Steak and Sweet Potato Skillet made in just 25 minutes with just 10 simple ingredients. Tossed in a smokey chipotle sauce to bring it all together for an easy and healthy one-pan dinner recipe. It’s packed with protein, complex carbs, and veggies and is paleo, gluten-free, and Whole30.
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One-pan dinners are my favorite. Especially when they are quick and easy to make. And that is exactly what we are serving up today with this chipotle steak and sweet potato skillet.
Let’s count the reasons why I love this dish:
- comes together in about 25 minutes
- made in one pan – yay for not a lot of dishes to clean up
- it’s healthy with a good macronutrient breakdown – it’s full of protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and some healthy fats. I love adding some avocado for serving too!
- it’s also very hearty and satisfying
- covered in a delicious chipotle sauce
I pretty much feel like it’s an elevated and southwest spin on your classic meat and potatoes. The chipotle sauce has some brightness from the lime juice to balance out the smokiness. Together you get juicy pieces of steak bites with sweet potatoes and a smokey sauce to bring it all together.
You can whip it up for an easy weeknight meal for the whole family or make it for meal prep to enjoy during the week. The leftovers are even great for breakfast with an egg on top.
25-minute steak and sweet potato skillet
This sweet and sweet potato skillet is a quick and easy one-pan dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes! Loaded with flavor and made from just 10 simple ingredients.
Here is what you need:
- steak (I prefer sirloin steak)
- oil
- sweet potatoes
- onion
- peppers
- mushrooms
First, liberally salt and pepper your steak. Then heat a large well-seasoned cast-iron skillet (it needs to be large) over medium heat. To help the steak get a good crisp on it, make sure the pan is hot and well-seasoned. If needed, add oil to the pan.
Add steak and cook for 3-5 minutes until browned on the outside. Remove from the pan, leaving the juices behind.
Next, add your oil to your pan, if needed. Add sweet potatoes and onions and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. If needed, cover with a lid to help speed up the process, but you don’t want them to steam too much. Next, add peppers and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.
Add steak and juices and mix well to combine. Finally, stir in the chipotle sauce (see below for details) and mix well to combine. Top with optional toppings and enjoy!
Chipotle Sauce
This steak and sweet potato skillet comes together thanks to a smokey chipotle sauce. It’s the perfect accompaniment to the steak and sweet potatoes, balancing out the richness of the steak and sweetness of the potatoes.
Here is what you need:
- lime juice
- chipotle paste
- garlic powder
- cumin
- cinnamon
- salt and pepper
Add ingredients to a small bowl and mix well to combine. Adjust according to taste if desired. The sauce lightly coats everything in the pan so feel free to double the sauce if you want it super saucy.
What kind of steak should I for this recipe?
I prefer sirloin steak for this recipe. It doesn’t have too much marble as some of the other cuts of steak but still has a great flavor. It is also a somewhat lean piece of meat.
Since there are some muscle fibers, cutting it into small bite-size pieces, having a hot skillet, and giving it a quick sear, helps it become pretty tender. Make sure to cut against the grain when preparing it.
You don’t want to overcook it or it will become too tough and chewy. I suggest medium-rare at most, so make sure you carefully turning and removing it from the pan as it cooks.
Meal prep this recipe
This recipe is super easy to throw together and works great for meal prep. Depending on how much prep you want to do, you can either meal prep it all or just a few components. Here are a few suggestions for prepping:
- partial prep – cook the sweet potato mix and make the sauce storing them separately in the fridge until you are ready to prep. When you are ready, slice the steak and add it to your hot skillet. As soon as it is browned, add the veggie mixture and heat until warmed through. Add the sauce and mix well to combine.
- full prep – just follow the directions as written and store it in a tightly sealed glass dish. I suggest undercooking the steak just a tad so it does not overcook when you reheat it.
Substitutions for steak and sweet potato skillet
While this skillet recipe is pretty straight forward, here are a few suggestions you can use to switch it up or use what you have one hand.
