These Loaded Sweet Potato Nachos are made with a fun twist: baked, thinly sliced sweet potatoes instead of chips! They get golden and crispy in the oven, and they get topped with the BEST seasoned ground beef, tons of toppings, and a tangy & smoky Greek yogurt chipotle crema!
I swear I could eat Mexican food for every darn meal and be completely happy. These sweet potato nachos are unbelievably simple, and in all honesty, one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. I just love when it works out like that. There’s really nothing not to love here – crispy sweet potato “chips”, perfectly seasoned ground beef, and ALL the toppings. Plus, a little tangy & smoky crema to finish things off! Somehow, I don’t even miss the chips! Which if you know me, is a really really big deal.
Another reason why I love these so much: SNACK DINNERS. I love snacking in place of a sit-down meal every so often. It’s so fun! These would be a great lighter game day appetizer too. I knew I couldn’t end Healthyish January without giving you guys a snacky recipe to enjoy for the Super Bowl! Football is not my thing, but I’ll always be there for the food.
I’m sure a bunch of you can relate.
We can’t have sweet potato nachos without crispy, chip-like sweet potatoes.
Enter, crispy oven roasted sweet potato chips!
Full disclosure, it’s difficult to get roasted sweet potatoes super crispy without burning them, unless you cook them for a long time in the oven at a low temperature (I have a recipe in my cookbook
These still get pretty crispy, you just have to watch them to make sure they don’t burn, because it can happen quickly! These are also more eat-with-a-fork type nachos. Which doesn’t bother me at all, but the sweet potatoes can’t hold up to the semi-obnoxious and excessive amount of toppings I like to put on them.
This ground beef recipe is my end-all, be-all, taco-spiced ground beef.
It’s my go-to for any kind of Mexican recipe that uses ground beef, forever and always. I like to use A LOT of spices in my ground beef, so that it closely mimics the taco seasoning packet ground beef we all grew up eating! The fact that I use a lot of garlic and onion powder 100% makes it taste like that too. I mean, how good were those packets?!?! I also add a little bit of sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo because it adds just a tiny bit of smokiness.
There’s something about the combination of sweet potatoes and the smoky-spiced ground beef that is kind of the most addicting thing ever.
In addition to the sweet potatoes and the beef, we’ve got toppings (arguably the most important part!), and a tangy + smoky Greek yogurt crema to tie everything together!
I love making lighter sauces for tacos, nachos, and other tex-mex things by using Greek yogurt. It adds a little tang, cuts the richness of beef and cheese, and it has more protein too! This one is super simple – just the yogurt (I’d recommend using 2% or full-fat for the creamiest result!), lime juice, sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo, hot sauce, and a little salt. So good!
Now that you know about all the components to these healthyish sweet potato nachos, this is how you make them!
- Before you start anything, chop up all of your toppings so that they’re ready to go! Minus the avocado, so it doesn’t brown.
- Start by roasting your sweet potato “chips”. Watch them super closely toward the end, to make sure they don’t burn! The more evenly you slice them, the better. Sometimes if you slice them unevenly, half of the chip will burn. If you have a mandolin, use it here! If not, a super sharp knife will do!
- Make your taco-spiced ground beef. All you need is lean ground beef, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, paprika, smoked paprika, and a little bit of sauce from a can of chipotles in adobo (which you’ll use again in the crema!)
- Whisk up the Greek yogurt chipotle crema. I like a lot of lime in my Mexican food, so use your best judgment here. I like to use an entire lime, but if you’re sensitive, start with the juice of half a lime.
- Layer everything up! Sweet potato chips, ground beef, allll the toppings, and a generous drizzle of the crema!
This recipe can easily be multiplied if you’re serving a larger crowd too! Perfect for parties, or snack dinners, as I like to call them!
You could totally customize these and add chicken, steak, shrimp, or whatever you like too! Melting some cheddar and pepper jack on the sweet potatoes or even topping them with a little queso fresco or cotija would be amazing.
Don’t forget to share a photo on Instagram and tag me @spicesinmydna if you make this recipe! Nothing makes me happier than seeing what you create in the kitchen. Be sure to hashtag #healthyishjanuary too so I can see all the Healthyish January recipes you make this month!
Loaded Sweet Potato Nachos with Greek Yogurt Chipotle Crema
These Loaded Sweet Potato Nachos are made with a fun twist: baked, thinly sliced sweet potatoes instead of chips! They get golden and crispy in the oven, and they get topped with the BEST seasoned ground beef, tons of toppings, and a tangy & smoky Greek yogurt chipotle crema!
Ingredients
For the sweet potatoes
- 4 medium-large sweet potatoes, very thinly sliced (you can use a mandolin if you have one)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
For the taco spiced ground beef
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons sauce from a can of chipotle in adobo peppers
For the toppings
- 1/2 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 avocado, pitted and thinly sliced or diced into chunks
- 1/3 cup packed cilantro, coarsely chopped
- lime wedges, for serving
For the greek yogurt crema
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (2% or full-fat works best)*
- juice of 1 lime*
- 2 tablespoons sauce from a can of chipotle in adobo peppers
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400℉. Line 2 large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper. Place sweet potatoes in a large bowl and toss with the olive oil. Sprinkle with cumin, chili powder, garlic powder and salt and toss to coat. Arrange sweet potatoes on both baking sheets in an even layer. Bake for 20 minutes, then flip, and bake for another 5-10 minutes or until crispy and golden.
While the potatoes are baking, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, breaking it up with a spatula into small pieces. Add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, smoked paprika, salt, and chipotle in adobo sauce, stirring to combine. Continue to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until ground beef is cooked through.
In the meantime, make the crema. Whisk together the Greek yogurt, lime juice, chipotle in adobo sauce, hot sauce, and a pinch of salt. Season to taste with additional salt if desired. Set aside.
Once sweet potatoes are finished baking, arrange in a layer on a large platter. Top with the taco ground beef, red onion, scallions, cherry tomatoes, avocado, and cilantro. Drizzle with desired amount of Greek yogurt crema and serve with extra lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
*Be sure to use 2% or full-fat Greek yogurt here. If you use 0%, the sauce won't be nearly as rich in flavor/consistency.
*If you don't like a lot of lime, start with the juice of 1/2 a lime in the crema.
There may be an affiliate link(s) in this post, which means that if you click on a product link above and complete a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you! As always, all opinions are my own. Thank you SO much for reading!
This post was originally published on 12/2/16, but was updated with new photos and text on 1/29/20!
Leave a Reply