Healthier Smothered Sweet Potato Fries are a healthier, homemade version of a restaurant's loaded french fry nachos.
To kick the week off I want to share an awesome recipe + kitchen trick with you: Healthier Smothered Sweet Potato Fries + How to Make Ground Beef Go Farther!
First let’s address the Healthier Smothered Sweet Potato Fries.
These loaded french fry nachos are a riff on a dish from one of my favorite local restaurants — waffle-cut fries smothered with cheese, bacon, tomatoes, and green onions. Delicious, they are — but healthy, they are not!
That’s why I decided to make a “healthier” version using sweet potato fries which are topped with a modest amount of cheddar cheese, homemade guacamole, chopped tomatoes and green onions, plus seasoned, healthier “ground beef”.
The way that I not only make ground beef go farther while also making it healthier AND slashing the fat, is to cut the ground beef with finely chopped mushrooms!
This is one of my most favorite kitchen swaps to date. You cannot taste the mushrooms at all, there is NO funky taste nor texture to the final mixture, and while ground beef sells for $7.99/lb at the grocery store, mushrooms are usually $2-3/lb.
I’ve been making tacos, spaghetti sauce, and taco salads with this mix for the past 2-3 weeks and honestly, not a single person in my person has noticed. HA!
Start the Healthier Smothered Sweet Potato Fries with the sweet potato fries. You could absolutely go the homemade route but I love these Alexia Seasoned Waffle Cut Sweet Potato Fries.
Bake however many servings you’d like on a foil-lined baking sheet according to package directions.
While the fries are baking, get the mushrooms and ground beef cooking.
First process 1/2lb (8oz) mushrooms. White button, baby bella, or otherwise — it’s up to you!
Scrub the mushrooms clean, trim off any unruly stems, then place the mushrooms in a food processor and pulse until they’re the texture of cooked ground beef. Alternatively you can finely chop them by hand.
Now add the processed mushrooms to 1/2lb lean ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper then cook until the ground beef is no longer pink.
Mushrooms have a high water content so don’t be alarmed if you have a lot of liquid in the skillet at the end. Just drain the whole thing as you normally would then return the mixture to the skillet.
I mean look – can YOU spot the difference?!
While the beef’s cooking combine the taco seasoning — I use my homemade taco seasoning mix which seasons 1lb of “meat”.
Add the seasoning into the mushroom and beef mixture along with 1/4 cup water then stir to combine and turn the heat down to low to keep warm.
Seriously – looks and taste wise – no difference!
Spoon the beef and mushroom mixture on top of the baked fries then add cheddar cheese and broil until melted. Serve topped with chopped tomatoes and green onion, and lots of homemade guacamole. That’s just ripe avocado mashed with garlic salt and lime juice.
Dig in and devour!
If you’ve got a picky eater, or someone who doesn’t like the taste or texture of mushrooms, this is a great way to sneak some veggies in.
Plus, as I mentioned, it’s a great way to make ground beef go farther and save a buck or 2 (or 3 or 4!)
Stick to using this ground beef swap in dishes that call for cooked ground beef, vs burgers or meatloaf since the mushrooms release a lot of moisture that will need to be drained off. Other than that, I hope you enjoy these fries and kitchen swap as much as we do!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1-1/4 lb frozen sweet potato fries, Alexia brand recommended
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef
- 8 oz mushrooms, processed or finely chopped
- salt and pepper
- 1 recipe homemade taco seasoning, see notes
- 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Toppings: tomatoes, green onions, guacamole, black olives
Directions
- Prepare sweet potato fries on a foil-lined baking sheet according to package directions.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat then add beef and chopped mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper then saute until ground beef is cooked through. Drain well then return to the skillet. Add taco seasoning and water then stir to combine. Turn heat to low and keep warm.
- When fries are done baking, turn the oven to broil then top fries with beef and mushroom mixture. Top with cheddar cheese then broil until melted. Top with desired toppings then serve.
Notes
- Feel free to use a store-bought taco seasoning packet instead of making your own taco seasoning.
- For Lazy Girls' Guacamole: mash ripe avocado with garlic salt and a drizzle of fresh lime juice. Smash with a fork until smooth.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I have never thought of this- what a great idea!! I may have to try and sneak some into our next taco night.
I make a concoction of ground turkey, ground beef, carrots, onions, celery and cooked lentils. I then package it in generous 2 cup portions to sub out for anything that calls for a pound of ground beef. (I keep it in the freezer.)
Kristin – great idea to use the mushrooms! I am definitely going to try this ( we love mushrooms!).
Love Alexia’s Fries. Mmmm. Such a genius ground beef swap, alas, I am so allergic to mushrooms.
Oh my, these look good! I had sweet potato wedges with lemongrass and ginger crème fraiche at Jenna’s Noonday launch over the weekend and they were amazing! I’m going to have to bookmark both of these recipes for future sweet potato usage! :)
Another good sub in is tofu. Freeze it straight out of the carton and then thaw (so takes a little planning). Squeeze out as much of the liquid as you can and then just grind it up in a skillet with your ground beef. Much like mushrooms, tofu has no real flavor of its own, so it’ll taste like beef and whatever spices are added in. Obviously has more calories but also a lot more protein than mushrooms. And at about $1.19 a pound (thank you Double Dragon) or $1.99 a pound (Whole Foods), it’s way cheaper than humane raised ground beef (which I also buy so I feel your pain). I’ve used this trick numerous times and it works like a charm-we always get firm or extra firm and it’s magic.
You are a genius..
I am like you, I hate mushrooms, no DESPISE mushrooms, but I always buy the expensive ground beef and hate it. I may try this, but I have to admit, I’m a little skeptical. I will let you know how it turns out ;)
I love this idea. I have been doing this with mushrooms for the last year. I HATE mushrooms but this allows getting the health benefits of mushrooms, saving money, and reducing meat consumption. I have used white mushrooms as well as baby portabellas. I have added it to ground turkey without being grossed out from the mushroom taste. Thanks!
What a great add-in idea! While doing my grocery shopping yesterday I bit the bullet for the better-for-us ground turkey and also got some mushrooms for some other meal ideas. I’ll be adding my mushrooms into the turkey now! Thanks!
Great idea!! I just don’t like to eat a lot of straight up meat cause I don’t like the taste. But I have to balance out the preferences of my family. I have used the textured vegetable protein, but it’s hard to find in my area and I’m not sure if we’re supposed to eat all that soy, etc. etc. But no one can argue with the health factor of mushrooms, now can they?? Great idea and your photos proof just sealed the deal for me. My family will be none the wiser.
You are a GENIUS! I love ground beef and use it a lot, but, like you, it was bugging me to pay the price. It makes so much sense to add mushrooms to “beef it up”, so to speak. From now on, I’ll buy a pound of hamburger and a box of mushrooms. GENIUS!
I have totally done this before with mushrooms! I had no idea what to do with my leftover package of them, so I put them in the food processor and added them to our beef burgers we had for dinner. You couldn’t taste the difference! :)