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!

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