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These cheesy ground beef stuffed sweet potatoes are the perfect healthy twist on a classic cheeseburger, but without the bun. They’re made up of a saucy seasoned ground beef mixture, melted cheddar, juicy tomatoes, red onion, and chopped pickles, all stuffed into a nutrient rich sweet potato.
They’re filling, fun, and so easy to make. Perfect for a weeknight dinner when you want something tasty but still super nutritious.
The great thing about a stuffed sweet potato recipe is just how versatile they are. You can stuff them with ground beef, chicken, or turkey, stuff them with shrimp, tuna or salmon, or even make them vegetarian and stuff them with black beans or chickpeas. The options are endless!
Cheeseburger-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are surprisingly good and they get everyone at my house excited about dinner! Teenagers and young adults (older adults too! ) just love this kinda thing! Especially when they get to pile on the toppings themselves. And if you need more options, another ground beef stuffed sweet potato favorite is this taco stuffed sweet potato recipe.
They’re such a fun, hearty twist on a classic cheeseburger night. The sweet potatoes get perfectly soft and caramelized in the oven, then they’re stuffed with a cheesy, saucy burger mixture and finished with all the fresh toppings we love: tomatoes, red onion, and pickles.
Table of Contents
- Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes Stuffed With Ground Beef
- Ingredients
- Variations And Substitutions
- How To Make Cheesy Ground Beef Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Rachel’s Tips For The Best Results
- How To Serve
- Make Ahead and Storage Tips
- Recipe FAQs
- More Healthy Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Recipes You’ll Love
- Ground Beef Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Cheeseburger Style!) Recipe
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
We’ve combined the natural sweetness of sweet potatoes with the savory goodness of lean ground beef and a tangy homemade burger-style sauce mixed right in! Here are some other reasons you’ll love this recipe!
- Budget-friendly: Ground beef and sweet potatoes are generally budget-friendly staples I use in recipes. But if you can find them on sale, that’s even better!
- Customizable: Change how you make the filling, add your favorite cheeseburger toppings for a completely customizable experience.
- Nutritious: Sweet potatoes are considered a “superfood” because of all the vitamins and minerals they contain. They really shine by giving you 400% of your daily vitamin A requirement!
- Protein packed: The ground beef in this recipe gives you a whopping 32 grams of protein to help you feel fuller, longer.
- Simple: This is a simple, quick and easy recipe that feeds 4 hungry people. Plus it makes the meal interesting for the adults, but not too interesting for the kids! IYKYK
For more healthy stuffed cheeseburger ideas that will make everyone happy, try this Flavorful Cheeseburger Stuffed Mushrooms, these Loaded Melty Cheeseburger Cups, or these Quick Cheeseburger Lettuce Wraps.
Health Benefits of Sweet Potatoes Stuffed With Ground Beef
Lean ground beef is a great way to make sure you are getting plenty of protein to help you build lean muscle mass and maintain a healthy weight. If you can afford grass fed beef or find it on sale, it contains even more omega-3’s.
But sweet potatoes are the real star of the show in this recipe.
Complex Carbohydrates from Sweet Potatoes are my favorite carbohydrates to eat because they leave me feeling really good and full of energy rather than the opposite feelings of bloat and tiredness many simple carbs seem to deliver.
Not only are they deliciously sweet and versatile, but they’re also packed with vitamins A and C, potassium, and fiber. And let’s not forget about the antioxidants!
Sweet potatoes are considered a “superfood” because of all the vitamins and minerals they contain.
Just as an example, 1 sweet potato contains almost 400% of your daily vitamin A requirements! They also contain vitamins B, C, and D as well as a wide range of minerals.
They can help boost your immune system, protect your vision and reproductive health, and even help lower your risk of cancer.
Sweet potatoes are excellent for digestion because they are rich in fiber – now that’s something you’re likely not going to get from takeout!
Plus, they appear to help improve blood sugar control and cholesterol levels.
After reading this, I think trading the over-processed bun for a nutrient rich bun is a no-brainer. Some other healthy burger “bun” options are lettuce, zucchini, mushrooms, and peppers.
Ingredients
The clean ingredients that make this cheeseburger stuffed sweet potato recipe perfect for an easy weeknight dinner with the family are the following:
Makes 4 Servings:
- 4 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
- 1 lb lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground bison
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsps smoked paprika
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
- 3 Tbsps ketchup
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard or Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings:
- 2 diced tomatoes
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 2 dill pickles, chopped
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and instructions.
Variations And Substitutions
Swap the filling: Stuffed sweet potatoes are good with many different fillings. Change the cheeseburger filling for taco or swap the beef entirely for something like tuna, salmon, or shrimp.
Change the Cheese: This recipe uses shredded cheddar, but anything you love from pepper jack to gouda would also be delicious. Use what is in your fridge or what you find on sale!
Omit the Cheese: Remove the cheese entirely to make a dairy free hamburger stuffed sweet potato.
Make it vegetarian: Sweet potatoes make a great base for vegetarian options too like these vegetarian stuffed potatoes with chickpeas.
Here are a few more popular stuffed sweet potato flavor combos you can try:
- Southwestern flavor made by adding black beans, salsa, and shredded cheese.
