Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Casserole with clean, wholesome ingredients for a balanced high protein meal! Make it for meal prep for easy dinners!
This easy ground beef and sweet potato casserole was born out of my own personal boredom for my weeknight meals.
In need of something hearty, protein-packed, and clean, it dawned on me that dumping things I love into a casserole dish and sprinkling them with cheese would surely win me some sort of lifetime achievement award, if only in my own mind, body, and soul.
Well, this genius plot worked, because dressing my classic favorites in a new outfit was just what I needed for a satisfying meal.
Made with a handful of basic ingredients, this easy dinner recipe is an absolute win!
Ground beef, sweet potatoes, onions, garlic, spinach, and cheese bring us a high protein meal that is balanced out with carbohydrates, fiber, and plenty of Vitamins.
Let’s go over the simple ingredients, as there is plenty of room to change things up in this versatile recipe. The full ingredients list can by found at any grocery store!
Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Casserole Ingredients:
Lean Ground Beef: Pick up one pound of lean ground beef to serve as the protein source here. I use 90/10 ground beef, which I find is the perfect fat content. You can use a higher fat content but you may consider draining the fat after the meat has browned.
Sweet Potatoes: Our all-star ingredient that brings complex carbohydrates, fiber, Vitamin A and antioxidants to the meal!
Baby Spinach: Because greens are so easy to hide in cooked applications, I love adding a ton of spinach to this meal. It cooks down and I hardly notice it! We’re getting a good source of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, iron, and folate.
Onion and Garlic: These two loveable ingredients bring a huge infusion of flavor to any meal. They work wonders here for making this dish taste naughty when it is, in fact, nice.
Italian Seasoning: A little sprinkle of dried herbs adds more nuance to the flavor profile. You can easily add your favorite spices! Chili powder, smoked paprika, Cajun seasoning, or lemon pepper are all lovely options.
Cheese: Pick your favorite melting cheese! I use an aged white cheddar, but any kind of cheese that easily melts will do. Mozzarella cheese, jack cheese, cheddar cheese, Colby jack cheese, and gruyere cheese are all good options.
Avocado Oil: We need cooking oil to brown the beef and cook the veggies. I prefer using avocado oil, but olive oil works too.
Sea Salt and Black Pepper: Season this ground beef recipe to taste using salt and pepper.
Recipe Customizations:
- Swap out the ground beef for ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground Italian sausage. Any kind of ground meat works here.
- Add in your favorite vegetables. Tomatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, brussels sprouts, zucchini, green beans, and mushrooms are all great options.
- For taco flavor, add 1 tablespoon of chili powder to the meat mixture. You can also serve the meal with salsa, sour cream, and guacamole for a healthy taco night kind of situation.
- Mix in any fresh herbs you love. Fresh parsley is great here and fresh cilantro is excellent for serving.
- For Southwest flavor, add one small can of corn, one can of black beans, and one tablespoon of chili powder or taco seasoning. You can serve the sweet potato ground beef casserole with green chiles or salsa.
- If you’re into spicy food, you can add 3 chopped chipotle peppers in adobo sauce.
- I don’t recommend swapping the sweet potatoes for regular potatoes like russet potatoes, because you will lose some of the complex flavor and nutrients.
We’ve covered the simple ingredients and possible substitutions! Let’s make this hearty, healthy dinner recipe!
How to Make Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Casserole:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat the avocado oil in a large Dutch oven (or thick bottomed pot or large skillet with a deep lip) over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and ground beef and use a spatula or a wooden spoon to break the meat into small chunks.
Brown the meat for a couple of minutes before stirring in the chopped sweet potatoes.
Cover the pot with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes have begun to soften.
Add the spinach to the pot and cover it with the lid. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the spinach has wilted.
Transfer the sweet potato and ground beef mixture to a large casserole dish and spread it into an even layer.
Sprinkle the top with grated cheese.
Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and has reached your desired level of golden brown deliciousness.
Serve in big bowls, and enjoy! You can sprinkle chopped green onions over this delicious recipe if you’d like.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
This is one of those easy dinner recipes that is even better the next day! Enjoy it with brown rice, cauliflower rice, or a side of sauteed veggies or a salad.
Meal Prep Tips:
Chop as you go! Chop the sweet potato while you’re browning the beef to keep your prep time low. You can also grate the cheese while the sweet potatoes are cooking with the meat.
This gluten free casserole recipe saves very well! Feel free to prepare it days in advance of when you need it.
Turn It Into A Skillet Meal:
You may be wondering why you need to use both a large pot and a casserole dish. Very astute. You don’t. You can easily turn this into a one-pot meal or a skillet meal.
Simply sprinkle the cheese right into the pot or the skillet you used to cook the meat and veggies. Either cover it and allow it to sit on the stove top over medium-low heat until the cheese has melted, or bake it in the oven if your pot is oven-safe. Boom! Less cleanup!
If you take one of these two approaches, you’re looking at an easy one-pan meal!
And that’s it! If you’re like me and you occasionally need all of the same foods, just dressed in a different outfit, this easy cheesy casserole is for you!
This is a great recipe to use as taco filling for taco night, too!
As long as the whole family is into sweet potatoes and beef, everyone will love this delicious weeknight meal.
For those of you who love making casseroles, try out some of my other casserole recipes.
More Casserole Recipes:
- Veggie-Packed Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
- Tuna Noodle Casserole
- Ground Turkey Taco Casserole
- Wild Rice Chicken Casserole
- Mushroom Bolognese Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Everything you need in a ground beef and sweet potato recipe right here!
Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Casserole Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- 1 medium-sized yellow onion chopped
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¾ tsp sea salt to taste
- ¼ tsp black pepper to taste
- 2 medium-sized sweet potatoes chopped
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 1.5 to 2 cups grated cheese*
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large Dutch oven (or thick bottomed pot or large skillet with a deep lip) over medium high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté, stirring occasionally until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and ground beef and use a spatula or a wooden spoon to break the meat into small chunks. Brown the meat for a couple of minutes before stirring in the chopped sweet potatoes. Cover the pot with a lid and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes have begun to soften.
- Add the spinach to the pot and cover it with the lid. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the spinach has wilted.
- Transfer the sweet potato and ground beef mixture to a large casserole dish and spread it into an even layer. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese.
- Bake on the center rack of the preheated oven for 15 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and has reached your desired level of golden brown deliciousness.
- Serve in big bowls, and enjoy! You can sprinkle chopped green onions over this delicious recipe if you’d like.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission off items you purchase at no additional cost to you.
