Introducing the Mexican Ground Beef and Potato Skillet – a quick weeknight dinner that's ready in just 30 minutes!
It features taco-seasoned ground beef, sweet potatoes, onions, and tomatoes to bring you all the delicious Mexican flavors.
Mexican Ground Beef and Potatoes Recipe
You can enjoy it as it is, over cauliflower rice, brown rice, with spicy salsa, avocado crema, or atop a bed of mixed greens.
Plus, it's perfect for leftovers or meal prep!
For more easy dinners with beef try these: cheesy ground beef taco skillet, ground beef lettuce wraps, steak fajitas and easy taco salad.
Jump To
- Mexican Ground Beef and Potatoes Recipe
- 🛒 Ingredients
- Make Ahead Tips
- 🥘 How To Make Mexican Ground Beef and Potatoes
- ⏲️ Recommended Equipment
- Leftover Ideas
- Mexican Beef Skillet Popular Substitutions
- 📋 Tips
- Storage Instructions
- 👪 Serving Suggestions
- Some Favorite Toppings for you to try:
- For Dessert, Give These a Try!
- Did You Try This Recipe?
- 🤷Frequently Asked Questions
- More Mexican Dinners
- More Ground Beef Recipes
- Did You Try This Recipe?
- 📖Recipe
- 💬 Comments
🛒 Ingredients
- Ground beef - I prefer using fairly lean ground beef to keep the meat mixture from having too much excess grease.
- Yellow onion - Opt for yellow onions or sweet onions for the best flavor.
- Fresh garlic cloves - If needed, you can substitute ½ teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Diced tomatoes - Or you can use crushed tomatoes here, with the liquid and no need to drain. If you don't have this, you can sub with good quality rich tomato sauce (a sauce that goes on pizza and in pasta but not ketchup).
- Cheese - Don't hesitate to experiment with different cheese varieties. We love cheeses that melt beautifully, such as Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gouda, and Colby Jack or Mozzarella.
- Spices - Feel free to adjust the amount of chili in here for the whole family to enjoy.
- Corn - You can use either unsweetened canned or frozen corn (no need to thaw).
- Potatoes - You can use either red sweet potatoes or regular russet potatoes for the recipe.
👩🍳 You'll find the complete list of ingredients below the recipe card.
Make Ahead Tips
- Dice the potatoes the evening before and place them in water, covered with plastic wrap. Alternatively, you can opt for pre-cut potatoes.
- You can prepare the ground beef ahead of time. Keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Ensure it cools down and is refrigerated within 2 hours of cooking.
🥘 How To Make Mexican Ground Beef and Potatoes
Heat a large skillet with olive oil. Toss in the minced garlic and chopped onion, cooking until the onion becomes translucent, which usually takes about 1-2 minutes.
Add the ground beef, along with chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cook until the ground beef is completely browned.
Transfer the cooked ground beef onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess grease from the frying pan.
In the same frying pan, add the chopped sweet potato, diced tomato, and corn. Season with, salt, and pepper.
Place a lid on the pan and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the sweet potato becomes tender when pierced with a fork.
Be sure to stir occasionally.
Once the sweet potato reaches the desired tenderness, reintroduce the taco meat to the frying pan and thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese on the top and cover with the lid until cheese is melted.
Serve with salsa, fresh cilantro or green onions and savor the dish! For a balanced flavor, add a touch of fresh lime drizzle.
⏲️ Recommended Equipment
- Nonstick Skillet or Dutch Oven Pot
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Airtight Food containers
- Spatula
Leftover Ideas
- I enjoy transforming leftover Mexican ground beef into a hash by crisping up the ingredients in a skillet and topping them with a fried egg.
- For a portable meal, consider wrapping the leftovers in a whole wheat tortilla. Be sure to heat the filling beforehand. (Adding some cheese to the wrap would be a tasty addition.)
- This tex-mex ground beef makes an excellent taco filling, for this, I’d dice the sweet potatoes even smaller and add a dollop of salsa and sour cream for serving.
Mexican Beef Skillet Popular Substitutions
- Spices - instead of using separate spices, you can opt for store-bought taco seasoning or similar. Or try this homemade taco seasoning that you can use in other Mexican dishes as well.
- Diced tomatoes - to add more flavor you can use fire-roasted tomatoes or Rotel tomatoes with green chiles.
- To make it low carb/keto, you can replace sweet potatoes with pinto beans, and black beans or opt for cauliflower rice or florets as substitutes.
- Sweet potatoes - butternut squash or sweeter pumpkin are two great substitutions for sweet potatoes.
- Beef - you can swap it with ground chicken, turkey or Italian sausage.
- Veggie loaded - for a vegetarian modification, you can use a mix of beans or just black beans instead of the beef.
📋 Tips
- Feel free to customize this skillet dinner by adding, removing, or substituting any of the vegetables. You can add lots of veggies to it: we love zucchini, fresh grape tomatoes, carrots, bell peppers, jalapenos, mushrooms, Brussels sprouts or green beans.
- Opt for block cheese instead of pre-grated cheese. Grating it yourself guarantees that the cheese will melt completely and achieve the desired consistency.
- For a quicker meal, you can chop the potatoes and keep them in the freezer for later. When ready, make these crispy potato cubes simply in the oven.
