Ground Beef Sweet Potato Bowl

Name: Ground Beef Sweet Potato Bowl
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 16 ounces cottage cheese; ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional); 2 small limes (divided); ¼ cup minced cilantro (optional + more for serving); 2 large sweet potatoes (peeled (optional) and cut into ½-inch cubes); 1 tablespoon olive oil (+ more if needed for lean beef); 4 tablespoons taco seasoning (divided); 1 pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey or chicken); ¼ cup water; ½ cup plain tomato sauce; 1 large avocado (optional); 1-2 tablespoons hot honey (optional, for serving); 1 tablespoon chili powder; 2 teaspoons cumin; 2 teaspoons kosher salt; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1 teaspoon paprika; ½ teaspoon pepper; ¼ teaspoon oregano; ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

Main Courses Gluten Free Tex Mex

By Kristen Chidsey

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Oct 13, 2026

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This Ground Beef Sweet Potato Bowl is taco night, minus the tortillas. Saucy, spiced taco meat and roasted sweet potatoes get topped with cilantro-lime cottage cheese, avocado, and a drizzle of hot honey. And even though there are several components, it's mostly hands-off.

Even my husband, who will always pick a classic taco, was won over, and he thought the cottage cheese was a nice touch over sour cream. The components store separately, so it works just as well for meal prep lunches as it does for dinner.

Seasoned taco meat served with roasted sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, and hot honey.

Why This Taco Night Spin Works

I have always loved topping a baked or Instant Pot sweet potato with my homemade taco meat and calling it dinner. So when I first saw the internet go wild over roasted sweet potatoes with taco meat and cottage cheese, I knew I had to try it. After a few tweaks of my own, I have a new taco night obsession, and I think you will, too!

Keeps you full. Each bowl packs 41 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber per serving.
Cottage cheese does double duty. Mixed with lime and cilantro, it stands in for sour cream and adds extra protein.
The oven does the heavy lifting. The sweet potatoes take the longest, but they roast on their own while the taco meat comes together in about 15 minutes.
Made for meal prep. The components store separately, and the sweet potatoes and taco meat both reheat well. Roast extra sweet potatoes earlier in the week, or make extra taco meat on taco night, and you can assemble a bowl anytime.
Works for the whole family. It's a gluten-free lunch or dinner, and everyone can build their own bowl.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, ground beef, and seasonings for ground beef sweet potato bowls out on counter with text overlays.

Ground Beef: Lean ground beef keeps the taco meat from getting greasy, but you can use any fat percentage you have on hand and drain off excess grease. Ground turkey and ground chicken both work well as a substitute.
Sweet Potatoes: Peeling is up to you. Cut them into ½-inch cubes, so they roast relatively quickly.
Cottage Cheese: Mixed with lime zest, lime juice, and cilantro, it adds a cool, creamy layer and extra protein. For the best flavor and texture, I choose a cottage cheese made with simple ingredients like milk, cream, and salt. Plain Greek yogurt works too and still adds protein, but it doesn't have the salt or texture of cottage cheese. If you use it, add a pinch of salt along with the lime, cilantro, and smoked paprika.
Smoked Paprika (optional): I use this to add a nice smoky note to the cottage cheese, but if you don't have it on hand, leave it out. I wouldn't swap in regular paprika here, because it won't add much flavor. That said, I do use regular paprika in the spice blend to flavor the ground beef.
Spice Blend: This is the homemade blend I use for my taco meat. You can use 4 tablespoons of my homemade taco seasoning or one 1.3-ounce packet of prepared taco seasoning instead.
Avocado (optional): A squeeze of fresh lime juice and a pinch of salt bring out its flavor. If you don't have one on hand, skip it.
Hot Honey (optional): I love drizzling hot honey over the bowls before serving for sweet heat. Regular honey with a few red pepper flakes is a great swap, or you can leave both off.

How to Make Ground Beef Sweet Potato Bowls

The steps and photos are here to help, but please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post for full directions, quantities, and the video.

Make the cilantro-lime cottage cheese. Gently mix the cottage cheese with the zest and juice of 1 lime, and if desired, minced cilantro and smoked paprika. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare everything else.

Note from Kristen

Starting with the cottage cheese gives it time to take on flavor. The smoked paprika and lime add a layer most recipes skip, making these bowls feel more complete.

Lime being juiced into a bowl of cottage cheese with cilantro, lime zest, and smoked paprika.

Mix the spice blend. Stir together the chili powder, cumin, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, pepper, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

Taco seasoning spices measured out in small bowl.

Roast the sweet potatoes. Spread the cubed sweet potatoes on a rimmed half sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the spice blend, and toss to coat. Spread in an even layer and bake 25-30 minutes, flipping after 15 minutes, or until fork-tender and slightly browned. Don't crowd the pan. The potatoes need room to roast and brown, not steam.

Prefer the air fryer?

Using my air fryer sweet potato cubes recipe, air-fry the seasoned sweet potato cubes in a single layer at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes, shaking halfway, until golden and cooked through. As with the sheet pan, don't crowd the basket.

Roasted sweet potato cubes seasoned with taco seasoning on rimmed baking sheet.

Make the seasoned ground beef. While the sweet potatoes roast, brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat, crumbling it into small pieces. Drain any excess fat. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and the remaining spice blend. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened.

Ground beef cooked and crumbled in saute pan.

Ground beef seasoned with taco seasoning and tomato sauce in skillet.

Season the avocado. Cube the avocado, squeeze the second lime over it, and sprinkle with salt. Toss gently so the cubes stay intact.

Diced avocado tossed with lime juice in small glass bowl.

Build the bowls. Add taco meat and roasted sweet potatoes to each bowl, then top with cottage cheese and some avocado. If desired, drizzle with about ½ tablespoon of hot honey and top with additional minced cilantro.

Ground Beef seasoned with taco seasoning served with roasted sweet potatoes, cottage cheese, and hot honey.

How to Serve Ground Beef Sweet Potato Bowls

This bowl is a full meal on its own, but I often serve it alongside fresh fruit or a piña colada smoothie. Set out the components and toppings and let everyone build their own bowl.

Toppings bar: Hot honey, extra cilantro, sliced jalapeños, and crushed red pepper flakes. Add as much heat as you like.
Kid-friendly swap: My daughter loves this bowl with a dollop of sour cream in place of the cottage cheese.

Put the leftovers to work:

Extra sweet potatoes: Use them in place of the butternut squash in my roasted butternut squash salad. They also speed up my Mexican chicken skillet: add them to the pan along with the beans after cooking the chicken as directed.
Extra taco meat: Make tacos, taco pizza, or mini wonton tacos.

Storage Instructions

Refrigerate: Store each component separately. Roasted sweet potatoes keep for up to 5 days, and the taco meat and cottage cheese keep for up to 3 days. Dice the avocado as needed, not in advance.
Freeze: Taco meat freezes well for up to 3 months. You can freeze the roasted sweet potatoes, but it's more involved. Flash-freeze them first, then roast or air-fry them from frozen to keep them crispy. I usually make just enough for the week and skip freezing.
Reheat: Microwave the sweet potatoes and taco meat to keep it quick, then top with the cold cottage cheese and freshly diced avocado.

More Bowl Dinners to Try

If you like building dinner in a bowl, these are worth a try next:

Korean Ground Beef: Ground beef and rice with fresh toppings and a sweet and savory sauce.
Egg Roll in a Bowl: Ground turkey and coleslaw mix tossed in a simple sauce.
Crockpot Salsa Chicken: A dump-and-cook recipe with Tex-Mex flavor. It makes a great topping for rice or for leftover roasted sweet potatoes from this recipe.

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