This post may contain affiliate links.
If you are looking for a quick and delicious weeknight meal, try this Ground Beef & Sweet Potato Skillet. It’s full of southwest flavor you will love. Ready in 30 minutes!
Table of Contents
Why Make This Ground Beef And Sweet Potato Skillet
This is a hearty and wholesome one-pan meal that combines the rich flavors of ground beef and the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes. Also consider my Stuffed Sweet Potatoes for another easy, yummy dinner,
Not only is this skillet easy to make but also satisfies your taste buds and leaves you feeling satisfied. This dish is perfect for busy weeknight dinners or cozy weekend meals. So, let’s dive right into the details of this delightful recipe!
Also try my Chicken and Orzo One Pan dinner or Sheet Pan Honey Butter Chicken if you are looking for more easy one dish recipes.
Ingredients Needed
Ground Beef. Lean ground beef is the base of this recipe. I use 90 – 93% lean.
Beef Broth. Use a high quality beef broth with low sodium. This is used to cook down the potatoes.
Sweet Potatoes. You can use yams or even white/ Japanese sweet potatoes as well for a nice sweetness.
Chipotle Peppers In Adobo. These are in a can in the international aisle they add a smoky/spiced flavor to the dish and to the crema. Please note: you can add the leftover chipotle peppers in adobo to a small ziplok and freeze for another recipe!
Seasoning. Salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin.
Canned Tomatoes. Use diced tomatoes of any variety. I go for classic Italian or the ones that have jalapeño in them as well.
All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations
Ground Beef. You can use 90 or 93%. If you use 80%, soak up all the grease after cooking. Ground turkey, chicken or ground venison will work perfect as well if you want to make it healthier.
Beef Broth. Use any broth (chicken or veggies) if needed.
Sweet Potatoes. You can use Yukon or russet potatoes as well, just be mindful to adjust the liquid as needed since they all have a different starch.
Chipotle Peppers. You can use chipotle powder in place of the peppers if needed.
Honey is used to balance the crema. You can also use maple syrup.
Sour Cream. This is the base of the crema. Use plain greek yogurt if needed.
Steps To Make This Recipe
Step One. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in the ground beef and diced onion and crumble the beef with a wooden spoon. Add in half of the seasoning mix. When the beef is browned, add in the garlic and cook for one minute minute (photo two). Pour the meat out onto a plate or bowl.
Step Two. Add the diced sweet potatoes, bell peppers, canned tomatoes and the other half of the seasonings. Stir everything together and cover it with a lid. Lower the heat to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender to your liking (photo 3).
Step Three. While the potatoes are cooking, make the crema. Add all the ingredients into a food processor or blender, additionally you can use an immersion blender. Set aside.
Step Four. Add the ground beef mix into the sweet potato mix and stir everything together, let the beef heat up a bit. Top with cheese and jalapeño and cover with the lid again for another minute or until the cheese is melted. Drizzle the crema over the top. Option to garnish with cilantro. Serve on plates and enjoy!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze these for up to 2 months.
Recipe FAQs
Yes! Sweet potato and ground beef is a great meal prepped meal. You can cook and portion them in advance, then reheat servings as needed throughout the week for convenient and nutritious meals.
You can add corn, black beans or mushrooms in addition to the red bell pepper. Just add these extra veggies when you add the bell peppers.
Recipe Tips
Make sure you cover the sweet potatoes! They cook up in the steam and liquid from the canned tomatoes. The lid holds all the moisture in and cooks them.
Garnish creatively. Consider garnishing your sweet potato and ground beef skillet with fresh herbs like parsley or cilantro, a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt (if you aren’t doing the delicious crema) and a squeeze of lime!
Recipe Pairings
This recipe is wonderful on it’s own and covers the food groups well but you can also pair it with Red Pepper Kale Salad or Southwest Salad.
Other Ground Beef Recipes To Try
If you loved this recipe let me know! Also, follow me on Instagram & Pinterest for even more fun recipes to make you feel good from the inside out. Thanks for being here.
Beef and Sweet Potato Skillet
Equipment
- heavy bottomed skillet
- sharp knives
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground beef, *see notes
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp salt , more as needed
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cup sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 small bell pepper, chopped
- ¼ cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 Tbsp chipotle pepper in adobo, chopped
- 15 oz can diced tomatoes, *see notes
- ⅓ cup beef broth
- ½ cup shredded cheese
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
- 1 lime, cut into slices for garnish
Chipotle Creama
- 1½ Tbsp chipotle pepper in adobo
- ½ cup sour cream , *see notes
- ¼ tsp salt , more as needed
- 1 tsp honey
- 3 Tbsp cilantro
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in the ground beef and diced onion and crumble the beef with a wooden spoon. Add in half of the seasoning mix. When the beef is browned, add in the garlic and cook for one minute minute. Pour the meat out onto a plate or bowl.
- Add the diced sweet potatoes, bell peppers, onions, canned tomatoes, chipotle, broth and the other half of the seasonings. Stir everything together and cover it with a lid. Lower the heat to a simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender to your liking
- While the potatoes are cooking, make the crema. Add all the ingredients into a food processor or blender, additionally you can use an immersion blender. Set aside.
- Add the ground beef mix into the sweet potato mix and stir everything together, let the beef heat up a bit. Top with cheese and jalapeño and cover with the lid again for another minute or until the cheese is melted. Drizzle the crema over the top. Option to garnish with cilantro. Serve on plates and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was an excellent meal very easy to make and we really enjoyed the Crema on top.
Great healthy way to get protein and calories after a hard workout. I highly recommend. Tons of flavor and so satisfying.
Delicious! This skillet is quick, easy and so full of flavor! I used pepper jack for the cheese and it was perfect. I will be adding it to our weekly rotation.
I am so happy to hear you enjoyed this one! Thanks for letting me know, Happy Cooking!
Yum, we loved this one and it was easy to make.
What an easy meal with tremendous flavor. I followed the entire recipe and it came out wonderful.
Thank you greatly for the feedback! I appreciate it.
This was delicious but in what world is this taking anyone 10 minutes to prep!
Hi Kaitlin! I move pretty quick in the kitchen, I better update the prep time and keep that in mind for future. LOL So happy you enjoyed.
easy, flavorful meal! I added diced zucchini as well for an extra veggie. the cheese on top is crucial and the chipotle crema is great. for people who don’t love a chipotle flavor or chipotle pepper in adobo, this may not be the recipe for you. it’s a bit spicy but not overwhelming at all. we enjoyed it with tortilla chips.
I’ve made this recipe twice now and it’s definitely a keeper! Very simple and delicious, added a little oregano to the spice mix and squeezed lime into the crema *chef’s kiss. Thank you so much for sharing this Bailey!
holy moly this dish is a flavor bomb!!! It was so very delicious! I will keep this as a favorite! Oh and I added the juice of the lime in the cream!!
Yummy yummy! I made it with venison and a pack of bacon (per my boyfriend’s request) and it turned out so good! Very flavorful and delicious. Everything took so long to chop (LOL) so from beginning to end it took me about an hour. So worth it though!