Cheesy Sweet Potatoes with Ground Beef

Easy and packed with rich flavor, loaded sweet potato and ground beef makes the perfect healthy dish. The seasoned ground beef and rich sweet potato is smothered in cheesy goodness for a satisfying meal you’ll crave again and again!

I Can’t Stop Making This!

I recently told my husband these loaded sweet potatoes are basically my healthy version of nachos, and they’ve been on repeat in my house for months now.

They’re easy to throw together, packed with nutrition, and completely kid-friendly. I love serving them with a simple veggie side like stovetop Brussels sprouts, but on busy days I’ll happily call this dinner on its own (and I promise, no one’s ever complained).

Ingredients

• Large sweet potatoes – I prefer to use ones with a nice, fairly symmetrical shape for easy filling.
• Ground beef – You can substitute ground turkey if you prefer.
• Cheddar cheese – Shredded. I like to shred mine at home to save money and avoid additives, but you can always buy shredded cheese to save time.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Step 1: First, we’ll roast the sweet potatoes. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees, and place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet.

Poke a few holes in each of them with a fork, and bake for 50-70 minutes until they’re soft all the way through. The time this takes will vary significantly depending on the size of your potatoes.

Step 2: While the sweet potatoes are baking, brown the ground beef, diced onion, garlic, spices, and salt in a skillet.

Step 3: When the sweet potatoes are done, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

Then make a deep lengthwise cut into each of the potatoes. Place a tablespoon of coconut oil and a sprinkle of salt in each one and mash with a fork, keeping the skin intact.

Step 4: While the potatoes are still on the baking sheet, divide the ground beef between them (depending on the size of your potatoes, it may overflow). Then sprinkle the cheese on top.

Place the potatoes back in the oven for 10 minutes for the cheese to melt and the beef to get hot again if it has cooled. Enjoy immediately!

If you’re looking for more simple, healthy meals, check out my sardine fish cakes and 30-minute cabbage bowls!

Tips for Success

Roast the sweet potatoes until they’re soft all the way through – You want to be able to easily mash them with a fork.

Adjust the spices to your preference – If you don’t like spicy foods, feel free to leave out the cayenne pepper. But if you love all of the delicious, rich flavors, feel free to increase the amount of spices to your taste.

More cheese is always better – I’m always a fan of extra cheese, so if you want to make this even better, pile on all the cheese you want!

Prep in Advance

You can prepare this recipe up to 3 days in advance. To do so, roast the sweet potatoes and cook the ground beef. Let everything cool completely before storing separately in airtight containers in the fridge.

When you’re ready to serve them, put the sweet potatoes and ground beef together, top with shredded cheese, and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

How to Freeze

You can freeze the roasted sweet potatoes and cooked ground beef separately in airtight containers for 2-3 months. When you’re ready to serve them, let thaw in the fridge overnight.

Then put the sweet potatoes and ground beef together, top with shredded cheese, and reheat in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

FAQs

If you try this recipe, snap a photo and tag me on Instagram @violet_rightathome

Cheesy Sweet Potatoes with Ground Beef

Loaded sweet potato and ground beef makes the best easy & flavorful meal. Smothered with cheese and spices, it's a healthy dish you'll crave!

5 from 2 votes

Print Rate

Course: Clean Eating Dinner Recipes

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 715kcal

Author: Violet Parcha

Ingredients

• 4 large sweet potatoes
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
• 1/2 onion diced
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt + more to taste sprinkled on sweet potatoes
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Place the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, and poke a few holes in each of them with a fork.
  4 large sweet potatoes
• Bake for 50-70 minutes until they're soft all the way through.
• While the sweet potatoes are baking, brown the ground beef, diced onion, garlic, spices, and salt in a skillet.
  1 pound ground beef, 1/2 onion, 2 garlic cloves, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/2 teaspoon salt + more to taste sprinkled on sweet potatoes, 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• When the sweet potatoes are done, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.
• Make a deep lengthwise cut into each of the potatoes. Place a tablespoon of coconut oil and a sprinkle of salt to taste in each one and mash with a fork, keeping the skin intact.
  1/4 cup coconut oil
• Divide the ground beef between the potatoes and sprinkle the cheese on top.
  1 cup cheddar cheese
• Place the potatoes back in the oven for 10 minutes for the cheese to melt and the beef to get hot again if it has cooled. Enjoy!

Notes

Substitutions

• Can substitute ground turkey for ground beef
• Can substitute butter for coconut oil
• Can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder for garlic cloves

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 715kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 41g | Fat: 43g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 129mg | Sodium: 618mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 12g

If you tried these loaded sweet potatoes, I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Please make sure to come back and leave a comment and a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating.