Ground Beef & Sweet Potato Skillet
This simple one-pan meal is loaded with ground beef (you’re welcome to use turkey), brussels sprouts, carrots, and sweet potato. It’s a veggie packed recipe that’s perfect for a quick weeknight dinner fix!
So is it a breakfast or a dinner recipe? Lots of people see diced potatoes and immediately think hash. Their brains tell them breakfast. While I don’t disagree that diced potatoes are always delicious for breakfast (see my Skillet Breakfast Potatoes for further proof), I’m a firm believer that potatoes + protein + veggies make for a satiating meal any time of day!
And since dinnertime is usually when I’m particularly low on motivation to cook, this uncomplicated but flavorful dish is especially appealing then.
It’s ready in only 30 minutes! The most challenging step is getting the veggies chopped. We can handle that!
For this recipe you’ll need:
Ground beef or turkey.
Minced garlic.
Sweet potatoes: Feel free to use yellow, gold, or russet potatoes if preferred. I personally enjoy the mix of sweet and savory here so the sweet potatoes are a yummy addition!
Carrots.
Brussels sprouts: These will be chopped to decrease your cooking time (always a win!) and help them better blend in with the other ingredients. We want everything to be about the same size.
Beef stock or broth.
A little oil.
Simple seasonings.
The first thing we’ll do to create this quick dish is sauté and season the ground beef. Add the garlic at the last minute to get it golden brown. Season. Then set the meat and garlic aside because we want to use to this same skillet to get our veggies cooked to tender perfection.
The sweet potatoes and carrots sauté in a bit of oil next. They’ll get seasoned separately in this step because we’re building our flavors here.
Then it’s time for the cooked meat to go back to the pan along with the beef stock and chopped brussels sprouts. Let it all simmer to marry your flavors and soften the sprouts.
Aaaand we’re done. That wasn’t hard at all, was it?
It’s a little bit savory and sweet (thanks to the carrots and sweet potatoes) plus it has a nice kick from the crushed red pepper flakes.
Is this skillet meal spicy?
It does have a bit of heat but it’s not overwhelming. To increase the spiciness, use 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes instead of 1/4 tsp. You can also simply omit the red pepper completely if you want to keep it mild.
Can you swap any of the veggies for others?
Of course! Let’s chat swaps.
You can easily use yellow, gold, or russet potatoes in place of sweet potatoes.
If brussels sprouts aren’t your thing I’d (a) suggest giving them a try because they’re amazing and (b) recommend using fresh green beans (halved) or broccoli if you’re adamant about avoiding those sprouts. The green beans can be added to the skillet with the sweet potato and carrots. They’ll need that extra time to get tender with some charing. If using broccoli add it at the end, cover, and steam for just a few minutes.
How to serve this?
Oh there are so many ways to serve up this easy meal. You can clearly enjoy it as is and it’s just perfect. Flavorful. Healthy. Satiating thanks to those potatoes.
But perhaps you want to add something to stretch this dish a bit further? I know I always like extra green on our plates!
Other veggies that work beautifully beside this skillet meal are Easy Roasted Broccoli, Spicy Roasted Broccoli, Garlic Green Beans, Simple Sautéed Cabbage, or Roasted Green Beans with Almonds.
More recipes like this:
Green Chile Chicken & Potato Skillet
Ground Turkey & Potato Skillet
20 Minute Skillet Sausage & Zucchini
Easy Turkey & Zucchini Skillet
Ground Beef & Sweet Potato Skillet
Ingredients
Beef
- 1 lb lean ground beef, Can use ground turkey if preferred.
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
Veggies
- 2 tbsp olive or avocado oil
- 2 cups carrots, peeled and diced
- 2 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced, This is about 1 large potato or 2 medium potatoes. You're welcome to leave unpeeled if you like.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, Use 1/2 tsp for more heat.
- 1 cup beef stock or broth
- 1 lb brussels sprouts, diced
Instructions
- Add your ground beef (or turkey) to a large skillet on the stovetop. Use a spatula to crumble the meat. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until browned.
- Stir in salt, pepper, chili powder, onion powder, basil, and minced garlic. Sauté for one more minute so garlic is golden in color. Remove beef and garlic from pan and set aside.
- Add the oil to the skillet. Once hot, add diced sweet potatoes and carrots. Season with salt, chili powder, ground ginger, onion powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Make sure you're still at medium-high because we want to get some browning on those veggies. Sauté for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently, until sides of potatoes have browned.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add ground beef back to the pan along with beef stock and diced brussels sprouts. Stir. Cover and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes, or until brussels sprouts are tender to your liking.
