Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Taco Salad

My sweet potato and ground beef taco salad is an adult version of those taco salads you would eat out of Fritos bags as a kid. It’s one of my favorite things to make when I’m craving taco-esc flavors, and I share my hack on how to make a flavor packed salsa vinaigrette with just a few ingredients 😉

Looking for other taco- inspired dishes? Try my Salmon Taco Salad, Smashed Tacos, or my Shredded Adobo Chicken Tacos.

The best parts about this recipe

• A more veg packed option to enjoy tacos that is still satisfying.
• It’s nostalgic! Tell me these don’t remind you of Frito Bag Taco salad days from elementary school.
• The toppings are super versatile – use what I recommend, or add on other taco toppings you love.

Table of Contents

• Ingredient Notes
• How to make Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Taco Salad Step by Step
• Recipe and Cooking Tips
• Storage and Reheating
• Additions and Substitutions
• FAQ
• Video Tutorial
• The Recipe
• Looking for more similar recipes?

Ingredient Notes: 

Ground Beef – I use a 85% lean 15% fat ground beef, but you can also use a leaner version if you prefer. Since I cook the sweet potatoes with the ground beef, it’s nice to have a little bit of extra fat (or tallow) that helps cook and flavor the beef.

Sweet Potato – I use one large sweet potato (~ 1 lb), or 2 small sweet potatoes. Dice this into small 1/2″ cubes so they will cook within 10 minutes.

Salsa – for the salsa vinaigrette, I use a store-bought salsa (I like Casa Sanchez brand!) to bring a lot of flavor with minimal ingredients. We use just ~1/4 cup of salsa, but salsa usually keeps in the fridge for at least a week, and you can snack on this with your remaining tortilla chips.

Quinoa Rice – To add a little bit more fiber and protein into this bowl without sacrificing flavor and texture, I love this cilantro lime quinoa rice. I use white quinoa, but any color quinoa works here in addition to white rice.

Pickled Red Onions – The acidic punch that pulls this whole taco salad together. I make my own and keep some in my fridge at all times, but you can find these at some grocery stores.

How to make the Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Taco Salad – Step by Step Instructions:

For the Pickled Red Onions:

Step 1: Slice the red onion into thin strips, less than ¼” thick. Add this to a heat proof bowl or jar.

Step 2: In a small pot, add the white wine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt. Bring this to a simmer, then remove from the heat and pour over the sliced onions.

Step 3: Add a few ice cubes and let this sit for 30 minutes.

For the Sweet Potato Bowl:

Step 1: Make the grains. Add the rice, quinoa, and salt to a small 2 qt pot. Toast for 30 seconds, then add the 1.5 cups of water (I don’t rinse my rice in this case – the toasting will help with the starch). Bring up to boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes on low heat. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes. Once finished, gently fold in the chopped cilantro, lime zest, and lime juice.

Step 2: Prep all the vegetables and garnishes. Chop the sweet potato to a½” dice, thinly slice the red cabbage, and finely chop the cilantro. If you plan on making the pickled red onions, slice these as well.

Step 3: Heat a medium sized pan on medium high heat. Add the ground beef and mince well. Season with the kosher salt, cumin, coriander, and paprika, then add the sweet potato and black pepper. Stir occasionally and let this cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft.

Step 4: Make the dressing by combining all the ingredients in a bowl or glass jar. You could also food process this for a more emulsified sauce. Whisk or blend everything for about 30 seconds, taste and adjust for seasoning as desired, and set aside.

Step 5: Assemble the bowl by adding a bed of arugula to a bowl. Top with the red cabbage, quinoa rice, shredded cheese, sweet potato and ground beef mixture, tortilla chips and pickled red onions. Add a few spoonfuls of the salsa vinaigrette, and serve!

Recipe & Cooking tips:

Tip 1 – Brown the ground meat and mince it up for a couple minutes to get less chunky pieces, then add the diced sweet potato. At this point, some of the fat will render and help the sweet potato cook. Let this mixture cook on medium heat (either covered, or uncovered) for ~10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are soft. Stir occasionally and add a splash of water if it begins to burn.

Tip 2 – Start your prep by cooking the quinoa rice. It takes 30 minutes to cook, and you should be able to finish your other ingredient prep within this time.

Tip 3 – Use storebought salsa for a simple and delicious dressing. If you really want another shortcut, you could just spoon salsa, olive oil, and lime juice over your salad, but mixing it together more evenly distributes the flavor.

Storage and Reheating

Storage: Store the chopped ingredients separate from the dressing in an airtight container for up for 3 days in the refrigerator. Store the dressing in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. You can keep the sweet potato ground beef mixture and the quinoa rice in the same Tupperware, but I recommend storing the red cabbage in its own Tupperware, and the pickled red onions in it’s own jar. Feel free to read an example on how best to store salad ingredients for the week here.

Reheating: When making this salad after the first day, I like to gently reheat the quinoa rice and sweet potato mixture before adding it to the salad. You can give this a quick blitz in the microwave (30 seconds), or warm it up in a pan with a tablespoon of water for ~5 minutes.

Additions and Substitutions

Additions:

• Spice – the current recipe is quite mild. You can enhance the spiciness here by using spicy salsa, or even adding a pinch of red pepper flake or sriracha to the beef mixture as you’re sautéing it.
• Garlic – minced or sliced would be another great option to add to the sweet potato and beef mixture.
• Avocado – I would have 100% added avocado for some additional healthy fats if I had some on hand.
• Sour Cream – Like avocado, if there’s something you love on your tacos like sour cream, GO FOR IT!

Substitutions:

• Pickled red onions – if you can’t find these and don’t feel like making them, try pickled jalapeños. They are pretty common at grocery stores and will add that acid kick!
• Ground beef – Feel free to substitute with ground turkey, chicken, or even a plant based ground meat if you’re vegetarian.

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