Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Ground Beef
I used to wrap sweet potatoes in foil, and they came out steamed, pale and kind of sad. Now they go straight onto a lined sheet pan at 400°F with oiled skins, and they stay there until the sugars leak out and scorch into dark, sticky patches on the parchment. That’s the part I’m after. Poke one with a paring knife at 45 minutes; if there’s any push back, give it ten more.
While they bake, the beef goes into a hot skillet. I don’t touch it at first. Let it sit for a few minutes and build a brown crust, then break it up and stir in the spices once there’s no pink left. The avocado gets cut into big rough chunks, never mashed smooth. We eat these with a handful of arugula on the side.
Stuffed sweet potatoes with ground beef make a filling weeknight dinner with very little hands-on work. Hot, smoky beef meets cool cottage cheese and an honestly huge heap of avocado. Bake the potatoes up to 3 days ahead and reheat them before filling; the cooked beef keeps 4 days in the fridge.
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Heat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment. Prick each sweet potato 5 or 6 times with a fork, rub the skins with the olive oil and set them on the sheet. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a knife slides into the thickest part with no resistance and the skins look blistered.4 medium sweet potatoes, 1 tbsp olive oil
- About 15 minutes before the potatoes are done, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef, press it into an even layer and leave it alone for 3 to 4 minutes to brown. Break it into small crumbles and cook 4 to 5 minutes more, until no pink remains. Spoon off excess fat if the pan looks greasy.1 lb ground beef
- Lower the heat to medium. Sprinkle in the garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin, salt and pepper, and stir for 1 minute so the spices toast in the fat. Add a splash of water if anything starts to stick, then take the skillet off the heat.2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp kosher salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper
- Halve and pit the avocados, cut the flesh into large chunks and scoop it into a small bowl. Toss gently with the lime juice so it stays green.2 ripe avocados, 1 tbsp lime juice
- Transfer the sweet potatoes to plates. Slice each one lengthwise down the middle without cutting through the bottom skin, push the ends toward the center to open it up and fluff the flesh with a fork.
- Spoon the hot beef into the potatoes, add 1/4 cup of cottage cheese down the center of each and pile the avocado on top. Finish with a pinch of red pepper flakes and serve right away.1 cup cottage cheese, 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Nutrition
Notes
Microwave the pricked potatoes for 8 to 10 minutes, then finish them in the oven for 15 minutes if you're short on time. Ground turkey works too; add 1 tbsp olive oil to the skillet since it's leaner.
You might also like our Crispy Baked Sweet Potato Fries.
made these sunday for meal prep and the tip about not wrapping them in foil is legit, the edges got all sticky and caramelized. kept the beef separate and assembled each day, worked great