- Mediterranean style made by adding olives, feta cheese, cucumbers, and using ground chicken or turkey.
- Sloppy Joe stuffed sweet potatoes which is a healthy take on traditional sloppy joes but without the bun.
How To Make Cheesy Ground Beef Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Step 1. Preheat your oven to 400°F.
Step 2. Pierce your sweet potatoes with the tip of the knife or a fork, place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet, and bake 45-55 minutes.
Step 3. While your potatoes bake, heat a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the ground beef.
Step 4. Once partially cooked, drain any excessive grease if desired, then add the sea salt, pepper, paprika, and chopped onion and cook 5-6 minutes until onions are soft.
Step 5. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and mustard. Let it cook for another 2 minutes or so until it’s nice and saucy.
Step 6. Sprinkle shredded cheddar directly in the hot beef mixture. Stir gently until melted and creamy.
Step 7. Remove sweet potatoes from the oven, slice each potato lengthwise and gently press open to form a pocket as shown in the video, then spoon your cheesy burger mixture equally into each potato.
Step 8. Top with diced tomatoes, red onion, and dill pickles.
Rachel’s Tips For The Best Results
- Cook ground beef easier and faster using this ground beef smasher.
- Store bought shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well because of the powdered anti-caking agents on it. Shred your own block of cheese for an even meltier cheeseburger texture using this easy cheese shredder.
- Use any toppings that you love on a traditional cheeseburger.
Looking for more ways to stuff a sweet potato? Then don’t miss out on these other stuffed sweet potato recipes like this Spicy Shrimp Stuffed Sweet Potatoes + Avocado Cream (WOW!), this Melty Pizza Stuffed Baked Sweet Potatoes, or this Santa Fe Inspired Sweet Potatoes recipe.
How To Serve
Honestly, the classic cheeseburger toppings are great, but you could top this healthy sweet potato cheeseburger with whatever you like. The secret to making everyone happy is to serve them by putting all the toppings out and letting everyone assemble their own customized cheeseburger sweet potato.
Here are some additional topping ideas we thought of at CFC:
- Bacon
- Fried egg
- BBQ sauce
- Sauerkraut
- Teriyaki sauce
- Kimchi
- Ranch dressing
- Tomato Salsa
- Mango Salsa
- And so many more!
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
Here is the best part about these stuffed sweet potatoes. They taste fantastic the day you make them, but they’re perfect for meal prep or eating as leftovers too, and sometimes I think letting things hang out in the fridge can make the flavors even better! Not only can you fully assemble the sweet potato with the ground beef filling if you want to make them ahead of time, but they also keep beautifully for up to 4 days in the refrigerator! Make sure you store them in an airtight container.
My only tip is to add the toppings that are meant to be cold…like lettuce and tomatoes…after you reheat.
To reheat, just pop them in the microwave until they’re heated through.
Recipe FAQs
How can I cook sweet potatoes faster?
Cooking sweet potatoes fast is a cinch if you use the microwave or air fryer. To microwave, poke a few holes in the sweet potato using a knife, then heat for 5-7 minutes until fork tender. If you use the air fryer, place the sweet potato in the air fryer on 400°F for 20-25 minutes until fork tender (no need to poke these beforehand).
What else can I stuff sweet potatoes with?
Sweet potatoes are great stuffed with anything from ground meat, to seafood, to vegetarian options. Some popular fillings are taco meat, cheeseburger style ground beef, Mediterranean ingredients, black beans, and chickpea stuffed sweet potatoes.
How do I know if my sweet potato is fully cooked?
To know if your sweet potatoes are fully cooked, you want the sweet potatoes to be fork tender, meaning you can stick a fork or knife into them and it slides right back out when you remove it.
More Healthy Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Recipes You’ll Love
Ground Beef Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Cheeseburger Style!)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
- 1 lb lean ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken, or ground bison
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tsps smoked paprika
- 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 tsps Worcestershire sauce
- 3 Tbsps ketchup
- 1 Tbsp yellow mustard or dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup freshly shredded cheddar cheese
Toppings:
- 2 diced tomatoes
- 1 small red onion, finely diced
- 2 dill pickles, chopped https://cleanfoodcrush.com/easy-homemade-pickles-recipe/
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees f.
- Place your sweet potatoes on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Pierce them a few times each with the tip of the knife or a fork. Bake in your preheated oven for 45-55 minutes, or just until soft when pierced.
- While your potatoes bake, heat a skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add your ground meat and cook, breaking it apart.
- Once partially cooked, drain any excessive grease if desired, then add the sea salt, pepper, paprika, and chopped onion.
- Cook for 5–6 minutes until beef is nicely browned and onions are soft.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce, ketchup, and mustard. Let it cook for another 2 minutes or so until it’s nice and saucy.
- Sprinkle shredded cheddar directly in the hot beef mixture. Stir gently until melted and creamy.
- Remove sweet potatoes from the oven.
- Slice each potato lengthwise and gently press open to form a pocket as shown in the video.
- Spoon your cheesy burger mixture equally into each potato.
- Top with diced tomatoes, red onion, and dill pickles.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
