With a touch of planning ahead, this super easy taco-style meal comes together in a breeze! Flavorful taco meat and riced vegetables are paired with creamy and sweet Japanese sweet potatoes!
4servings sweet potatoesabout 1.5 pounds (I prefer Japanese or white, but any will do)
1poundgrass-fed ground beefor any ground meat
½jar of salsa - hotmedium, or mild - about 1 cup, or 8oz
10-16ozriced vegetablesbroccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or a combo
8ozfrozenchopped, organic spinach or other greens
Optional: ½ teaspoon each oreganocumin, red pepper flakes (really not needed, but if you’ve got these spices on hand, they’re a great flavor boost!)
Optional Toppings: cilantroavocado, more salsa, hot sauce, lime cashew crema
Instructions
First, prepare the sweet potatoes. I usually let them bake ahead of time on Sundays or Mondays while I’m doing other things, but you can totally “bake” them in your microwave! (Oven: pierce skin 4-6 times all over; bake 45-90 minutes on 425. Microwave: pierce skin 4-6 times all over; microwave 5-8 minutes, rotating halfway through.) I make a batch of baked sweet potatoes nearly every week to go with breakfast, lunch, or dinner, so I always have them ready, but if you don't, use your microwave!
Grab a large skillet - one with a lid can help speed things along, but it isn’t necessary. Brown the ground meat (with optional spices).
Add frozen vegetables (riced veggies and frozen spinach) and stir well, then stir in the salsa. Cook uncovered or covered until warmed through. (Covered takes 4-5 minutes.)
To serve: Split the sweet potatoes in half - I usually buy large sweet potatoes, so one potato is often 2-4 servings. Add a serving of sweet potato to each plate, then top with the ground beef and vegetable mixture!
Optional Toppings: cilantro, avocado, more salsa, Lime Cashew Crema, Green Chile Cashew Crema, hot sauce - I highly recommend topping with cilantro if you've got it. Herbs are super packed with nutrients!
Notes
Although I listed a lot of toppings, I very rarely top this dish with anything besides maybe a little more salsa! The sweet potato - ground beef - salsa combo is really delicious, flavorful, and filling.
Also, you can definitely spread this out to 5 servings, especially if you have more sweet potatoes or if you're not on Whole30 and you're in the mood for black beans.