After trying this sweet potato nacho recipe I do not know if I will ever want regular nachos again. Who does not love a plate full of loaded nachos? Although chips are great, salty, and satisfying sweet potatoes up-level the nutrition and the flavor of this fan favorite dish. In addition the sweet potatoes are sliced into rounds and roasted into creamy, caramelized “chips”. While sweet potatoes bring delicious flavor on their own the seasonings bring out more flavor to compliment the taco meat. Honestly, I could just eat the pan of sweet potatoes all on their own. If you are a sweet potato lover like me, check out our The Best Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe or our The Best One Pot Beef Stew Recipe for more sweet potato goodness.
How to prepare the sweet potatoes
Start by slicing the sweet potatoes into rounds so they have the same appearance and shape as a chip. Slicing the sweet potatoes into thicker rounds will result in a creamier texture. While, slicing the potatoes into thinner rounds will make them more charred and crisp. Prepare your sheet pan with parchment paper, drizzle with olive oil and season with paprika, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste.
What toppings should go on sweet potato nachos?
Nachos are such a versatile dish, so when it comes to toppings you can keep it simple or go crazy. I like to load mine up with all the veggies. I mixed up a quick homemade pico de gallo including: cherry tomatoes, jalapeño, red onions, cilantro and lime juice. Any store bought jar salsa will work great as well. I also used refried black beans (heated), mini sweet peppers and avocado (obvi). This recipe is topped with ground beef taco meat, however this is totally optional. You can go meatless or use chicken, carne asada or shredded pork. Top the nachos with the cheese of your choice and pop the sweet potatoes back in the oven with this and regular black beans and bake until cheese is melted. Sour cream, guacamole, queso would all be delicious as well. The options are endless!
Sweet Potato Nachos
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes, sliced into rounds
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning (I like to use Siete)
- 1 cup refried black beans, heated
- 1 /2 cup sweet mini peppers
- 1 cup romaine lettuce
- 1 avacado
- other optional toppings: cheese of choice, salsa, sour cream, taco sauce, etc.
Pico de gallo
- 2 cups grape tomatoes, diced (cherry or roma work great too)
- 1 cup red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 TBSP jalapeño, seeded and diced (more or less to taste)
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice
- 1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare your baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Begin browning the ground beef, meanwhile while beef is browning slice your sweet potatoes in rounds to desired thickness.
- Once the meat is cooked through drain and add taco seasoning of choice and water according to packet. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Place the sweet potato rounds on the baking sheet in even layer. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle seasonings on. Toss to evenly distribute making sure the sweet potatoes do not overlap when placing in the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until softened. ( If adding cheese, take out at 15 minutes and sprinkle with cheese and return to oven for an additional 5 minutes).
- While sweet potatoes are baking, chop all the veggies you would like to put on top. Chop the pico de gallo ingredients and toss in medium mixing bowl with lime juice and sea salt. Heat the refried black beans in 30 second intervals and stir until warmed through.
- Layer the sweet potatoes with ground beef, refried black beans, and all desired vegetables and additional toppings. Enjoy!
