Easy High Protein Taco Skillet

This taco skillet is a quick and easy dinner that’s sure to satisfy the whole family. It combines two of my favorite things: sweet potatoes and tacos. This recipe is perfect for dinner, lunch, or even meal prep. This is the perfect recipe for midweek when you’re wanting something quick and easy and is sure to satisfy the whole family. It’s a meal we make on repeat and is a great way to satisfy your taco craving without breaking your budget. 

This recipe is a healthier spin on the traditional taco recipe by incorporating bell pepper and substituting sweet potato for tortillas. I love trying to sneak in additional vegetables into recipes. Bell pepper has so many health benefits including being high in vitamin c which is awesome for the immune system. It also has a variety of antioxidants that protect against eye diseases. Bell peppers can even help with chronic inflammation. 

Red meat gets a bad rap but including a super lean red meat into your diet can be beneficial. Lean ground beef is lower in calories and contains protein. It also has an antioxidant that helps prevent cell damage and aids in metabolism. For most of my life I was either vegan or vegetarian until recently when I went to the doctor and found out how unhealthy I was. About a year ago, I started introducing beef and bison into my diet and have felt amazing since. 

So let’s make ground beef taco skillet!

Here’s a few notes about the ingredients you will need to make high protein ground beef taco skillet:

• Ground Beef:  ground beef is the main ingredient in this recipe. It is coated in a garam masala flavored dry rub and air fried to perfection. It is also one of the reasons this recipe is so high in protein. 

• Sweet Potato: Sweet potatoes are a great way to add carbohydrates without adding a bunch of processed foods to your meal. I like using a mandolin to slice into waffle fries and baking it in the oven. My favorite kind of sweet potatoes are Japanese sweet potatoes or Purple Sweet Potatoes.  

• Bell Pepper:  I love adding bell pepper diced into small chunks to this recipe. It adds a nice zesty flavor to each bite as a hint of crispy texture. That said, if you don’t like bell pepper or you don’t have any on hand, you could substitute it for broccoli, kale, zucchini or poblano pepper. 

• Chili Powder: chili powder powder pairs so well with bell pepper and is a delicious, spicy flavor to the ground beef. I also added the sweet potato making them even better than I imagined. 

• Lime Zest:  Finally, I love topping the salmon with lime zest. This adds an additional zestiness to the taco skillet and enhances the spicy chili flavor. 

Recipe Tips:

• Use the beef grease for frying potatoes. Stop the potatoes from sticking to the pan by cooking the ground beef first then transfer it to a plate and use the beef grease to fry the potatoes. Or I highly recommend generously greasing your pan with olive oil or cooking spray, or use a high quality non-stick pan or a silicone lined pan (my personal favorite). This will ensure the potatoes brown and get crispy. 

• Soak the potatoes in water before cooking them: It’s important to make sure the potatoes get crispy when you bake them and soaking them in water for a few hours will help. Make sure to pat the potatoes dry extremely well though. The drier you get the potatoes after soaking them the better. A dry fry is a crispy fry! 

• Combine all the ingredients then add the seasonings: Combine all the seasonings in a small bowl and mix well. Add the beef, potatoes, and vegetables to the skillet and add all the seasons. This will ensure all the ingredients are well seasoned.  

Recipe variation:

• Use a different meat: Use chicken breast, lean beef, pork or a white fish instead of salmon. 

• Add different herbs: Add different dried or fresh herbs, such as cilantro, parsley, or green onions.

• Add different dried seasonings: Skip the chili powder and cumin and add in cajun season seasoning, italian seasoning, or your favorite combination of dried seasonings. 

• Incorporate your favorite ingredients: Add any other ingredients that sound good to you, such as zucchini, poblano peppers, sautéed onions, or roasted red peppers. 

More salmon recipes: Chicken Chilaquiles, Ground Beef Enchilada Soup, and Chipotle Salmon. 

• Author: Summer Montgomery
• Cook Time: 30 minutes 
• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Servings: 2 

Ingredients:

• ¼ white onion, diced
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tsp fine grain sea salt
• 1 TBSP cumin
• 1  TBSP Chili Powder
• 1 TSP paprika
• 1 TSP garlic powder
• ½ Lime, juiced
• 1 medium sweet potato, cubed
• 1 Red bell pepper, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
• Optional salt to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the ground beef. In a skillet over medium heat, cook the onion until slightly brown. Add in the ground beef and cook until the beef is fully cooked. Transfer to plate and cover. 
2. Fry the potatoes. In the same skillet over medium heat cook the potatoes until brown and crispy. 
3. Cook the vegetables. Add the vegetables to the skillet and cook until tender crisp. 
4. Combine. Add in the ground beef, seasonings, lime, and cilantro. Mix well and cook for an additional 2-5 minutes. 

Serve. Serve and enjoy!