Smashed Sweet Potato Taco Beef Bowls

This is what happens when taco night gets an upgrade. Sweet potato rounds roast in the oven, get smashed and grilled until the edges are golden and crisp, then get loaded with saucy taco beef, fresh corn salsa, and smashed avo. It’s a high-protein bowl that pulls its weight on flavour without asking much of you on a weeknight.

Serves 4

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40 minutes

Looking for more Mexican-inspired bowls? Try my Smashed Potato Taco Bowls or my Steak Burrito Bowl.

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video

Helpful Tips

Storage

Fridge: Store the sweet potato, beef, and salsa separately in airtight containers for up to 4 days.
Freezer: The taco beef freezes well for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in a pan. Sweet potato and salsa are best made fresh.
Reheat: Reheat sweet potato in the oven or air fryer at 200°C for 8–10 minutes to bring back the crispiness. Reheat beef in a pan with a splash of water or stock to loosen.

Substitutions

Sweet potato: Baby potatoes work well — boil until tender, then smash and roast the same way.
Beef mince: Swap for turkey or chicken mince. Cook time stays the same.
Bone broth / beef stock: Any good-quality beef stock works here.
Sour cream: Swap for Greek yoghurt for a lighter option with similar tang.
Jalapeños: Use fresh green chilli if jalapeños aren’t available.

Serving Suggestions

These bowls are a full meal as-is. If you want to stretch them further, warm flour or corn tortillas on the side work really well. A simple green salad or slaw is an easy add if you want more veg alongside.

Keep screen on

Ingredients Directions

Serving Scaler

Serves 4 1x 2x 3x

Ingredients

For the Spice Mix:

½ tbsp cumin
½ tbsp onion powder
1.5 tbsp paprika
½ tbsp dried oregano
½ tbsp garlic powder
⅛ tbsp coriander powder
Salt and pepper

For the Sweet Potato:

1kg sweet potato, cut into 1cm rounds
2 tsp olive oil
2 tsp of the spice mix (from above)

For the Taco Beef:

500g lean beef mince
2 tbsp tomato paste
125ml (½ cup) beef stock or bone broth
1 tsp olive oil
Remaining spice mix

For the Corn Salsa:

250g cherry tomatoes, quartered
125g (½ cup) corn kernels (canned or frozen, thawed)
¼ red onion, finely diced
Small handful fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lime
Pinch of salt

Smashed Avo:

2 ripe avocados
Juice of ½ lime
Pinch of salt

To Serve:

½ cup Mexican cheese blend, grated
Jalapeño slices
Sour cream or Greek yoghurt

Directions

Preheat your oven to 200°C fan-forced. Line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Mix all the spice mix ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Add the sweet potato rounds to a large bowl. Drizzle over the olive oil and sprinkle over 2 teaspoons of the spice mix. Toss well until every piece is evenly coated. Tip out onto the prepared tray and spread into a single layer. Roast for 25 minutes until completely tender when pierced with a knife.
Remove the tray from the oven. Using the back of a fork, gently press each sweet potato round to ruffle and flatten it slightly — you want the surface to break open a little, not collapse completely. Brush or spray with a little extra olive oil.
Switch the oven to grill on high. Return the tray to the oven and grill for 8-10 minutes or until the edges are golden and crisped. Keep an eye on them — they can go from golden to burnt quickly under the grill.
While the sweet potato roasts, make the corn salsa. Combine the cherry tomatoes, corn, red onion, and coriander in a bowl. Squeeze over the lime juice, season with salt, and toss well. Set aside.
For the smashed avo, scoop the avocado flesh into a bowl, add the lime juice and salt, and mash with a fork to your preferred texture. Set aside.
Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef mince and cook for 4–5 minutes, breaking it up well as it browns.
Add the remaining spice mix and stir through, cooking for another minute until the spices are toasted and fragrant.
Add the tomato paste and stir to coat the meat evenly, cooking for 1–2 minutes. Pour in the beef stock and stir to combine. Reduce the heat and simmer for 4–5 minutes until the liquid has mostly absorbed and the beef is saucy but not watery. Season to taste.
To assemble, divide the crispy sweet potato rounds between four bowls. Spoon the taco beef over the top — the heat will start to melt the cheese when you scatter it on next. Add the corn salsa, a generous dollop of smashed avo, and finish with jalapeño slices and a drizzle of sour cream or yoghurt.

Print Recipe

Nutritional Information

( per serving, based on 4 )

Nutrient	Amount
Calories	560 kcal
Protein	38 g
Carbohydrates	48 g
Fat	22 g
Fibre	10 g

Nutritional information is approximate and provided as a general reference only. Actual values may vary. This is not a substitute for professional dietary advice.