This foil packet sweet potato “taco” is one of my oldest and most beloved recipes.
I won a couple of recipe contest back in the early days of blogging and this recipe was one of those winners!
One day I had some leftover taco meat in the fridge and decided to experiment a little. HUGE success! It’s basically a taco on a bed of sweet potato cubes instead of wrapped in a tortilla (which is a great nutritional trade-off.)
Calling this a “taco” is using the term very loosely, but I wasn’t sure what else to call it.
Scroll down for some adaptations and other ways to use this meal! (Hint: They’re great for camping!)
These little packets are a cinch to assemble — your kiddos could practically do it themselves.
How to make Foil Packet Sweet Potato Tacos
- Start with a (roughly) 12-inch piece of aluminum foil. If you’re concerned about cooking on foil, stick a piece of parchment on top to line it. If you’re baking these in the oven, you can just use parchment and skip the foil.
- Pile some sweet potato cubes in the middle. I like to put a little dab of butter and a pinch of salt to add more flavor to them.
- Add chopped spinach/kale and a few spoonfuls of cooked taco meat. And some grated cheese, if you’re into it.
- Fold the sides into the center, crease, then bring the top and bottom ends together and fold them down, creasing the sides to seal.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the potatoes are soft. You could also toss these on a grill over medium-low heat or over some campfire coals.
Foil Packet Sweet Potato Variations
There are so many ways you could adapt these! Here are a few ideas:
Make them meatless! Swap out the ground beef for a can of black beans mixed with some taco seasoning or salsa.
Use white potatoes if you don’t care for sweet potatoes. You may have to cook them longer, though.
Change up the vegetables. If you don’t want to use greens, add diced bell peppers, zucchini, corn kernels, or any other small, quick-cooking vegetable.
Can I make these Foil Packet Tacos ahead of time?
Seasoning Suggestions
This recipe calls for taco seasoning. Have you tried my Homemade Taco Seasoning? It’s pretty fantastic.
However, you can use any Mexican or Southwest-inspired seasoning blend you like. A few of my favorites for this recipe are Smoky Chipotle Taco Seasoning, Chipotle Chorizo Seasoning, and Sweet Potato Fry Seasoning.
You could even take these in a Smoky BBQ direction by using some Homemade Montreal Steak Seasoning and a little BBQ sauce to the packets!
My favorite toppings for these foil packet tacos are some avocado slices, a dollop of sour cream, and some hot sauce. You can top them with whatever you like!
If you make this recipe, be sure to post it to social media and tag me at @perrysplate or #perrysplate so I can send you some love!
Sweet Potato Foil Packet Tacos
My little ones loved assembling these foil packet tacos and sweet potatoes make a great base for a taco! You can even take these camping!
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey
- 2-3 Tablespoons Homemade Taco Seasoning
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce (4 ounces)
- 2-3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 6 cups total)
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- salt
- 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh spinach
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (optional)
- sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole for garnish
- 6 12-inch long pieces of aluminum foil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Brown ground meat in a skillet over medium-high heat. Stir in taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Set aside.
- To assemble packets, spray the foil with non-stick spray. Place 1 cup sweet potato cubes in the center of each piece. Top with a small piece of butter (about 1 tsp) and a pinch or two of salt. Sprinkle some chopped spinach over the sweet potatoes, followed by about 1/3 cup of taco meat and sprinkle of cheese.
- Fold the sides in, then bring the top and bottom ends of the foil together in the center and fold, sealing the packet. Repeat with remaining ingredients, placing the packets on a rimmed cookie sheet.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender. Serve with your favorite taco toppings: sour cream, salsa, and/or guacamole.
Notes
Nat's Note: Feel free to swap out part or all of the ground meat with beans, using 1 can of drained beans for every 8 oz of meat.
Anne
Tuesday 20th of November 2012
I LOVE this idea! Can't wait to make it with my 2.5 year old! (I just linked over here from Cara's Cravings... I'll be adding you to my RSS feed now!) Thanks!
Stacy
Thursday 16th of August 2012
I've made these twice in the past week and we have RAVED about them each time! We eat Paleo, so I omitted a few things, but this is one of the tastiest meals we've had! Thanks so much!
Betsy
Wednesday 11th of July 2012
Our family loves these tacos...and with a family of 9 that is hard to accomplish. The first time I made these I was out of ground beef, so I just omitted it. This makes for a very easy vegetarian meal. I also add fresh cilantro along with the spinach and then use more cilantro for a garnish after they are cooked. Mmmm!
Marti
Monday 30th of April 2012
Hey "Sister Perry," (Haha! :) Just for some of us!) Why do I keep reading this recipe and not seeing corn but I look at the pictures and I seem to see corn?
Also, flour tortillas? I'm making this tonight. NOW, matter of fact. But there's always time to run out for last minute add-ons, if you tell me they're needed. mj
Natalie
Monday 30th of April 2012
Oh, and you can eat these with tortillas. We didn't, though. Good luck! Hope you like them :)
Natalie
Monday 30th of April 2012
Hey Sister Marti :) (I assume you're LDS, too?) There's corn in the photos because I used leftover Hidden Veggie Chipotle Taco meat when I made those. (I mentioned it in the recipe note, but it's kind of small.)
nora
Friday 9th of March 2012
I just made this for supper tonight, and everyone loved it! Even the lil girls! After cooking mine, I dumped the sweet potato mixture onto a bed of lettuce, then added avocado, salsa etc, and ate it like a salad... amazing!! Hubby already said I'll have to make this again, and SOON!