Hot Honey Ground Beef Sweet Potato Boats (Printable)

Tender roasted sweet potatoes filled with savory ground beef glazed in hot honey for a satisfying weeknight meal.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed
02 - 1 small red onion, diced
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 small red bell pepper, diced
05 - 2 green onions, sliced

→ Meats

06 - 1 lb lean ground beef

→ Sauce & Seasoning

07 - 2 tbsp olive oil
08 - 2 tbsp hot honey
09 - 2 tbsp tomato paste
10 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
11 - 1/2 tsp ground cumin
12 - 1/2 tsp chili powder
13 - 1/2 tsp salt
14 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

→ Toppings

15 - 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese
16 - 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
17 - 1/2 avocado, sliced

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Pierce sweet potatoes several times with fork. Place on baking sheet and roast 40-45 minutes until fork-tender.
02 - Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and bell pepper, sauté 3-4 minutes until softened.
03 - Add garlic, cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
04 - Add ground beef to skillet. Cook, breaking up meat, until browned and cooked through, 5-7 minutes.
05 - Drain excess fat if needed. Stir in tomato paste, smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Cook 2 minutes.
06 - Drizzle hot honey over meat mixture. Stir to combine and simmer 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
07 - When cool enough to handle, slice sweet potatoes lengthwise down center without cutting all the way through. Gently fluff inside with fork.
08 - Fill each sweet potato with hot honey ground beef mixture.
09 - Top with cheese if using. Let melt 2 minutes, then garnish with green onions, cilantro, and avocado slices.
10 - Serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The hot honey creates this incredible sticky glaze that balances the rich beef perfectly
  • Everything cooks in one pan while the potatoes roast, making cleanup surprisingly manageable
02 -
  • I once forgot to pierce the potatoes before roasting and one burst in the oven, so dont skip that step no matter how tired you are
  • The hot honey can get extremely sticky if you let it sit too long, so add it right before you're ready to serve
03 -
  • If your sweet potatoes are thick, give them an extra 10-15 minutes because undercooked centers are disappointing
  • Let the beef mixture cool slightly before filling the potatoes so it doesnt steam the avocados into weirdness

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