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’ve been adding minced mushrooms to my meatloaf for years, and my mushroom-despising husband only recently found out my secret ingredient. They keep it really moist! I’ve also used bulgar to stretch ground beef, although it works best when you’ve got something fairly saucy. I will try this trick in some other dishes!
What a great idea with the mushrooms! My husband and I always use ground turkey instead of ground beef….he also hates mushrooms, so I’ll have to try this and see if he notices. :)
PS–we made sweet potato fries tonight and I tried baking them on a cooling rack for the first time….AWESOME!! My husband was all impressed with me, but I had to give you and Ben the credit! :)
I cannot wait to try this recipe!
The mushroom substitution is brilliant. Thank you for sharing.
I always do a half/half mixture of ground beef & grated carrots. I’ll have to try mushrooms. I’m the only mushroom lover in our house, so I only get them when we eat out. Excited to try this!
these look amazeballs! can’t wait to try it (will sub all mushrooms for the beef per another reader’s comment). thanks!
Love the mushroom idea!
About how much browned “ground beef” would you say this recipe (1/2 lb ground beef + 1/2 lb mushrooms, chopped) makes?
Haha, I do this with a killer knock-off Chang’s lettuce wrap recipe but it never occurred to me to do it as standard practice with (choking on the price) ground beef. My hubby LOVES mushrooms too. And these smothered fries look divine. Hope the incubating is going well!
Try 1/2 hamburger and 1/2 portabella mushrooms for delicious spaghetti sauce. The portabellas taste “meatier,” if you will, and Costco usually has them pretty cheap (white, button mushrooms, too).
Oh my gosh I’ve got mushrooms in my fridge right now! If not one of my 4 kids notices the swap-in I’m going to dance around the table.
This is an AWESOME idea. I can’t wait to try it!
Hi, just discovered your blog and love it!! Question, all I have on hand is turkey meat (although I will get on the grass-fed wagon soon!). Do you think it would turn out to dry with Turkey meat?
Also, any online or book recommendations for a newbie wanting to learn basic nutrition and exercise info?
Thanks!
Hi Lori, I’ve done this with ground turkey too and it works great. Whatever sauce you’re using anyway should work fine with the mushrooms and turkey together.
Thanks for your response! I am trying this today (while nobody is around so they don’t see the evidence)
I quit beef and went to buffalo a couple of years ago…to the tune of $12.50 per pound. You can bet each meal will now include 50% mushrooms. My boyfriend hates them, but I’ll sneak them in and tell him later.
You are fantastic! Thanks for blogging such great ideas, tips, and recipes!