Meal Prep
Southwest Beef & Sweet Potato Skillet
I’m not gonna sugarcoat it- eating half a pound of ground beef straight out of a Tupperware is a primal experience. You feel like a caveman. A very macro-aware, dairy-loving caveman. There’s something about this Southwest Beef & Sweet Potato Skillet that hits deep- like, “Me lift heavy things and fuel body like legend” deep. It’s beefy, cheesy, and unapologetically hearty. No fluff, no filler. Just pure high-protein glory.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
High protein
Southwest Beef & Sweet Potato Skillet
57.9g protein636 calories per serving
- Prep Time
- 20 mins
- Cook Time
- 30 mins
- Total Time
- 50 mins
Equipment
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Ingredients
Ingredient links open Walmart products from our grocery planner. Links marked “Walmart search” need your product choice. Confirm package details and local availability at Walmart.
For the BEEF:
For the Extras:
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the ground beef & diced onion & crumble the beef with a wooden spoon or utensil of choice. Add the below seasonings.
2 lb 93% lean ground beef, 1 medium Onion, 1 tbsp Olive oil, 1 ½ tbsp Chili powder, ½ tbsp Cumin, ½ tbsp Garlic powder, ½ tbsp Paprika, 1 tsp Salt, 1 tsp black pepper
When the beef is nearly cooked, add the garlic & cook for another minute. Afterwards, pour onto a plate & wipe out the skillet.
4 Cloves garlic
Add the diced sweet potato, fire roasted tomatoes, green chiles, water, & the below seasonings. Stir everything together, then cover with a lid. Turn the heat to medium-low & simmer for about 20 minutes (until the sweet potatoes are tender).
3 cup Sweet potato, 14 ½ oz Fire roasted diced tomatoes, 4 oz Diced green chiles, 2 tbsp Water, 1 tbsp Chili powder, ½ tbsp Cumin, ½ tsp Salt, 1 tsp black pepper
Add the ground beef back into the skillet & stir everything until well-combined. Top with shredded cheese & cover the skillet until the cheese is melted (about 3 to 4 minutes). Enjoy!
1 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
See it come together
Watch: Southwest Beef & Sweet Potato Skillet
Nutrition
Per servingEstimates for one serving. Changing the recipe yield scales the ingredients and keeps these per-serving amounts the same.
- Calories
- 636 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 34.1 g
- Protein
- 57.9 g
- Fat
- 30.1 g
- Saturated Fat
- 12.29 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2.03 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11.38 g
- Trans Fat
- 1.09 g
- Cholesterol
- 169 mg
- Sodium
- 1,639 mg
- Potassium
- 1,581 mg
- Fiber
- 8.6 g
- Sugar
- 10.5 g
- Added Sugar
- 0 g
- Vitamin A
- 918 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C
- 27.55 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.38 mcg
- Calcium
- 331 mg
- Iron
- 9.3 mg
Estimated ingredient cost
$5.71 per serving · $22.84 for this batch
Estimated US grocery prices for the amounts used, including purchase waste and discarded marinade. Your store, brands, and package sizes may cost differently. Buying full packages can cost more. Price sources and methodology.
Ingredient costs and assumptions
Quantities without exact weights use the nutrition library’s portion estimates. Purchase yields are estimates. Separate citrus ingredients are costed independently; reusing the same fruit for juice and zest can lower your cost. Labor, utilities, and delivery are excluded.
- 93% lean ground beef: $17.15
907.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. BLS lean/extra-lean category average; not an exact 93% lean product quote.
BLS: Ground beef, lean and extra lean · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Onion: $0.20
122.2 g purchased · Editorial purchase-yield estimate: 90% usable; includes discarded peel, shell, or core.