Storage Instructions
- 🍱To Store. Store the leftover dinner in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- 🥶Freezing. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months, but I recommend adding the cheese only when reheating.
- 🔥To Reheat. To reheat, you can return the beef skillet to a pan over medium-high heat, stirring until it's heated through. Alternatively, you can microwave it on high to heat it up.
👪 Serving Suggestions
- Mexican Ground Beef Skillet is a great grain-free meal on its own.
- Pair with a simple fresh lettuce salad or try my all-time favorite side dishes like cucumber dill salad, and caesar salad.
- For an added burst of flavor, hot sauce, sriracha, or salsa is an excellent option, especially for those who enjoy a little extra heat! Or instead of diced tomatoes use this 15-minute enchilada sauce, delicious and spicy!
- With grains - quinoa or rice are excellent here.
- For tacos or burritos, use it as a delectable filling. Enhance it with cilantro, chunks of avocado, and for an extra burst of flavor, consider adding some pickled red onions!
- Transform it into a hash for breakfast! Simply reheat any leftovers in a pan, crack an egg or two on top, and serve it in a delightful hash style. It brings back memories of a classic but delicious harissa.
Related Article: Air Fryer Meatballs
Some Favorite Toppings for you to try:
- sour cream
- red onion
- tomato
- cilantro
- avocado and guacamole
- black olives
- Pico de Gallo
- salsa
- lime juice
- crushed tortilla chips
For Dessert, Give These a Try!
For all tasty treats, scroll through our Desserts archives.
🤷Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can meal prep this dinner by dicing the potatoes in advance (up to 24 hours) cooking the beef, and storing in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Avoid the temptation to cook ground beef on high heat. It's preferable to use medium-high heat, using a wooden spoon to break it apart and stir regularly. Also, be cautious not to overcook the meat.
Indeed, after all the cooking is done, allow it to cool completely. I recommend holding off on adding the cheese on top; instead, add it when you're ready to enjoy it.
Once it has cooled, transfer it to a freezer-safe container and store it in the freezer for up to two months.
Typically it takes about 7-10 minutes river medium high heat for the beef to cook through and no longer be pink.
Both beef and sweet potatoes are as nutritious as they are. I believe that choosing high-quality ingredients and eating in moderation is the key to a healthier diet.
Also, some sources say that sweet potatoes are considered healthier than regular potatoes.
More Mexican Dinners
For all Dinners, check out our main course archives.
📖Recipe
Cheesy Mexican Ground Beef and Potatoes (30 Minutes!)
Ingredients
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoon garlic cloves, minced, about 2 garlic cloves
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- olive oil for cooking
- 1 ½ pounds sweet potato, about 2 cups diced
- 14 oz canned diced tomatoes, no need to drain
- 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen, no need to thaw
- ½ cup grated cheddar cheese
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 large lime, for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet with olive oil. Toss in the minced garlic and chopped onion, cooking until the onion becomes translucent, which usually takes about 1-2 minutes.
- Add the ground beef, along with chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cook until the ground beef is completely browned.
- Transfer the cooked ground beef onto a plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess grease from the frying pan.
- In the same frying pan, add the chopped sweet potato, diced tomato, and corn. Season with, salt, and pepper.
- Place a lid on the pan and cook for approximately 15 minutes or until the sweet potato becomes tender when pierced with a fork. Be sure to stir occasionally.
- Once the sweet potato reaches the desired tenderness, reintroduce the taco meat to the frying pan and thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese on the top and cover with the lid until cheese is melted.
- Serve with salsa, fresh cilantro or green onions and savor the dish! For a balanced flavor, add a touch of fresh lime drizzle.
Notes
- This recipe makes about 4 larger and 6 smaller servings.
- Leftover ideas
- I enjoy transforming leftover Mexican ground beef into a hash by crisping up the ingredients in a skillet and topping them with a fried egg.
- For a portable meal, consider wrapping the leftovers in a whole wheat tortilla. Be sure to heat the filling beforehand. (Adding some cheese to the wrap would be a tasty addition.)
- This tex-mex ground beef makes an excellent taco filling, for this, I’d dice the sweet potatoes even smaller and add a dollop of salsa and sour cream for serving.
- Ground beef - I prefer using fairly lean ground beef to keep the meat mixture from having too much excess grease.
- Yellow onion - Opt for yellow onions or sweet onions for the best flavor.
Fresh garlic cloves - If needed, you can substitute ½ teaspoon of garlic powder. - Diced tomatoes - Or you can use crushed tomatoes here, with the liquid and no need to drain. If you don't have this, you can sub with good quality rich tomato sauce (a sauce that goes on pizza and in pasta but not ketchup).
- Cheese - Don't hesitate to experiment with different cheese varieties. We love cheeses that melt beautifully, such as Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Gouda, and Colby Jack or Mozzarella.
- To Store. Store the leftover dinner in an airtight container for up to 3 days in the fridge.
- Freezing. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months, but I recommend adding the cheese only when reheating.
- To Reheat. To reheat, you can return the beef skillet to a pan over medium-high heat, stirring until it's heated through. Alternatively, you can microwave it on high to heat it up.
Recipe inspired by Andianne.
Rita
Delicious and easy Mexican ground beef and sweet potato skillet dinner.