Southwest Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Skillet

You know those nights when you're just too tired to deal with a complicated dinner, and you really want to keep it down to a skillet? This Southwest ground beef and sweet potato skillet is my go-to.

It's super simple—just one pan and less than an hour. I coat the skillet with avocado oil, quickly caramelize the sweet potato chunks, and then cook the ground beef with a bunch of spices, sweet onion, garlic, tomatoes, and salsa verde.

The toppings really make it tho. A bit of sour cream, some sliced aguacate, and a sprinkle of cheese. It's nothing fancy, but it's homey, and perfect every time.

Why I Love This Recipe

1. It's the perfect recipe on busy weeknights
2. You can add your favorite veggies and spices.
3. It's great for meal prep, making extra dinner, and having lunch all set for the next day
4. Substitute the ground beef with ground chicken or turkey
5. Perfect for a family-style meal

Ingredients

• Ground Beef – 85/15 or 90/10 a leaner ground beef
• Sweet Potatoes – save time with frozen diced sweet potatoes or whole sweet potatoes
• Vine Tomatoes – or Campari tomatoes, are sweet and so perfect in these recipes.
• Salsa Verde
• Sweet Onion
• Fresh Garlic
• Tomato Paste
• Ground Cumin
• Ground Coriander
• Chili Powder (optional)
• Salt – to taste
• Ground Pepper
• Shredded Cheeses: Cheddar cheese (mild, medium, or sharp) and Colby. Shredded mozzarella is also a great cheese for this recipe.

Garnish

• Cilantro
• Jalapeño – sliced, optional
• Sour Cream – optional

Step by Step Instructions

Prep

• Dice the onions and tomatoes, and mince the garlic.
• Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into big chunks.

Start here

Preheat the skillet to medium heat. Then, coat the bottom of the skillet with avocado oil, and cook until the sweet potato chunks are beautifully caramelized.

Set the caramelized sweet potatoes aside. Add the finely diced onions and cook until they're tender.

Add the ground beef until it's browned, then add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, and minced garlic. Cook until the flavors develop for 15-20 minutes, then add the salsa verde, salt, and ground pepper to taste.

Add the sweet potato back in and stir and continue to cook until the potato is fork tender.

Top with shredded cheese while it's still hot and right before serving.

Garnish

Serve with avocado, a dollop of sour cream, and chopped fresh cilantro.

Time-Saving Tips

1. Swap whole fresh sweet potatoes for frozen pre-peeled and diced uncooked sweet potatoes.
2. Swap the fresh tomatoes for a can of 8oz tomato sauce to get the reduced tomato flavor in the final dish.
3. Use a pre-mixed Southwest seasoning blend instead of measuring out individual spices. It’ll save you a few extra steps.

FAQs

Equipment You'll Need For This Recipe

What To Serve With This Dish

Serve this Southwest ground beef and sweet potato skillet with white rice or cilantro lime rice. It's also perfect with these homemade black beans from scratch or this canned black bean recipe.

Looking to try more one-skillet meals or explore other skillet recipes? Here are a few ideas to inspire your next meal:

30-Minute Bistec de Carne – Colombian Steak with Sauteed Onions and Tomatoes

30-Minute Seared Salmon with Lemon Orzo

30-Minute Spicy Chicken Chipotle Pasta (Copycat)

One-Pan Pork Belly Fried Rice

If you make this Southwest ground beef and sweet potato skillet, I’d love to hear what you think! Drop a comment or give the recipe a rating—hearing from you always makes my day, and I do my best to reply to everyone. 

And if you snap a photo, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! I love seeing how your dishes turn out.

Olga

Southwest Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Skillet

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Southwest ground beef and sweet potato skillet makes the perfect weeknight meal with tender sweet potatoes, caramelized ground beef, bold spices, tomatoes, onions, and garlic—all in one easy, delicious skillet meal.

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Prep Time 7 minutes mins

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 47 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Southwest

Calories: 445

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 1 lbs Ground Beef 85/15 or 90/10 a leaner ground beef
• 2 medium Sweet Potatoes save time with frozen diced sweet potatoes or whole sweet potatoes
• 4 Vine Tomatoes – or Campari tomatoes are sweet and so perfect in these recipes.
• Salsa Verde
• 1 large Sweet Onion
• 4 cloves Fresh Garlic
• 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
• 2 tsp Ground Cumin
• 1 tsp Ground Coriander
• Salt – to taste
• Ground Pepper
• 1 cup Shredded Cheese Mild, medium, or sharp cheddar cheese, and Colby. Shredded mozzarella is also a great cheese for this recipe.

Optional Garnish

• ¼ cup Fresh Cilantro Chopped
• 1 tsp Jalapeño – sliced optional
• Sour Cream – optional

Equipment

• 1 Skillet Enameled cast iron
• 1 Wooden Spoon
• 1 Wooden Cutting Board
• 1 Chef's Knife

Method

 

1. Preheat the skillet to medium heat. Then, coat the bottom of the skillet with avocado oil, and cook until the sweet potato chunks are beautifully caramelized.
2. Set the caramelized sweet potatoes aside. Add the finely diced onions and cook until they’re tender.
3. Add the ground beef until it’s browned, then add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, spices, and minced garlic. Cook until the flavors develop for 15-20 minutes, then add the salsa verde, salt, and ground pepper to taste.
4. Add the sweet potato back in and stir and continue to cook until the potato is fork tender.
5. Top with shredded cheese while it’s still hot and right before serving.

Garnish

1. Serve with avocado, a dollop of sour cream, and chopped fresh cilantro.

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcalCarbohydrates: 29.5gProtein: 32.2gFat: 21.8g

Notes

Tips

1. Time-saving tip: Swap whole fresh sweet potatoes for frozen pre-peeled and diced uncooked sweet potatoes.

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