Ground Beef and Sweet Potato

This Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Hash is a hearty and nutritious one-pan meal, perfect for any time of the day. Combining seasoned ground beef with sweet potatoes and bell peppers, it offers a balance of flavors and textures.

A no-fuss no-mess one-pan dinner tonight or some filling breakfast hash, how does that sound? Like music to my ears!

Potatoes and ground beef are just one the most basic, affordable, ingredients, but they never fail to fill you up. They also are as Southwest flavor as it gets. You’ll love this delicious recipe.

Ingredients Notes

This recipe calls for a few pantry staples that come together in a delicious and easy meal, that is completely dairy-free and gluten-free.

• Olive oil or avocado oil to cook everything.
• Large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced. Try to make equal cubes so the potatoes can cook evenly. Yams and purple Japanese sweet potatoes work too.
• Ground beef. I use lean ground beef mixture from 80/20 to 90 – 93% lean ground beef.
• Red bell pepper and Green bell pepper diced. While peppers are optional I think they make a healthy satiating meal and add some subtle sweetness and a nice crunch. More veggies are also possible: from carrots to Brussels sprouts!
• Small onion, diced, or onion powder. Which onion you use doesn’t really matter, regular white onion, red onion, and even shallots work.
• Minced garlic or garlic powder for a less pronounced garlicky flavor.
• Seasoning: smoked paprika, ground cumin, kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. You can also use crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder, or taco seasoning.
• Garnish: fresh parsley, chopped green onions, or chopped cilantro.

Equipment You’ll Need

• Large skillet
• Baking sheet

How To Make Ground Beef And Sweet Potato Skillet

1: Cook Potatoes

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. 
2. Add the cubed sweet potatoes and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and brown. The potatoes are done when they are fork-tender.
3. I recommend covering with the lid or half sheet pan for this step to hold some moisture in.
4. Remove the potatoes from the skillet and set aside.

2: Cook Ground Meat

1. In the same skillet, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. 
2. Add the ground beef, cooking until golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Drain any excess grease if necessary. Pat with a paper towel.

3: Cook Veggies

1. Add onion, bell peppers, and minced garlic to the skillet. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.
2. If needed, reduce heat while cooking veggies.

4: Add Potatoes Back And Finish Cooking

1. Return the cooked sweet potatoes to the skillet. 
2. Add the smoked paprika, ground cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine and cook for an additional 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to come together.
3. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and serve hot.

Serving Ideas

• To bulk up this beef sweet potato skillet meal for dinner, you can serve it with some brown rice or cauliflower rice, quinoa, or even some roasted green beans. Complete meals are ideal for weekly meal prep.
• To serve a healthy dinner, add some avocado slices, and a green salad on the side.
• You can still serve it as a hash too. Add some eggs to it and serve for breakfast.
• Serve with taco shells and tortilla chips so everyone can load up a taco or scoop it with a chip.
• You can use leftovers the next day to make a wrap or burrito with some cheddar cheese – tastes great!

Storage

My recipe makes 4 portions so your whole family may as well finish it all tonight.

Storing. If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days.

For meal prep, store each portion in an individual container.

Reheat in a microwave until hot for around 3 minutes (depending on your microwave).

Freezing. Large batches can be frozen in a freezer-safe container for 2-3 months. Let the dish cool completely before freezing.

Substitutions & Variations

• Leaner meat options: ground turkey and ground chicken are top choices. Venison is also quite lean.
• Cheesy potatoes. Sprinkle some grated or shredded cheese (Mozzarella, cheddar, or Parmesan) over cooked potatoes and let the cheese melt. Yum!
• Turn it into loaded potatoes! Or twice-baked potatoes. Bake whole sweet potatoes with skin on in the oven. While they bake, cook the ground beef and veggies. Once the potatoes are tender, scoop out some of it, mix it with the veggies and meat mixture, and load it back into the potatoes. Sprinkle some cheese on top, and bake for a few more minutes. Phenomenal!
• Regular potatoes. You can swap sweet potatoes with Russet potatoes, Yukon golds, or any other potatoes you like. The cooking times will vary slightly if you use regular starchy potatoes.
• Tex-Mex-style toppings are sour cream, avocado, salsa, nachos, or tortilla chips. Drizzle some lime juice. You can also stir in some roasted diced tomatoes, corn, black beans, and green chiles (jalapenos work perfectly) alongside bell peppers.
• Vegan version. My recipe is already dairy-free. You can use Beyond Meat or beans to substitute meat and add more veggies, like green beans, zucchini, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, etc.
• Turn it into a casserole. Layer cooked ground beef on the bottom of the casserole dish, then potatoes, and top with some cheese.
• You can also make stuffed peppers or quesadillas with this potato and meat mixture.

Expert Tips To Make The Best Ground Beef And Sweet Potatoes

• A wooden spoon works best for cooking ground meat, as it makes it easy to break down larger lumps.
• The smaller the sweet potato cubes are, the faster it will cook.
• An easy way to thin out the sauce and let the ingredients cook and absorb flavors for longer is to add a cup of beef stock or some tomato sauce when cooking veggies.
• Instead of cooking the potatoes, you can roast them with oil and seasoning in the oven at 400F for 35 minutes. 

If you love this dinner recipe, you’re going to love these other easy dinners too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Sweet Potato Recipes

Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole – Copycat

Sweet Potato Casserole with Canned Yams

Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Dinner Rolls

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