1 onion = 110 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Yellow Onions, 3 lb Bag · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Olive oil: $0.18
13.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 13.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Chili powder: $0.15
12 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 8 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Chili Powder, 3 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Cumin: $0.06
3.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.1 g; texture=ground; Editorial ground-cumin estimate: 2.1 g/tsp. Grinding/packing varies; this is not a USDA ground-cumin portion. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Cumin, 2.5 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Garlic powder: $0.05
4.9 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 9.7 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Paprika: $0.05
3.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 6.8 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Paprika · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Salt: $0.01
6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.10
2.3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic: $0.22
12 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
3 clove = 9 g; USDA SR Legacy household weights used as an approximate physical conversion for the current ingredient profile; nutrition remains from its own mapped record. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Spice World Fresh Peeled Garlic, 6 oz, Pouch · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Sweet potato: $1.34
399 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (chopped) = 133 g; Editorial diced/chopped proxy using USDA's 133 g cup of sweet-potato cubes. Variable-weight produce: uses the listed price per pound, not the estimated price per piece.
Walmart: Fresh Whole Sweet Potato · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Fire roasted diced tomatoes: $1.23
411.1 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Fire Roasted Diced Tomatoes, 14.5 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Diced green chiles: $0.93
113.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Canned Medium Diced Green Chiles, 4 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Shredded cheddar cheese: $0.91
105 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (shredded) = 105 g Full-fat mild cheddar reference; sharp cheddar uses this as a substitute estimate.
Walmart: Great Value Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Chili powder: $0.10
8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 8 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Chili Powder, 3 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Cumin: $0.06
3.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.1 g; texture=ground; Editorial ground-cumin estimate: 2.1 g/tsp. Grinding/packing varies; this is not a USDA ground-cumin portion. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Cumin, 2.5 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Salt: $0.00
3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.10
2.3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
Not included in this estimate:
- Water: Kitchen tap water is excluded from grocery ingredient pricing; this is not a sourced zero price.
Make it yoursRecipe notes & meal-prep tips
Macro breakdown
- Protein57.9g36%
- Carbs34.1g21%
- Fat30.1g43%
Per serving · Share of calories from macros
Calculated using 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs, and 9 for fat. Rounding and fiber can affect the listed calorie total.Triple B's Meal Prep Notes
Cut the sweet potato into small, even pieces before starting the skillet. This recipe depends on a covered simmer to soften them in the tomatoes and green chiles, so a few oversized chunks can leave you waiting after the rest is ready. Stir and check the pan during that stage, adding a little water if it is drying before the potatoes are tender.
The beef comes out while the sweet potatoes cook, then returns for the final mix and cheese melt. That sequence lets each component finish without keeping the beef in the pan through the whole simmer. Before portioning, fold the mixture thoroughly so every container gets sweet potato, beef, tomatoes, and cheese. It is a complete one-pan meal prep with its starch already built in. Sweet potato also gives you a different base to try within the high-fiber collection.
For a refrigerated serving, microwave on high for 90 seconds, stir, then heat for another 45 seconds. Use that as a starting point and continue in short intervals as needed until the food reaches 165°F throughout. Break apart the chilled mixture and turn the sweet potato pieces at the pause, checking the middle of the serving. A splash of water can loosen the tomato base if needed. The canned green chiles can vary in heat, so choose the version you want for the whole batch rather than assuming they are all mild. For other ground-beef lunches, browse the beef archive or the Mexican-inspired recipe collection.
Notes from your kitchen
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From the community
★★★★★
I built this recipe as a one-pan solution that didn’t feel boring. I’ve eaten this myself, and it’s surprisingly satisfying for how simple it is. Let me know if this saves you some cleanup!
★★★★★
I’m absolutely so happy I found this account I’ve tried a lot of these recipes mainly for meal prepping me and my husband lunches and so far we have loved every single one, and I love the fact it’s not your whole life story (no offense) before I get to the recipe! Short and simple 👌🏼 You are doing fantastic keep it up!!!
This seriously means a ton to me- comments like this are by far the most gratifying part of building Meaningful Macros : ) Knowing these recipes are helping make weekly meal prep easier for real people is exactly why I started this whole thing. I really appreciate you taking the time to leave such a kind comment, Cynthia!! More recipes coming soon 🙌