My Toddler's Kitchen

View Original

sweet potato ground beef skillet

Last updated: October 2023

Serve in quesadillas, over rice, or stuffed in peppers! Versatile, simple, delicious.

This sweet potato ground beef skillet has been in our dinner rotation for years. I love making this early in the week because it creates several meals for the week and the leftovers taste just as delicious. It has only a few ingredients but makes for one of the most versatile, flavorful things we make in our kitchen!

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 lb ground beef (I use 80/20) OR ground turkey

  • 1 sweet potato (medium to large size)

  • 15 oz black beans (drained)

  • 1/2 pack of taco or fajita seasoning

  • 1/4 tsp cumin

  • Cracked black pepper and salt (to taste)

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro (optional)

  • Shredded cheese for topping (optional)

ROASTING THE SWEET POTATOES

  • Preheat oven to 400F

  • Wash, peel, and cube sweet potato into small 1/4 inch cubes

  • Toss potatoes on a baking sheet with a drizzle of olive oil (no more than 1 tbsp), cumin, salt, and pepper

  • Roast for 35-40 minutes, tossing halfway through to get an even roast

MAKING THE SKILLET

  • Drizzle pan with olive oil and brown ground beef. After browning, I like to drain the liquid for this recipe.

  • Toss in drained black beans, followed by cubed sweet potatoes and mix all ingredients together well

  • Add 1/2 pack of taco or fajita seasoning and salt and pepper to taste

  • If adding in cilantro, mix in at the end before serving (or use for garnish on top!)

  • Let cool and enjoy! Serve over rice, in tortillas, stuffed into bell peppers, or by itself! Top with some shredded cheese for extra goodness.

WAYS TO SERVE

  • By itself: top with some shredded cheese, avocado, and chopped cilantro to garnish. This dish is such a star that it can totally be served by itself.

  • Over rice: I like to make a simple bed of jasmine rice or Mexican rice and serve this right on top!

  • In tacos: Grab some hard shell or soft shell tacos and add in this recipe as the filling.

  • In quesadillas: This is my favorite option when I have leftovers, especially for my toddler. Place inside a tortilla with some shredded cheese and toast both sides on a pan.

  • Stuffed into peppers: I just recently tried this recipe stuffed into peppers and it was INCREDIBLE. You’ll still make the recipe as-is, but you can roast some mini peppers to stuff with this skillet recipe afterwards. Here’s how I make the recipe into stuffed peppers:

    • I get a bag of mini sweet peppers (they’re red, orange, and yellow) and cut off the stem, then slightly down the center (removing any seeds from the inside).

    • Roast them on 425F for 25-30 minutes first, drizzling with a touch of extra virgin olive oil and light salt and pepper seasoning.

    • Take them out of the oven and stuff with skillet mixture. Try to fill them well but don’t over-stuff.

    • Top with shredded mexican cheese (optional) and bake for another 1-2 minutes, just until cheese is melty.

NOTES

  • This will freeze in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Wait until the skillet completely cools before putting in freezer. If you're adding shredded cheese on top, I recommend skipping this step and adding it once you'll thaw and eat the freezer stash.

  • Store in fridge for up to 4 days

  • This same recipe can be made with ground turkey and is actually quite delicious this way too! I like to use 80/20 beef here but you can use the ground beef of your preference as well.

  • This recipe goes well over rice, in tortillas, in stuffed peppers, or by itself!

This post may contain affiliate links where My Toddler’s Kitchen may earn commissions. Please reference the disclaimer policy.

See this content in the original post