Quick and easy one-skillet meals are always my favorite and this Sweet Potato Black Bean skillet is no exception. It’s nutritious, veggie-packed, perfect for cleaning out the fridge or pantry, and of course it’s budget-friendly! It’s also great for meal prep. So grab some avocados, sour cream or greek yogurt, and your favorite salsa and get ready to enjoy this simple and delicious 25-minute meal!
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Ingredients For Sweet Potato Black Bean Skillet
I was definitely going for more Southwest-inspired flavors for this recipe! So here’s everything that you’ll need:
- Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potatoes are super nutritious and just so happen to be one of my favorite foods. You’ll only need about 2 medium sized sweet potatoes for this recipe.
- Black Beans: Black beans are packed with fiber and protein and are great paired with sweet potatoes. They also add lots of color and texture to the dish.
- Bell Pepper and Onion: I love the combination of peppers and onions in savory recipes. They both add wonderful flavor and aromatics.
- Diced Tomatoes: I used petite diced tomatoes to roughly match the size of the rest of the chopped veggies in this recipe. Fire-roasted tomatoes would also taste great!
- Kale: A couple handfuls of chopped kale adds color, texture, and extra vegetables to the dish. You can also substitute with baby spinach instead if that’s what you have in your fridge.
- Spices: I used a mix of chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and garlic powder to create a bold Southwest-inspired flavor base for this skillet meal.
Recipe Tips!
- Try to dice the sweet potatoes and vegetables in a uniform size so they cook quickly and evenly in the skillet.
- Don’t worry about the sweet potatoes cooking all the way through in the first step. They will continue to cook with the rest of the ingredients. The goal is for them to not be too mushy and still have some bite to them when they’re done.
- Feel free to mix and match the ingredients based on what you have in your pantry or fridge. Fire-roasted tomatoes would be great and I always have an extra half bag of spinach in my fridge.
Topping & Serving Suggestions
I topped this easy skillet dish with some fresh cilantro and served it with some brown rice. But there are so many other tasty options to choose from. Here are just a few suggestions:
- Fresh avocado
- Salsa or fresh diced tomatoes
- A dollop of sour cream or Lime Crema drizzled on top.
- Creamy Avocado Dressing
- And serve with white or brown rice or even some tortilla chips on the side.
Storing Leftovers
This recipe is perfect if you want to meal prep your lunch for a few days and it stores really well in the fridge. Just store the leftovers, minus any toppings, in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. If you are serving it with some rice you can add the rice to the same container (see my picture below in the step-by-step photos). When you’re ready to enjoy, reheat in the microwave until warmed through. Then just top with your favorite toppings and lunch is served!
Sweet Potato Black Bean Skillet
Servings 4 (1.75 cups each)Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 2 medium) ($1.64)
- 1 red bell pepper, diced ($1.50)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced ($0.42)
- 1.5 Tbsp olive oil ($0.18)
- 1 tsp chili powder ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 3/4 tsp salt ($0.05)
- 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
- 1 15 oz. can black beans, drained ($1.25)
- 1 14 oz. can petite diced tomatoes ($1.47)
- 2 cups chopped kale ($0.56)
- 1 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro ($0.10)
Instructions
- Wash, peel, and dice the sweet potatoes. Dice the red bell pepper and the onion.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the diced sweet potatoes and cook for 8 minutes. Stir occasionally but not too often so the sweet potatoes have a chance to brown and caramelize. Don’t worry if the sweet potatoes are not fork tender during this time as they will continue to cook in the next step.
- Now add the diced bell pepper, onion, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika to the skillet. Stir together with the sweet potatoes. Cook for an additional 3 minutes.
- Add the black beans, diced tomatoes, and chopped kale to the skillet. Gently stir together and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Feel free to add 1-2 Tbsp of water if the skillet is getting too dry.
- Now all that's left to do is top with some fresh chopped cilantro and enjoy!
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Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Sweet Potato Black Bean Skillet – Step by Step Photos
Wash, peel, and dice 1.5 lb. of sweet potatoes (about 2 medium). Also dice 1 red bell pepper and 1 yellow onion.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add 1.5 Tbsp olive oil. Add the diced sweet potatoes and cook for 8 minutes.
Stir occasionally but not too often so the sweet potatoes have a chance to brown and caramelize. Don’t worry if the sweet potatoes are not fork tender during this time as they will continue to cook in the next step.
Now add the red bell pepper and diced onion to the skillet.
Then add 1 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper, and 1/4 tsp smoked paprika to the skillet. Stir together with the sweet potatoes. Cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Add 1-15oz. can black beans (drained), 1-14oz. can petite diced tomatoes, and 2 cups chopped kale to the skillet. Stir together and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Feel free to add 1-2 Tbsp of water if the skillet is getting too dry.
Now all that’s left to do is top with some fresh chopped cilantro (optional) and enjoy. That’s it! A quick, simple and filling meal! ;)
Btw, this dish is absolutely perfect for meal prep! Here I decided to add the leftovers to meal prep containers with some cooked brown rice. So easy and sooo good!
I love the idea and the color of this recipe. I’m looking forward to eating the leftovers with an egg and cheese on top. If I make it again I will change the timing. The onions and kale were undercooked. I would skip the cumin too.
Had to adjust this recipe quite a bit – would totally make again though!! All the ingredients pair well together. I had to cook the sweet potatoes for a lot longer before adding the onion and peppers, and it came out fine. I also used my pan lid to cover and quicken the process for like 5-8 minutes throughout cooking. I added a lot more spices and oil than suggested, and added in some panang curry paste that I had sitting in the fridge for some spice (it needs a good amount of butter or some other fat to combine with). A little bit of shredded cheddar on top adds a little creaminess too. This recipe provides a great foundation to build off of, especially for someone who has been feeling pretty unmotivated to cook so thank you a bunch!!
I agree with other comments. Needs longer cook time. I just tossed it into the oven to finish cooking. I added a chipotle honey sauce, and a medium fried egg on top each serving.
The potatoes will not cook that fast. Needs about 3x longer if you don’t want them crunchy. Overall just not something I will make again.
Sweet potatoes didn’t quite cook all the way through, needs a lot more seasoning and… Something. A sauce maybe? Nope, don’t make this again.
Really enjoyed this dish. Add a little cayenne to my bowl. Yum!
The seasoning on this was so good! We added 6-minute soft-boiled eggs on top, so yummy. We also have plenty of leftovers for lunch this week.
I’m looking forward to trying this. Can you substitute fresh spinach for the kale?
Absolutely!
Do we drain the diced tomatoes?
Nope, just the black beans :)
Delicious, healthy and easy! The only change I made was that my diced tomatoes were fire roasted.
Fantastic dish! My husband thanked me for making it.
Made this tonight and was pleasantly surprised! I’m not usually a kale fan but I really enjoyed this! Thanks for the great easy recipe!
This was exactly what I needed to clean out my fridge! I added 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce too, which went very nicely.
Made this for dinner last night. As a vegetarian, I’m always looking for easy, good meals. I follwed the recipe as written and it turned out great.
Colorful, healthy, versatile, and filling vegetarian skillet. What more could you want?