Hot Honey Ground Beef Sweet Potato Boats (Printable)

Roasted sweet potatoes topped with spicy-sweet glazed ground beef, ready in just one hour 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 for garnish

→ Meats

06 - 1 lb lean ground beef

→ Sauce & Seasoning

07 - 2 tbsp olive oil
08 - 2 tbsp hot honey (or 2 tbsp honey plus 1/2–1 tsp hot sauce)
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

# How To Make:

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 - While potatoes bake, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add diced onion and bell pepper; sauté 3–4 minutes until softened.
03 - Stir in minced garlic and 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 potatoes lengthwise down center without cutting all the way through. Gently fluff insides 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 Tips:

01 -
  • The sweet heat from hot honey creates this addictive flavor balance that keeps everyone coming back for seconds
  • Everything cooks on one pan while the potatoes roast, making cleanup almost nonexistent
  • These keep beautifully for meal prep and actually taste better the next day as the flavors meld together
02 -
  • Pierce the sweet potatoes thoroughly before roasting or they might explode in your oven
  • Let the beef mixture cool slightly before stuffing so the cheese does not melt instantly
  • The sweet potatoes continue cooking after they come out of the oven, so slightly underdone is better than mushy
03 -
  • Rub the sweet potatoes with a little oil and salt before roasting for extra flavor and crispy skin
  • Double the beef mixture and freeze half for an even faster dinner next time

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