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This Beef and Sweet Potato Taco Skillet is an easy and healthy meal that’s loaded with ground beef, roasted sweet potato, beans, spices and melty cheese. It makes a delicious, protein-packed weeknight dinner and works great for meal prep!
If you’re looking for an easy dinner and are a huge fan of tacos, like I am, you’re going to love this Beef and Sweet Potato Taco Skillet. It uses a lot of pantry staples that you probably already have on hand and is balanced with protein, veggies, and complex carbs for a filling and satisfying meal.
Although technically not a one-pan meal since we’re also using a sheet pan to roast the sweet potato, it still makes for a really easy clean up! I find that roasting the sweet potatoes, rather than sautéing, brings out their natural sugars and adds even more flavour to the dish. This also allows us to start cooking the skillet while the potatoes are in the oven, cutting down the cooking time and getting dinner on the table quicker!
What you’ll need
- Sweet potato: long, skinny sweet potatoes work best here so that your pieces aren’t too large. If you can only find large sweet potatoes, you can simply cut each round in half before roasting.
- Ground beef: ground beef is a high-quality protein that’s also budget-friendly! It’s a good source of energy-producing B vitamins, iron and zinc. If within your budget, choose grass-fed and grass-finished beef for more nutrition benefits.
- Spices: basic spices like chili powder, dried oregano, ground cumin and paprika gives this dish a whole lot of flavour.
- Onion: red onion would also work if that’s what you have on hand.
- Garlic: for that extra boost of flavour.
- Bell Pepper: I used a red bell pepper, but any colour will work!
- Black beans: adds more protein and fibre to the dish.
- Salsa: this helps to create the sauce for the recipe. Use your favourite chunky salsa.
- Shredded cheese: cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack or any other melting cheese all work great. Feel free to use as much or as little as you’d like! You could definitely make this dish dairy-free by omitting the cheese. Cashew queso would also be delicious as a topping.
- Toppings of choice: finish the dish off with any of your favourite taco toppings! We love adding greek yogurt, fresh avocado and green onion.
Find the full ingredient measurements and detailed instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
How to make this beef & sweet potato taco skillet
Step 1: Slice sweet potatoes into rounds and mix with oil, spices, salt and pepper.
Step 2: Place on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake until fork tender and lightly browned.
Step 3: Sauté onion until soft and translucent.
Step 4: Add ground beef and break into pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula. Add spices, garlic, salt and pepper and cook until meat is browned.
Step 5: Add bell pepper, salsa and black beans and simmer for 5 minutes.
Step 6: Stir in roasted sweet potato and spinach and spread out in an even layer.
Step 7: Top with shredded cheese, cover and let cooked for a couple more minutes or until cheese has melted.
Step 8: Serve hot with your favourite toppings!
Tips for making this recipe
- Make sure that you’re using a large enough pan so that everything can fit properly. I found that my 12″ cast iron skillet worked perfectly for this recipe.
- If you’d like to prep some of this ahead of time, roast your sweet potatoes the day before.
Topping suggestions
- Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Green onion
- Cilantro
- Avocado
- Guacamole
- Jalapeño slices
- Pickled red onion
If you make this Beef and Sweet Potato Taco Skillet, I’d love to hear from you! Feel free to leave a comment or review below, or tag me on Instagram.
Beef and Sweet Potato Taco Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 small to medium sweet potatoes (3/4-1 lb)
- 2 tbsp avocado oil, divided
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 14oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 15-16 oz jar mild or medium salsa
- 2 large handfuls of spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, mozzarella, pepper jack, etc)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add chili powder, oregano, cumin and paprika to a small bowl and stir to combine. Set aside.
- Cut sweet potato into 1/4u0022 rounds. Place in a medium bowl along with 1 tbsp of oil and 1 tsp of the spice mixture. Season with salt and paper and toss to combine. Place on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Flip and cook for another 5-10 minutes or until fork tender and lightly browned.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat in a large skillet (at least 12”). Add onion and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until translucent.
- Add beef and break into pieces with a wooden spoon. Add the rest of the spice mixture and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook for around 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain excess fat if needed.
- Add the bell pepper, salsa and beans. Mix well. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning to taste.
- Gently stir in the roasted sweet potato and spinach.
- Spread the mixture out in an even layer. Top with cheese, cover and let melt for 1-2 minutes.
- Serve hot with toppings of choice, like avocado, guacamole, cilantro, green onion, greek yogurt or sour cream.
