The BEST Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Recipe

Side angle of the ground beef and sweet potato recipe.

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The BEST Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Recipe

This is the BEST Ground Beef and Sweet Potato recipe I've ever made. It's super simple to make and topped with fresh basil pesto and 'nduja.

Prep Time5

Cook Time20

Total Time25

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American, European

Servings: people

Calories: 830kcal

Author: Emily Roz

Ingredients

For the ground beef and sweet potatoes

1-2 sweet potatoes chopped into cubes
1 tablespoon olive oil
500g ground beef I used 15% fat but you could do less like 5%
1-2 teaspoon garlic granules based on your preference
400g tinned tomatoes

For the cheese sauce

40g salted butter
4 tablespoon plain flour
700ml milk
50g cheddar cheese grated
150g red leicester cheese grated
½ teaspoon paprika

For the toppings

5 teaspoon nduja mix with some olive oil to make it runny
5 teaspoon fresh basil pesto
Handful of pine nuts

Instructions

Begin by washing and slicing your sweet potato into small cubes.
Place a large shallow pan (skillet) on medium heat and drizzle in some olive oil. Add in your ground beef, break it apart, followed by your cubed sweet potatoes, garlic granules, salt, and pepper. Give it a mix and fry for 5 minutes.
Add in your tinned tomatoes plus an additional 400ml water (fill the tomato tin with water and swirl it around to get any leftover tomatoes) into the pan. Stir and then add on your lid and cook for 15 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally to prevent the food catching.
For the cheese sauce, place a saucepan on medium heat and add in your butter. Once fully melted, add in the flour and stir with a whisk until combined and thickened. Gently pour in the milk and stir simultaneously with the whisk. You should get a nicely thick smooth milk sauce. Season with salt and pepper, then add in your cheeses and paprika. Give it a good mix and it should thicken up even more slightly. Add more milk if it's too thick. Give it a taste and season accordingly.
After your sweet potato and ground beef have been cooking for 15 minutes, remove the lid and let the water evaporate further. You should have a slightly saucy but not watery mixture. Pour over the cheese sauce to cover the sweet potato and ground beef.
Dollop teaspoons of nduja and fresh basil pesto over your dish and then swirl through with a skewer or knife. Top with pine nuts and enjoy!

Notes

Step-by-Step Photos: My blog post includes helpful step-by-step photos to help guide you through making this recipe (simply scroll further up the blog post to see them!).

To double quantity: This recipe can be doubled to make the dish for 8 people.

Top Tips!

To check if the sweet potato is cooked, spike it with a fork and if it goes in easily, it's ready to go!
Always make sure to taste as you go. For the cheese sauce, season with salt, pepper, and any other ingredients you think will go well with it!
If you don't have nduja or basil pesto, no worries! Simply season your ground beef with some paprika or cajun seasoning to add extra flavour.

Storage: Once cool, place any leftovers in airtight containers and into the fridge for up to 3 days.

Freezer: Once cool, place any leftovers in airtight containers and into the freezer for up to 3 months. Leave to thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.

Reheating: Place in the microwave with the lid of the container slightly ajar for a few minutes until piping hot. Alternatively, you can place the ground beef with sweet potatoes in a pan and reheat on medium/low until slightly bubbling.

Nutrition