Skip to Content

Tangy Tex Mex Ground Beef and Brussels Sprouts

You’ll love this one pan ground beef and brussels sprouts combo with a lime vinaigrette and spicy Greek yogurt crema. It’s easy to make, packed with protein, and works great for meal prep.

I’ll walk you through the recipe and ingredients below. If you’re feeling confident, you can skip down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

skillet ground beef and brussels sprouts beside a bowl of rice garnished with sliced scallions and cotija cheese

Honey Lime Vinaigrette and Greek Yogurt Crema

This recipe follows the same blueprint as my honey balsamic ground chicken and brussels sprouts. You’ll sauté brussels sprouts, brown and fully cook ground beef, then toss both together with a sauce.

In this case, the sauce is a honey and lime vinaigrette with pickled chiles and garlic.

This recipe also includes a spicy crema for garnishing your finished ground beef and brussels sprouts. It’s made of fat free Greek yogurt, sriracha or hot sauce, chili powder, lime juice, and a little light mayo.

two bowls with ingredients for lime vinaigrette and Greek yogurt crema

Since the brussels sprouts and ground beef are fast cooking, you want to make sure and mix these together first thing so they’re ready to go.

If you’d like to take this veggie and beef combo in a different sauce direction, I’d recommend flavor profiles like my sweet chili chicken and brussels sproutsfirecracker ground beef, or something with some sweetness to balance the bitter brussels sprouts.

Sauté Shaved Brussels Sprouts

You can buy shaved brussels sprouts in many grocery stores, but you can also make your own by slicing brussels sprouts in half lengthwise then thinly slicing each half crosswise. Halved brussels sprouts would also work fine for this recipe. Just extend the cook time a bit until the sprouts are fork tender.

shaved brussels sprouts in a cast iron skillet with olive oil

A key to browning brussels sprouts (and anything, really) is leaving the pan alone. Stirring too frequently will prevent the brussels sprouts from developing any color. You’ll have cooked brussels sprouts, but the flavor from browning will be missed.

sautéed shaved brussels sprouts in a cast iron skillet

If you’d like the larger slices to get even more browning, you can add them before the smaller shaved leaves. That way they have enough time and surface area in the skillet to brown before the smaller leaves burn.

Fajita Seasoned Ground Beef

If you’ve tried my Tex Mex quinoa and ground beef or teriyaki broccoli and ground beef, you know I’m passionate about the Maillard reaction. That’s what happens when you brown meat.

Similar to the brussels sprouts, it’s key to let the heat of the pan work its magic without moving the ground beef around. So, once the beef goes in the skillet, leave it alone for a few minutes.

Once it has developed a nice brown crust on one side, flip it over and break it apart with a spatula to finish cooking the beef. Browning one side should be sufficient browning for flavor and texture development.

cooked ground beef with fajita seasoning in a cast iron skillet

To season the ground beef a little beef fajita seasoning and water work wonders. I used the same beef fajita seasoning I used for my Traeger fajitas recipe, which contains a blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, and a few other ingredients. If you don’t have fajita seasoning on hand, just add a pinch of all the individual ingredients.

cooked shaved brussels sprouts in the skillet with the cooked ground beef and lime vinaigrette

Once the water has cooked off, turn off the heat and toss the cooked brussels sprouts and ground beef with the honey lime vinaigrette before digging in.

How to Serve Your Ground Beef and Brussels Sprouts

Rice is the perfect pairing. To keep the carb count under control, I like to use a blend of jasmine rice and cauliflower rice. With the right ratios, you’ll never know the cauliflower rice is there.

Borrowing from my teriyaki ground beef stir fry, a blend of three cups of cooked cauliflower rice and two cups of cooked jasmine rice would be perfect here. That would give you about one and a fourth cup of rice per serving.

I like to garnish with the crema and some chopped cilantro or sliced scallions. If you’ve tried my skillet Tex Mex enchiladas, you know I think scallions are an undervalued ingredient with Tex Mex cooking.

finished Tex Mex ground beef and brussels sprouts in a cast iron skillet before serving

And that’s everything you need to know. You’ll find a printable recipe card below. I’d appreciate it if you came back and left a review and star rating if you enjoy this ground beef and brussels sprouts recipe.

ground beef and brussels sprouts in a bowl with white rice garnished with scallions, cotija cheese, and spicy crema

Tangy Tex Mex Ground Beef and Brussels Sprouts

Yield: 4 Servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Fajita seasoned ground beef and shaved brussels sprouts with a lime vinaigrette and spicy Greek yogurt crema.

Ingredients

  • 10 oz Shaved Brussels Sprouts*
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 pound Ground Beef (96/4)
  • 1/2 Tablespoon Beef Fajita Seasoning (or a pinch of salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder, and cayenne)
  • 1/4 cup Water

For the Lime Vinaigrette

  • 1/4 cup Lime Juice (about 2 limes)
  • 2 Tablespoons Honey
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon Pickled Peppers (I used diced jalapeño)
  • 1 clove Garlic, crushed

For the Spicy Crema

  • 1/3 cup (80g) Fat Free Greek Yogurt
  • 2 Tablespoons (26g) Light Mayo
  • 1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
  • 1 Tablespoon Sriracha or Hot Sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon Chili Powder

Instructions

  1. In separate bowls, make the vinaigrette and crema.
  2. Heat a large skillet with the olive oil over medium- high heat. Once hot, add the brussels sprouts and cook for 1-2 minutes to brown one side before stirring. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
  3. Add the ground beef to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes to brown one side before flipping and breaking apart. Once the beef is fully cooked, add the fajita seasoning and water. Turn off the heat and use the water to deglaze the skillet.
  4. Add the brussels sprouts back to the pan along with the lime vinaigrette. Toss everything together.
  5. Serve over rice and garnish with the crema, chopped cilantro or sliced scallions, and cotija cheese

Notes

*To make shaved brussels sprouts, cut the sprouts in half lengthwise then turn and thinly slice each half crosswise.

Serve over a blend of 2 cups (280g) cooked jasmine rice and 3 cups (340g) cooked cauliflower rice. That's about 1 1/4 cup rice, 8 oz ground beef and brussels sprouts, and 2 tablespoons (34g) of crema per serving.

Planning to refrigerate for meal prep? Store the crema on its own so you can reheat without it and serve chilled over the reheated ground beef and brussels sprouts.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: about 8 oz
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 285Total Fat: 12gCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 25g

Skip to Recipe