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When I first started writing recipes, I had a hatred for casseroles. Growing up, I remember vividly the nights that my mom would teach a sewing class and leave a box of Hamburger Helper for supper. I would enjoy making it, but the actual meal was always… lackluster. One disclaimer: this only happened a handful of times and Mom almost always made homemade food.
What I realize now is that casseroles are not the problem. Prepackaged food is the problem. This chipotle sweet potato taco bake is an entire meal in one skillet. What I love is how easy this is to put together and will please the entire family.
Ground hamburger is browned with onion and spices. The meat is extended with corn and beans and topped with shingled sweet potatoes. Once baked, this becomes a casserole that is both hearty and delicious!
The ingredients in this sweet potato taco bake
- Ground beef is the taco meat that’s used in this recipe. Personally, I use 85% lean meat and do not drain the meat after cooking. Any of the reamining juices have so much flavor.
- Chipotle powder is my favorite way to add smoke and spice to a dish. If you’re adverse to heat, simply reduce the amount.
- Chili powder and cumin give the iconic taco spice flavor to the recipe. Chili powder has some cumin already in it, but the additional amount of cumin provides a more well-rounded flavor.
- Fire roasted tomatoes are, in my opinion, a pantry staple. The fire roasting increases the flavor and adds a profile that gives the effect of a long time on the grill but without any of the effort.
- Kidney beans are definitely an underrated bean. These canned beans are creamy and filled with fiber and protein. The addition of the beans to this recipe gives more of a heartiness, which makes this a true meal.
- Sweet corn adds a hint of sweetness along with a little startch. It’s a great way to make this more kid-friendly. (I love to use my own frozen sweet corn from the summer season!)
- Sweet potatoes are shingled on top of the entire casserole, acting as mashed potatoes would in a shepherd’s pie recipe. Slice them 1/8-inch to 1/4-inch to ensure they roast quickly.
As with any Southwest-inspired dish, the toppings are what can make this a standout meal. Have your favorite extras ready, such as sour cream, salsa, avocados, pickled peppers, and shredded cheese. The bake becomes customizable to fit everyone’s preferences!
More casserole recipes
One Pot Stovetop Tuna Noodle Casserole
Spaghetti Squash Chicken Casserole
Three-Cheese Stuffed Shells
Chicken Tortilla Casserole
Watch how to make this sweet potato taco bake
Chipotle Sweet Potato Taco Bake
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion
- 1 lb ground beef 85% lean
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp chipotle powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- 1 15-oz can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 15-oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups frozen sweet corn thawed
- 1 ½ lb sweet potatoes sliced ⅛ to ¼-inch thick
- 1 tbsp neutral oil (grapeseed, avocado, or vegetable)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Brown the ground beef and onion in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Once the meat is browned, add the salt, chipotle powder, chili powder, and cumin. Stir to bloom the spices, 1 minute.1 medium onion, 1 lb ground beef, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp chipotle powder, 1 tsp chili powder, ½ tsp cumin
- Add the tomatoes and simmer for 2 minutes. After the tomatoes have simmered, remove the skillet from the heat and add the kidney beans and corn.1 15-oz can fire-roasted tomatoes, 1 15-oz can kidney beans, 2 cups frozen sweet corn
- Spread the filling to an even later. Shingle the prepared sweet potatoes over the filling by slightly overlapping them until the entire filling is covered. Drizzle the sweet potatoes with oil. Sprinkle with salt and more chipotle powder, if desired.1 ½ lb sweet potatoes, 1 tbsp neutral oil (grapeseed, avocado, or vegetable)
- Bake in the preheated oven until the potatoes are tender and the filling bubbling, 25-35 minutes. Once baked, remove from the oven and serve with favorite toppings.
This was most excellent! I had to sub Yukon golds for the sweet potato because I didn’t want to go out with temps in the teens! It was great with them too!
I loved loved this recipe!
It was delicious. Everything just works in this dish. It is now my go to casserole for a winter night!
This was very tasty. I substituted ground turkey breast for the beef, and upped the spices. The filling was delicious. Unfortunately I could not get the sweet potatoes to work. Even though the sweet potatoes was sliced thin, after 50 minutes of cooking they were still not done. Next time I might increase the oven temperature to 400.
This is so good! My family loved it. We love sweet potatoes and taco anything is always a hit in our house.
Made this a second time. I had some leftover lentil taco so I used it up instead of meat. Also very good and great for a meatless meal.
Blessings from the PNW!
I made this from ingredients that I had on hand. I had to sub smoked paprika for the chipotle powder and black beans for the kidney, it still turned out great. My son and husband loved it!
Hello!!! I was just wondering if your Recipe “Chipotle Sweet Potato Bake”
really has 6868.4mg of Potassium in it per serving? I ask because the Dish sounds wonderful and would love to make it but I have Kidney Disease and have to watch my Potassium intake. Thank YOU for any information you may be able to give me. Softest Regards, Emma
Hi Emma! All of the nutrition information is autogenerated, so there could be some discrepancies with exact amounts. But both sweet potatoes and tomatoes have a lot of potassium. So if that is something you need to watch, you may want to be conscious of this fact. Thanks for watching and following!
I love it and when I have left overs to my grandson he was anxious to take the recipe home. Definitely a winner that I will make again! The sweet potatoes were a great addition and my grandson commented on how they added the perfect amount of sweetness. He usually is not a sweet potato fan.