39 Comments on “Ground Beef & Sweet Potato Skillet”
This recipe was very yummy! The flavors were great! I didn’t have beef broth, so I used chicken instead. I also used two whole sweet potatoes, which was way more than 2 cups, so I added more broth. The Brussel sprouts were delish in this too. Great easy recipe to use what I had on hand.
Soo tasty and easy and filling
This was yummy! It made enough for my husband and I and enough for lunch tomorrow! Will def make again 🙂
This was quick and delicious. Thank you.
We made this last week and it was great! Used ground turkey and whole family enjoyed it. There was some leftover and my husband added a fried egg the next morning!
Yummy! So good! I was nervous about adding the beef broth (thought it would make everything mushy), but the beef and veggies absorbed the flavor without making it mushy. So good!
Christina,
This was delicious! I love all the veggies mixed in and my whole family enjoyed the meal, even my kids who tend to be very picky.
A lovely and tasty meal that’s great for leftovers…a bowl of hearty goodness. I enjoyed all the colors and the ginger really put it over the top for me.. Thanks, Christina!
Loved this recipe and that it was truly a 30 minute meal! Substituted the meat for Impossible “beef” and it was soo yummy! My non-veg husband loved it!
Most satisfying Paleo yet! 😋
I never comment on recipes but this is so sooo good!! Thank you!
Do you think it can be frozen and reheated?
This was amazing and is going to be a new favorite!! I used ground turkey and stirred quinoa in at the end. Thank you!
Just make sure you don’t add the seasonings to the veggies right away, or you’ll spice bomb yourself. Chili needs liquid or you’ll be coughing all night. Otherwise, super delicious!
Really great dish and easy!
I did a little cheese on top.
It was very filling and great veggie to meat ratio .
This dish was easy to make, and absolutely delicious. Myself and 2 other people had it and we each had 2 servings. Will definitely make this again, and again.
We made this for dinner tonight and absolutely devoured it!! We didn’t have any ginger, so I can’t wait to try it again with the ginger. And we’ll try serving it over riced cauliflower next time too.
This was SO GOOD! Even my husband liked it and he doesn’t like sweet potato or brussel spouts !
Excellent! My whole family enjoyed it. I’m on low sodium diet and the recipe is easy to cut down on salt and by using unsalted beef stock.
I’m so happy you were able to make this fit your low sodium diet, Cheryl. Thanks for letting me know!
Super delicious! Easy to make and packed full of flavor!
So happy you enjoyed it, Donny! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!
Made this last week for dinner and it was delicious! Definitely going to be a regular in my menu rotation.
Happy to hear that, Leslie!
Holy WOW was this delicious! I pulled back a bit on the heat and changed little else. It’s surely going to be requested again and again.
This was good flavor wise but I would add a lot more vegetables. Onion, zucchini, & peppers would do. It is definitely the flavor of fall. We served it on a bed of rice and really enjoyed it that way. Easy to prepare and a good meal for leftovers.
Super easy and delicious! I subbed steamed green beans for Brussels sprouts because that is what I had on hand. Still so good!
Sooo yummy….have made it several times and everyone has enjoyed it!
i love this dish!! So flavorful. It’s also my sons favorite!!
This is one of the most flavorful dishes I have ever made. Not overly salty – just measure the seasonings exactly as the recipe states. Sweet potatoes are great in this dish. Today, I had small yellow potatoes from a friend’s garden.
I changed it up a bit and put in onions, carrots, potatoes, and celery. It was so wonderful.
Sunday, i will probably double this recipe and bring it to a Pot Luck.
Thanks so much, Diana! I love how versatile this dish is too! I really appreciate the kind comment!
So good and very easy to make! I did sub green beans for Brussel sprouts. I will be making this again.
I made this and used it as a meal prep for the week to get my protein in!! It’s sooo good! I added rice and quinoa too!
Thank you, Lindsey!
We, my girls and I enjoy this dish, I make it once or twice a month. I am a lot of Irish so this time I used cabbage instead of Brussels sprouts and I dashed in some smoked paprika as well. What a unique flavor it was, just thought I’d share my twist on a very tasty dish.
Terry G.
Las Vegas NV
Didn’t love this recipe. The flavor just wasn’t there for me, lacking something.
Delish!!! My husband is not a huge fan of yams normally, but loves this dish with all the flavors. Requested that this become a regular meal. I did exchange Brussels Sprouts for green beans. Do you know how this freezes?
I love this one for freezing!
Made this twice now, one time with ground beef and the next time with ground turkey. Both were delicious. Made when visiting my parents and they were raving about it!
This is great to hear! Thank you, Jenna!