Taco night is a weeknight staple for a reason: it’s fast, it’s customizable, and everyone gets to build their own plate. But sometimes, the tortilla-or-hard-shell debate needs a rest. That’s where these loaded taco sweet potatoes come in. Roasted sweet potato halves stand in as the base, piled high with seasoned ground beef, black beans, sautéed poblano and onion, and a generous crumble of Renard’s Farmers with Guacamole cheese.
We built this dish to put our Farmers with Guacamole cheese to work, since its creamy, herby flavor practically doubles as a garnish on its own. Here’s everything you need to know to make it at home.
What are loaded taco sweet potatoes?
Loaded taco sweet potatoes are roasted sweet potato halves topped with taco-seasoned ground beef, black beans, sautéed poblano pepper and onion, and crumbled Farmers with Guacamole cheese — essentially a taco bowl with a sweet potato standing in for the shell.
The sweet potato brings natural sweetness that plays well against the smoky, spiced beef and the tang of the cheese, while its soft, roasted flesh gives you something to mash slightly as you eat, so every bite pulls in a little of everything on top. It’s a dinner that eats like a loaded baked potato and a taco all in one!
What ingredients do you need?
You’ll need sweet potatoes, ground beef and taco spices, a poblano pepper and onion, black beans, and crumbled Farmers with Guacamole cheese, plus a few optional garnishes for extra crunch and brightness.
For the sweet potatoes:
Large sweet potatoes, olive oil, and sea salt.
For the taco beef:
Ground beef, chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, sea salt, black pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a splash of water to help the spices coat evenly.
For the poblano, onion, and beans:
A poblano pepper, a small onion, and black beans, sautéed together until softened.
For the cheese:
Crumbled Renard’s Farmers with Guacamole cheese. This is the ingredient doing the most flavor work here—a soft, spreadable cheese built around fresh avocado, lime, and cilantro, so it brings the same brightness you’d expect from a scoop of guacamole without needing to make it from scratch. Crumbled over the hot beef and beans, it softens just enough to become part of the dish rather than sitting on top of it.
Optional garnish:
A drizzle of spicy honey, quick-pickled red onion, and chili-toasted pepitas. None of these are required to make a great sweet potato, but they’re what take it from weeknight dinner to something you’d happily serve to guests. If you want to add them, a couple tablespoons of spicy honey, about a quarter cup of pickled red onion, and a couple tablespoons of chili-toasted pepitas per two servings is a good starting point, adjusted up or down to taste.
How do you make loaded taco sweet potatoes?
Roast the sweet potatoes, cook the seasoned beef, sauté the poblano, onion, and beans, then build each half with the toppings. It comes together in four straightforward steps.
Start by roasting the sweet potatoes whole, which gives you time to prep everything else while they’re in the oven. While they roast, brown the ground beef with the full spice blend and a splash of water, which helps the spices cling to the meat instead of clumping. In a separate pan, sauté the poblano and onion until they’re softened and just beginning to char at the edges, then stir in the black beans to warm through.
Once the sweet potatoes are tender enough to give under light pressure, split them open and gently mash the flesh with a fork right in the skin. From there, it’s easy assembly: layer on the beef, then the poblano-onion-bean mixture, then finish with a generous crumble of Farmers with Guacamole cheese. If you’re adding the garnishes, drizzle spicy honey over the top, scatter pickled red onion for brightness, and sprinkle some chili-toasted pepitas for crunch.
RECIPE: Sweet Potato Taco Boats
Serves 2
Sweet Potatoes
● 2 large sweet potatoes
● 2 teaspoons olive oil
● ½ teaspoon sea salt
Taco Ground Beef
● ½ lb ground beef
● 1 teaspoon chili powder
● ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
● ½ teaspoon cumin
● ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
● ¼ teaspoon onion powder
● ¼ teaspoon oregano
● ¼ teaspoon sea salt
● ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
● Pinch red pepper flakes
● 2–3 tablespoons water
Poblano, Onion & Beans
● 1 poblano pepper
● ¼–½ small onion
● ¾ cup black beans
Cheese
● ½–¾ cup Renard’s Farmers with Guacamole cheese, crumbled
Optional Garnish
● Spicy honey, to taste
● Quick-pickled red onion, to taste
● Chili-toasted pepitas, to taste
Instructions
1. Roast sweet potatoes at 425°F for 45–55 minutes, until tender.
2. Cook beef with spices and water until browned and cooked through.
3. Sauté poblano and onion until softened, then add beans and warm through.
4. Split the sweet potatoes, mash the flesh slightly, and build with the beef, poblano-onion-bean mixture, and crumbled cheese. Finish with optional garnishes as desired.
A weeknight dinner worth repeating
Loaded taco sweet potatoes are proof that a familiar dinner doesn’t need a full overhaul to feel new, just the right ingredients in the right places. Renard’s Farmers with Guacamole cheese is what pulls this one together, bringing the same fresh, herby flavor you love in guacamole to a dish that’s built to be a regular in your dinner rotation. Pick up a block to keep on hand for taco night, or shop the rest of our cheese lineup online or in our Sturgeon Bay store.
