Gluten Free Veggie Loaded Taco Casserole

5 from 1 vote

2 tbsp friendly fat to cook in butter, coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, lard
1 small onion diced
1 medium bell pepper diced
¼ of a large head cauliflower shredded, chopped finely, or frozen riced cauliflower
1 large carrot shredded
1 cup frozen corn or canned corn (drain it first)
2 lbs grassfed ground beef
1/4 - 1/2 cup grated frozen liver you can add more if you want!
3 tbsp taco seasoning NOT taco seasoning that has thickening starches – I use my DIY Taco Season Blend
3-4 cups baby spinach chopped
1 – 15 ounce can tomato sauce
1 – 15 ounce jar salsa of choice
Sea salt and pepper to taste
12 corn tortillas
1-2 cups shredded cheese of choice I use Manchego, a sheep’s milk cheese

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. You’ll need a 9x13 pan for baking the casserole. You do NOT need to grease the pan.
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, and melt the butter. Add the onion, pepper, cauliflower, carrot, and corn with a big pinch of sea salt. Sauté the veggies and the corn until soft and sweet, about 7-10 minutes.
Add the ground beef, liver, and taco seasoning, break up the beef, and brown the beef and liver with the veggies.
Once the beef/liver is browned, add the baby spinach, tomato sauce, and salsa, and bring to a simmer for a couple minutes. Turn the heat off, and taste the filling for salt and pepper to your taste.
Spoon 1/3 of the taco filling into the bottom of your 9x13 pan. Layer 6 corn tortillas, and then scoop another 1/3 of the taco filling over the corn tortillas. Sprinkle 1/2 cup or so of the cheese, and then layer the other 6 corn tortillas on top. Spread out the last 1/3 of the taco filling, and top with a good 1 cup or so of cheese to your liking.
Bake the taco casserole, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Then, place the casserole under the broiler and broil for 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is golden on top.

Most taco seasoning blends have starches to make a thickened sauce. This will not work in this recipe. You will either need to get a taco blend that does not have starches, or this simple DIY taco season blend can be made – you probably already have all of the seasonings in your spice rack! I typically double or triple this into a jar with a lid and keep it in the spice cupboard to use easily.
I like to use the shredding attachment on my food processor to make this super fast and easy. You do NOT have to shred the veg if you don’t want to – I enjoy chopping and do this sometimes when I have the time, as the bits of veggies don’t bother my kids. If you have veggie-hesitant kids, or bits and pieces hesitant kids, the shredding really works so well to make the veg disappear – you can shred the onion and pepper too if you want!
You can swap the veggies for what you have around! Cabbage shreds very nicely, as well as sweet potato.
If you don't tolerate corn, or are grain free, simply leave the corn out of the filling. You'll also want to swap the corn tortillas for cassava or almond flour tortillas - you can find these at most stores these days!
If you are dairy free, you can leave the cheese out, or you can use the Viola Life coconut based cheese - it melts so good!