FridgeToTable

What to Make With Ground Beef and Sweet Potatoes: 3 Fast Weeknight Dinners

Ground beef and sweet potatoes work when the potato is cut small and the beef is salted like beef, not like a side of cinnamon. This is dinner, not a holiday casserole. A hash, a sheet pan, and a mash with beef on top, each done in 30 minutes. Chili powder can live on the table. Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.

Snap your fridge

Quick picks: 3 dinners with ground beef and sweet potatoes in 30 minutes or less

Fastest option: a 20-minute dinner

20 min

Beef and sweet potato hash

Total time, start to plate · One skillet · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Small sweet potato cubes fry until tender, then ground beef browns with them.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp cumin

Steps

  1. Dice the sweet potato small and fry it, covered, with half the salt until tender.
  2. Uncover and brown the edges.
  3. Add the ground beef, the rest of the salt, and the cumin. Cook until the beef is browned.
  4. Taste. If it tastes only sweet, it needs salt, not sugar.

Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.

One-pan or sheet-pan option

30 min

Sheet-pan beef and sweet potatoes

Total time, start to plate · One sheet pan · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Sweet potato cubes roast, then crumbled beef finishes on the same pan.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb sweet potatoes
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp oil

Steps

  1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss sweet potato cubes with oil and salt. Roast 12 minutes.
  2. Crumble the ground beef over the pan.
  3. Roast until the beef is cooked and the cubes are soft, about 12 minutes.
  4. Taste a cube with the beef. Salt again if the potato still tastes like dessert.

Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.

The other dinner

25 min

Beef on mashed sweet potato

Total time, start to plate · One pot · serves 4 · Kid-friendly

Sweet potato mashed with salt, ground beef simmered with a splash of water.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 cup water

Steps

  1. Boil diced sweet potato in salted water until soft. Drain and mash.
  2. Brown the ground beef in the same pot with the rest of the salt.
  3. Add the water and simmer a minute so the beef stays loose.
  4. Serve the beef on the mash, mixed or side by side.

Keeps: Fridge for 3 days.

Make it with leftovers

Roasted sweet potato cubes warm in the hash. Cooked beef crumbles on the mash. The sheet pan wants both raw. Don't glaze leftovers with sugar. Salt them.

More dinners from leftovers

Pantry staples you'll need

  • Oil
  • Salt
  • Cumin
  • Chili powder

No sweet potatoes: white potatoes in the same hash. No beef: black beans. See black beans and sweet potatoes.

When there is nothing in the fridge

Picky-eater and healthy tweaks

The mash with beef beside it, not mixed, is the plain plate. Sweet potato is often the part they accept. Keep chili powder off their spoon.

Skip the marshmallow instinct. The sweetness is already in the potato. Drain the beef. A little oil browns the cubes.

More dinners in under 30 minutes

Have something else in the fridge?

Got more in the fridge? Snap a photo and we'll pick dinner for you. Free.

Snap your fridge

Related dinners

More dinners with ground beef

Questions

What can I make with ground beef and sweet potato in 20 minutes?

Beef and sweet potato hash takes 20 minutes, start to plate. Small sweet potato cubes fry until tender, then ground beef browns with them.

What's the easiest dinner with ground beef and sweet potato?

Beef and sweet potato hash is the low-fuss one: one skillet, 20 minutes. Small sweet potato cubes fry until tender, then ground beef browns with them.

Can I make this with leftover or cooked ground beef?

Roasted sweet potato cubes warm in the hash. Cooked beef crumbles on the mash. The sheet pan wants both raw. Don't glaze leftovers with sugar. Salt them.

What else can I add to ground beef and sweet potato for a full meal?

The cards already use ground beef, sweet potato, salt. A piece of fruit or a handful of frozen vegetables is enough if you want more on the plate. Don't make a second shopping trip.

Is ground beef and sweet potato a healthy dinner?

Skip the marshmallow instinct. The sweetness is already in the potato. Drain the beef. A little oil browns the cubes.

How do I make ground beef and sweet potato kid-friendly?

The mash with beef beside it, not mixed, is the plain plate. Sweet potato is often the part they accept. Keep chili powder off their spoon.

Can I make ground beef and sweet potato in one pan or a sheet pan?

Sheet-pan beef and sweet potatoes uses one sheet pan and takes 30 minutes. Sweet potato cubes roast, then crumbled beef finishes on the same pan.

What if I don't have sweet potato?

No sweet potatoes: white potatoes in the same hash. No beef: black beans. See black beans and sweet potatoes.