Ground Beef and Sweet Potatoes

Name: Ground Beef and Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 pound lean ground beef; 3 cloves garlic (minced ); 2 teaspoons salt (divided ); 2 teaspoons cumin; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; ½ teaspoon onion powder; 3 cups sweet potatoes (about 1 large ); 10 ounces broccoli florets; 1 cup beef broth

When we’re looking for the ultimate comfort food recipe that takes almost no time to prepare, our family always requests this ground beef and sweet potatoes. It’s a one-skillet meal that even our son has learned to make by himself; it’s a recipe that’s definitely in our weeknight dinner rotation every couple of weeks.

Everyone loves how the smoked paprika flavor pairs with the sweet potatoes (it’s so delicious!). Plus, ground beef is a protein we always keep on hand in the freezer for last minute quick dinners. You can eat it as a meal on it’s own, or serve it over some rice if desired. If you’re looking for other great beef entrees, our ground beef tacos and meatballs and gravy are two other crowd pleasers.

Why you’ll love this recipe

One skillet dinner. This meal is one of those you can make quickly with little effort as well as minimal cleanup! We love that it just uses one large pan to saute everything for a delicious and hearty bite.
Less than 10 ingredients, but full of so much flavor! We cover all the bases of a healthy meal with this ground beef skillet recipe. We have protein, thanks to the beef, starches with the sweet potato, and even veggies with the broccoli.
Easy to customize the flavors and ingredients to everyone’s liking. If you have a picky eater in the house, no need to worry! This is the ideal dish to change up the flavors and ingredients to fit everyone’s palate. Swap the broccoli for snap peas or cut up green beans, use regular potatoes instead of sweet potatoes. The options are endless!

Tip for Busy Cooks: We love using ground beef in this recipe for it’s rich flavor, but feel free to substitute another ground meat, like chicken, pork, or turkey, as well.

Ground beef and sweet potatoes with broccoli and a wooden spoon.

Key Ingredient Notes

Lean ground beef: We love to use a 90/10 ground beef here or even leaner. This helps to create even browning in the pan and also tends to have less liquid release from the meat.
Garlic: Infuses each bite with delicious garlic flavor.
Cumin: Adds a warm, rich flavor that you often find in Mexican-inspired cuisine.
Smoked paprika: Has a punch of smoky flavor that pairs with the sweet potatoes so well.
Garlic powder and onion powder: Two of our favorite spices, they add a punch of extra garlic and onion flavor even when you are using the ingredient already in the dish.
Sweet potatoes: This is about 1 large potato for easy reference when you are shopping at the store! We love the sweet combination of the potato with the savory ground beef, but you could also use regular potatoes too.
Broccoli florets: Our veggie of choice to compliment this stir-fry type of dish. You can buy the pre-cut florets to cut down on prep time, or cut them yourself.
Beef broth: The liquid used to steam both the sweet potatoes and broccoli. Using beef broth adds extra richness compared to water.

Ingredients for ground beef and sweet potatoes. The ingredients include seasonings like smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and onion powder. Also salt, sweet potatoes, beef broth, garlic, broccoli, and ground beef.

How to make ground beef and sweet potatoes

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet with garlic, 1 teaspoon of salt, cumin, paprika, garlic and onion powders, breaking it down with a wooden spoon, 8-10 minutes. Once meat is no longer pink, transfer into a clean bowl.

Ground beef is being cooked with smoked paprika, cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and garlic. A wooden spoon is in the beef.

Ground beef is being browned in a large skillet using a wooden spoon.

Peel and dice the sweet potatoes into ½-inch cubes.
Into the now-empty skillet, add the sweet potatoes and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt.
Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Sweet potatoes and salt are in a large skillet.

Beef broth is being added to sweet potatoes in a large skillet with a wooden spatula.

Add the beef, broccoli, and broth.
Stir well and cook, covered, for about 8 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through.

Ground beef and broccoli are added to the large skillet.

Ground beef, sweet potatoes, and broccoli and cooking in a large skillet with a wooden spoon.

Expert Tips:

Be sure to cut the sweet potato cubes into even sizes. This will ensure that they cook at the same rate so you don’t overcook them and cause the potatoes to be mushy.
Drain the ground beef as necessary. With lean ground beef you shouldn’t have to drain, but if you do have a of liquid in the pan after the 10 minutes of browning, carefully pour off any excess liquid and discard in the trash. Having too much liquid in the pan will cause the potatoes to steam and not brown nicely.
Don’t overcrowd the skillet or this will prevent the meat and potatoes from browning correctly. Be sure to use a large pan for cooking sweet potatoes and ground beef. When the pan is too small, this causes the potatoes and beef to steam rather than become nice and golden brown.

Variations and Serving

Customize this ground beef and sweet potatoes skillet supper with spices and herbs. We love to change up this delicious easy dinner with new spices like chili powder, dried thyme, or ground coriander. Garnishing with a fresh herb like parsley or cilantro also adds a nice touch of fresh, vibrant flavor too!
Add all different veggies for different flavors in this one-pan meal. We love making this at the end of the week to clean out the fridge with different vegetables we have. Anything from sliced or shredded carrots, snap peas, cauliflower florets, or sturdy greens like chopped kale, are all ideal choices.
Optional to serve over rice. If we have extra time, sometimes we like to serve ground beef and sweet potatoes over our cilantro lime rice or garlic butter rice. We even use the leftovers as taco filling to wrap them in a tortilla and top with avocado and cheese – it’s delicious!

Storing Tips

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. We recommend reheating in the microwave for a few minutes or in a skillet over medium-low heat until just warmed through.

When we have a busy week ahead, freezing ground beef with sweet potatoes can be a convenient meal prep tip. We thaw the dish in the fridge overnight, and when we get home for work or the kids’ sports practices the next day, it’s ready to quickly reheat. You can freeze this dish in an airtight container for up to 2 months.

Ground beef and sweet potato skillet is in a white bowl with a fork.

FAQs

What meat goes well with sweet potatoes?

We love ground beef like in this recipe, but ground turkey as well as pork or chicken also work well. Sausage is also wonderful too.

What’s the best way to cook sweet potatoes and meat?

If you want a meal fast, use this one skillet sweet potatoes and ground beef recipe. You’ll have a delicious dish ready in less than 30 minutes.

What pairs well with sweet potatoes?

There are so many options, you can add delicious spices or herbs to roast the potatoes. A protein like beef, turkey, or chicken also works nicely to make a full meal. We also love cooking them with other veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans.

More Delicious Ground Beef Recipes

Michelle says

July 23, 2025

Delicious! Glad I landed on this recipe when I googled recipes using ground beef, sweet potatoes and broccoli. The only changes I made was to sprinkle the sweet potatoes with salt after tasting the ccoked seasoned beef. Also, I used low sodium beef broth. Family loved it! We dolloped with sour cream