Ground Beef Sweet Potato Bowl piles spiced, caramelized roasted sweet potatoes and savory seasoned ground beef over black beans, then tops it all with cool cottage cheese, creamy avocado, sharp cheddar and a sweet-spicy drizzle of hot honey. It is a colorful, filling dinner in 40 minutes, and the parts pack neatly for lunches.
How to make a ground beef sweet potato bowl: Toss diced sweet potatoes with oil and spices and roast at 375°F for 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile brown and drain the beef and season it. Build bowls with sweet potatoes, beef, black beans, cottage cheese, avocado and cheddar, then drizzle with hot honey.
Why You’ll Love It
- Sweet, savory and spicy: caramelized sweet potatoes, seasoned beef and a hot honey finish.
- 40 minutes: the beef cooks while the potatoes roast.
- Made for meal prep: roast and brown once, build bowls all week.
- Serves 4: one pound of beef and a pan of sweet potatoes.
Ingredient Notes
Sweet potatoes: A pound and a quarter, diced. Peel them or leave the skins on, as you like.
Spices: Kosher salt, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika coat the sweet potatoes, so they come out of the oven savory as well as sweet.
Lean ground beef: One pound, seasoned with all-purpose seasoned salt after browning.
Cottage cheese: Sixteen ounces, half a cup per bowl. It adds a cool, creamy contrast to the warm beef and potatoes.
Black beans, avocado and cheddar: Six ounces of cooked or canned black beans, one small ripe avocado and two ounces of shredded sharp cheddar round out each bowl.
Hot honey: Just a drizzle over the top. Sweet and a little spicy, it ties the bowl together. I keep the bottle on the table so everyone can add as much as they like.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes, diced
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 16 ounces cottage cheese
- 6 ounces black beans, cooked or canned, drained
- 1 small ripe avocado, sliced or diced
- 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- Hot honey, for drizzling
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
How to Make Sweet Potato Beef Bowls
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Roast the sweet potatoes. Toss the diced sweet potatoes on the pan with the avocado oil, kosher salt, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, until tender, rotating the pan halfway through for even browning.
3. Cook the beef. While the sweet potatoes roast, cook the ground beef in a 10-inch skillet, breaking it into crumbles, until no longer pink (160°F). Drain the fat, then season with the seasoned salt.
4. Build the bowls. Divide the sweet potatoes, ground beef and black beans among 4 shallow bowls. Add 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, a quarter of the avocado and 1/2 ounce of cheddar to each bowl.
5. Finish. Drizzle with hot honey and season with freshly ground black pepper.
How to Roast Sweet Potatoes That Brown
The sweet potatoes are the base of the bowl, so they are worth getting right. Cut them small and even, about 1/2-inch pieces. Bigger chunks take much longer to soften, and uneven pieces finish at different times.
Toss the cubes with the oil and spices right on the parchment-lined pan, then spread them into a single layer with a little space between them.
Halfway through, rotate the pan or give the potatoes a quick flip with a spatula, so the edges brown evenly. They are done when a fork slides in easily and the edges are caramelized. If you want them to cook a little faster, roast them at 425°F for 20 to 25 minutes instead.
Tips for Success
Why is my beef bland?
Season it after draining the fat, taste a crumble, and add more seasoned salt or a packet of taco seasoning with a splash of water if you want it bolder.
Why is my bowl greasy?
The fat was not drained. Pour it off after browning and before the seasoning goes in.
Variations
- Taco beef: season the beef with a packet of taco seasoning and 1/4 cup of water, and top the bowls with sliced jalapenos and red pepper flakes.
- Tex-Mex bowl: swap the cottage cheese for sour cream and add guacamole, corn, diced tomatoes, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
- Mediterranean bowl: top with a chopped cucumber and tomato salad in place of the avocado.
Storage & Reheating
For meal prep, keep the roasted sweet potatoes, beef and beans in shallow, covered containers in the refrigerator, and add the cold toppings when you eat. USDA FSIS says to refrigerate cooked food within 2 hours and eat it within 3 to 4 days. Reheat the beef and sweet potatoes to 165°F before adding the cottage cheese, avocado and hot honey.
What to Serve With It
This is a full meal on its own; add tortilla chips or a simple green salad if you like. For more ground beef dinners, try 15-minute Mongolian ground beef noodles, ground beef stroganoff or walking taco casserole, or a bowl of quick and easy taco soup. For more sweet potato dinners, there is hot sausage and sweet potato lasagna and slow cooker Amish chicken and sweet potatoes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does ground beef go well with sweet potatoes?
Yes. Sweet, caramelized sweet potatoes and savory, well-seasoned beef are a classic pairing.
What to put in a ground beef sweet potato bowl?
Roasted sweet potatoes and seasoned ground beef as the base, then cottage cheese, avocado, black beans, cheddar and hot honey. Jalapenos, parsley, sour cream, guacamole or corn are all good extras.
Can I use a different cheese?
Yes. Monterey Jack or a Mexican blend works in place of the cheddar.
Final Notes
Start the sweet potatoes first; the beef cooks in the time they roast. If you have a question or make these bowls, tell me how they turned out in the comments.
Ground Beef Sweet Potato Bowl
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Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds sweet potatoes diced
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt all-purpose
- 16 ounces cottage cheese
- 6 ounces black beans cooked or canned, drained
- 1 small avocado ripe, sliced or diced
- 2 ounces sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- hot honey for drizzling
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a large rimmed baking pan with parchment paper.
- Toss the diced sweet potatoes on the pan with the avocado oil, kosher salt, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika. Roast 25 to 30 minutes, until tender, rotating the pan halfway through for even browning.
- While the sweet potatoes roast, cook the ground beef in a 10-inch skillet, breaking it into crumbles, until no longer pink (160°F). Drain the fat, then season with the seasoned salt.
- Divide the sweet potatoes, ground beef and black beans among 4 shallow bowls. Add 1/2 cup of cottage cheese, a quarter of the avocado and 1/2 ounce of cheddar to each bowl.
- Drizzle with hot honey and season with freshly ground black pepper.
