Spicy Sweet Potato Ground Beef Bowl
Cubes crowd the pan, so for bowls like this I halve the sweet potatoes lengthwise and roast them cut side down at 425°F. The flat side caramelizes right against the sheet, and the inside goes soft enough to mash with a fork once the beef lands on top.
The beef gets Chinese five-spice and a splash of toasted sesame oil, which sounds odd next to barbecue sauce. It isn’t. The warm anise notes kind of bridge the smoky sauce and the sriracha heat. Cook the egg last, while everything else rests, so the yolk’s still runny when it hits the plate. Mine goes on a flat dinner plate, not a bowl, because it’s easier to cut through the potato.
This spicy sweet potato ground beef bowl is what I cook on Sundays for the week ahead. Everything but the egg holds up. Cool cucumber slices and tangy carrot ribbons sit on the side to cut through the sriracha barbecue drizzle, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds goes over the top. Pack the sauce separately so the beef doesn't go soggy.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 425°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Rub the cut sides of the sweet potatoes with the olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and set them cut side down on the sheet. Roast for 30 to 35 minutes, until a knife slides in easily and the flat sides are deep golden.2 large sweet potatoes, 1 tbsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- Shave the large carrot into long ribbons with a vegetable peeler and toss them with the rice vinegar in a small bowl. Let them sit while you cook. Slice the cucumber into thin rounds.1 large carrot, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1/2 English cucumber
- About 15 minutes before the sweet potatoes are done, heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, break it into small pieces with a spatula and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until browned with no pink left.1 tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 lb ground beef
- Add the onion, diced carrot, celery and mushrooms to the beef. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft and the carrot still has a little crunch. Stir in the minced garlic and five-spice for 1 minute, then add the soy sauce and scrape up the browned bits. Take the skillet off the heat.1 small yellow onion, 1 medium carrot, 2 ribs celery, 4 oz cremini mushrooms, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder, 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
- Whisk the barbecue sauce, sriracha, honey and grated garlic together in a small bowl. Taste and add more sriracha if you want more heat.1/3 cup barbecue sauce, 2 tbsp sriracha, 1 tbsp honey, 1 clove garlic
- Heat the neutral oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Crack in the eggs and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the whites are set and lightly crisp at the edges but the yolks are still runny.1 tbsp neutral oil, 4 large eggs
- Set a sweet potato half on each plate, cut side up, and press the flesh down with a fork. Spoon the beef over the top and slide a fried egg on each. Drizzle with the sauce, scatter the green onions and sesame seeds over, and arrange the cucumber and carrot ribbons on the side.2 green onions, 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Nutrition
Notes
No five-spice? Use 1/2 tsp cinnamon plus a pinch each of ground cloves and ground ginger. For packed lunches, swap the fried egg for a jammy 7-minute boiled egg.
You might also like our Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Ground Beef.
roasting them cut side down is the trick, mine actually got those dark sticky edges for once. made a double batch of the beef for lunches and it reheated fine all week
really good but the sauce was too hot for my kids so i cut the sriracha to 1 tbsp and added a bit more honey. didnt have five spice so i used the cinnamon swap from the notes, worked fine
used ground turkey bc thats what i had, still great. the carrot ribbons in rice vinegar are such a nice contrast next to the sweet potato