure to be a family favorite. You will love your favorite taco ingredients mixed with light zucchini noodles creating a low-carb, filling meal.

MEXICAN ZUCCHINI

Easy weeknight meals are a life saver in my house.

Drew and Will recently started baseball season which means both kids have at least three days of baseball a week. It is hard to get dinner on the table on those nights.

This Mexican Zucchini is on rotation at my house lately. If you are a fan of tacos this dish is for you.

I often have ground beef or turkey in my freezer or fridge waiting to be used.

I find it to be a great option when I am in a pinch and need to get something on the table.

The options are endless when it comes to ground beef including recipes like this Skillet Beef Lasagna, Spiced Beef and Hummus Pita Pizza or these Beef Nachos.

This Mexican Zucchini Skillet recipe uses zucchini noodles.

I like adding spiralized vegetables to my meals when I can, especially spiralized zucchini recipes.

In the summer when zucchini is abundant in gardens and farmers market this recipe is the perfect way to use it up.

I often will include zoodles in salads, stir-frys and soups.

My kids love the shape of the zucchini noodles and also like helping me spiralize the zucchini. It is a good way to get the kids involved in the kitchen.

HOW DO YOU MAKE MEXICAN ZUCCHINI?

This recipe couldn't be easier.

You will start by cooking the ground beef until it is browned. Then add a homemadetaco seasoning and water and simmer until most of the water is cooked off.

Stir in 1/2 cup of salsa to the cooked ground beef.

Next, add the zucchini noodles to the skillet and continue to cook for another few minutes until the zucchini noodles are starting to soften.

Add your favorite toppings to the finished skillet including cheese, tomatoes, green onion and cilantro.

If you want the cheese to melt you may want to continue to heat the skillet for a minute or two.

WHAT INGREDIENTS ARE IN THIS MEXICAN ZUCCHINI RECIPE?

GROUND BEEF: The ground beef is what gives you the bulk of your recipe and the protein. I like to use 80/20because the fat gives it more flavor.

You can easily substitute ground turkey or chicken in place of the beef.

ZUCCHINI NOODLES: I love adding zucchini noodles to skillet dishes like this along with soups, salads and casseroles.

If you don't have a spiralizer feel free to use a mandoline  to create thin zucchini noodles or you can just chop up the zucchini.

If you chop up the zucchini you will want to cook the zucchini with the beef for a few minutes until the zucchini gets tender.

TACO TOPPINGS: I use a variety of my favorite taco ingredients on this skillet recipe.

My favorites are cheese, diced tomatoes, cilantro and greenonion.

You can also add avocado, jalapeños, salsa and sour cream.

SEASONINGS AND SALSA: The taco seasoning brings flavor to the beef in this recipe.

I use this homemade taco seasoning but you can also use store-bought.

I also like stirring in salsa that I have on hand for added flavor at the end of cooking.

The juices from the salsa also help the noodles soften.

CAN I MAKE THIS ZUCCHINI SKILLET RECIPE AHEAD OF TIME?

I find that zucchini noodles will start to get soggy a couple days after they are made.

I would suggest you make the beef for this recipe ahead of time and also spiralize your noodles if you would like.

Then when you are ready to make this dish you can just heat the beef and noodles in a skillet, add the toppings and serve it warm.

HOW DO I STORE ZUCCHINI NOODLES?

You can make vegetable noodles ahead of time as part of your meal-prep.

This will save you time when it comes to actually cooking during the week.

My suggestion is to spiralize the vegetables and keep them in glass Tupperware lined with a paper towel for up to 5 days.

You can also use a ziplock bag to keep them in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

For the beef and zucchini noodles

• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground beef {or ground turkey or chicken}
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 of a sweet onion, diced
• 3 Tablespoons taco seasoning 
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup salsa of your choice
• 2 medium zucchinis, spiralized

• 1 medium tomato, diced {or use canned diced tomatoes}
• 1 cup cheese, shredded {try sharp or pepper jack cheese}
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped

Instructions

1. Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet or pot over medium high heat. Add the garlic and onion to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the ground beef and cook until browned and cooked through. Drain the fat from the ground beef and return to the pan.
2. Add the taco seasoning and water and simmer until most of the water is absorbed. Stir in the salsa.
3. Add the zucchini noodles to the skillet and heat on low for about 2-3 minutes, or until the noodles are soft.
4. Sprinkle cheese on top of the noodles and beef and let sit until the cheese melts or you can quickly warm it in the oven for about 3 minutes on 350 to heat the cheese.
5. Top with diced tomatoes, cilantro and green onions and serve warm.

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Source: https://www.acedarspoon.com/mexican-zucchini/

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