- steak – if you don’t want to use steak, this skillet recipe will also work with chicken. Make sure chicken is cooked all the way through if using.
- potatoes – any kind of potato or winter squash will work, including white potatoes and butternut squash. Using those will change the flavor.
- veggies – any kind of veggies will work. You can add more peppers and onions, or swap them with something else.
- chipotle sauce – while I love the smokey chipotle sauce with the sweetness of the sweet potatoes, any kind of sauce or dressing will work. Ranch or buffalo are great options and you can use a store-bought version to save time.
More healthy one pan dinners
- Chicken Fajita Casserole
- Sausage Peppers and Potatoes Skillet
- Jalapeno Popper Chicken Casserole
- Shrimp Fajitas
- Turkey Taco Skillet
- Healthy Chicken Pad Thai
Steak and Sweet Potato Skillet
ingredients
Steak and Sweet Potato Skillet
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil (use more if your pan is not well-seasoned)
- 1 1/2 pounds steak, cut into 1-1½ inch pieces (I like sirloin)
- 6 cups diced sweet potatoes (3-4 small/24 ounces)
- 1 heaping cup roughly chopped onion (120 grams)
- 3 cups diced bell peppers (300 grams/2 medium-large)
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (100 grams)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Chipotle Sauce
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chipotle paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- salt and pepper, to taste
instructions
- Make the sauce. Add the lime juice, chipotle paste, garlic powder, cumin, cinnamon, and salt and pepper to a small bowl or jar and mix well to combine. Set aside.
- Salt and pepper your steak. Heat a large cast-iron skillet (it needs to be large) over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil and let it get hot. Add steak in a single layer and cook for 3-5 minutes until browned on the outside, flipping as needed. If needed, you may need to cook in 2 batches. Remove from the pan, leaving the juices behind.
- Add 1 tablespoon oil (you may need more depending on how well seasoned your pan is). Add sweet potatoes and onions and cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally. If needed, cover with a lid to help speed up the process, but you don’t want them to steam too much. Add peppers and mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes.
- Add steak and juices and mix well to combine. Add chipotle sauce and mix well until combined and warmed through. Top with optional toppings and enjoy!
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notes
nutrition
Recipe by Kelly Nardo, Eat the Gains | Photography by The Mindful Hapa
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How much store bought sauce goes in?
Hi, Kim! Not sure what you mean. You make the sauce yourself from chipotle paste, lime juice, and spices. Hope that helps!
5 minutes prep and 20 minutes cook time LOLOLOLOL!! I am a seasoned cook and this took forever. I even skipped some steps in the pan and used my air fryer. 50 minutes later and dinner still isn’t on the table. Nope!
Hi, Jen. The prep time could definitely be updated in this recipe but the steak cooks fairly quickly and the sweet potatoes should be diced small to cook up quickly as well. Covering them with a lid also helps speed up the process. I hope that helps.
Does this dish freeze well? Looking for things I can meal prep and freeze so that I don’t have to eat the same thing each day when I make one batch for the week. Ie, I’ll make 5 different dishes, split into 4 servings, freeze 3 and eat one of each dish that week
Hey, Lindsey! Yes, this recipe will work well to freeze. The steak might dry out a little over time depending on how long you store it in there. You could also undercook it a tad and then when you reheat it, it gives it a little wiggle room so it doesn’t get overcooked. Hope that helps!
Do I have to peel the Sweet Potatoes ??
No, you don’t, but you can if you want to.
This was one of the best recipes I’ve made in a long time…literally sooo good and so easy to make. I will definitely make this over and over again.
So glad to hear that Simone! Thanks for trying it!
This was delicious!!! My family of 4 loved it and asked that it be put into our regular meal rotation. The chipotle lime sauce is addictive!
So glad to hear that Jewell!! I love a good sauce as well 🙂 thank you for trying it!
The chipotle sauce is an absolute must, takes this dish to the next level!
Thanks Casey, I love a good sauce too!
Can’t wait to make it
Let me know if you do!