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.
Delicious! I’m going to buck the trend by saying that I love mushrooms!
Now this I have to try! I am really, really, not into mushrooms – like, at all. But if you too are not a fan and can handle it then it’s worth a try :)
It’s true, I hate, hate, hate mushrooms and I would have no idea they’re in there if I didn’t make it myself!
Genius!!!!!
This meal is speaking to my soul today! I had no idea that I was craving this until I saw it. We’ve just switched over to all organic grassfed beef which makes my wallet cry every time I go shopping. I’ll definitely give your little trick a try to ease some of the expense.
I always just use Jennie-O’s ground turkey (97% lean, 3% fat) when we buy “ground beef”. I can usually get it here about $4.99lb. Is that as healthy as the grass-fed beef you mentioned buying?
The fries look ah-mazing!
I like grass-fed beef because it can be lower in fat (especially saturated fat) and higher in omega-3s than corn-fed beef. Additionally I truly think the taste and texture is absolutely delish!
Good to know, thanks!
yum. This looks so tasty. I love sweet potato fries but never thought about making them like this! I like using lauras lean ground beef and I have some frozen so I might try this recipe next week! So smart to add guac on top, lol
What a GREAT idea! I am totally doing this! YUMMMMM!
I am totally loving the idea of sneaking ground mushrooms into ground meats. I generally cook with ground chicken and turkey but I bet it will have the same effect. I LOVE MUSHROOMS plus it lowers the calorie count even more! Thanks for the awesome idea!
Love the idea of substituting mushrooms with the ground beef. A friend of mine made mushroom tacos and completely substituted the meat with mushrooms and it was major delicious!
such a good idea! i’m definitely going to grab some mushrooms next time i plan on making a recipe with ground beef!
I am not a huge fan of mushrooms either (although love the smell of them when cooking!) but have ground them before and put them in the base of pasta sauces and soups. Love the idea of adding it to ground beef!
I usually mix half cooked rice with my ground beef to make it go farther, but this is a much healthier way to stretch it out. Thanks for the idea!
Great idea! I really need to invest in a food processor! However – Costco has Organic, grass fed ground beef for around $4-5 a pound! Definitely the cheapest I have ever seen it anywhere!
Ooo I’m going there tonight so I’ll check it out. Thanks for the tip!
Definitely! It is packaged kind of strange – $16.99 for 3 1 1/3 lb packages, so I divvy it up into 4 1 lb packages and freeze when we get home, but it is worth the trouble for the price!
that ground beef stretching idea is so perfect! My husband and I are both in grad school so we have a strict grocery budget and the hubs loves beef and mushrooms so this will be perfect!