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This VIRAL street corn ground beef sweet potato bowl is one of my family’s favorite easy dinners! Plus, it’s perfect for meal prep! We start with sweet potatoes and ground beef then pile on a Mexican street corn with cottage cheese that is the ultimate protein-packed dinner even kids will love!
OK, we all know that I am absolutely in love with Mexican Street corn in fact it is one of our top recipes on this entire website, but when I saw that everyone was combining it with those viral ground beef, high protein bowls, I knew I had to make it immediately.
I prefer to make it with real Mexican crema, but mayonnaise works as well. While a lot of recipes are just straight up cottage cheese mixed with corn, to me that does not say Mexican street corn, or elote, so I stuck the cottage cheese in the blender until perfectly smooth and creamy. And can I just give a quick little shout out to the pickled red onions. There is something about that tartness with everything else that absolutely makes the bowl, so don’t skip those!!
Protein Per Serving
This healthy ground beef bowl gives you 38 g of protein per serving! Not to mention it’s also loaded with fiber and healthy fats.
Ingredients You’ll Need…
Let’s talk ingredients because this high protein bowl recipe is built from simple, real foods that come together in the most delicious way.
- Sweet Potatoes: Roasted until tender with caramelized edges, these add natural sweetness and make the bowl extra filling.
- Olive Oil: Helps everything roast up golden and flavorful while adding a little richness.
- Smoked Paprika: Brings a subtle smoky depth that pairs perfectly with the sweet potatoes and beef.
- Kosher Salt: Enhances all the flavors! Don’t skip it!
- Lean Ground Beef: A high protein base that’s hearty, satisfying, and soaks up all that delicious seasoning.
- Kinder’s Carne Asada Seasoning: Adds bold, savory, slightly citrusy flavor with just the right amount of spice. It’s a super easy shortcut. You can also use taco seasoning!
- Water: Helps the seasoning coat the beef evenly and keeps it juicy.
- Avocados: Creamy, fresh, and the perfect cooling contrast to the warm, savory ingredients.
- Cilantro: Adds a bright, fresh finish that ties all the flavors together.
- Black Pepper: A little extra seasoning for balance and depth.
- Pickled Red Onions: Tangy, slightly sweet, and the perfect pop of flavor to cut through the richness.
- Lime: Fresh lime juice brightens everything and makes all the flavors pop.
For the Street Corn
- Cottage Cheese: A high protein twist that makes the sauce creamy while keeping things lighter.
- Mexican Crema: Adds richness and that classic creamy street corn flavor.
- Frozen Fire-Roasted Corn: Sweet, smoky, and super convenient with no need to grill, but still tons of flavor.
- Lime: The zest adds bold citrus flavor, while the juice keeps everything fresh and tangy.
- Chili Powder: Adds a mild kick and that signature street corn flavor.
- Cotija Cheese: Salty, crumbly cheese that gives the corn that authentic, irresistible finish.
How to Make Elote Sweet Potato Bowls
This sweet potato protein bowl comes together in a few simple steps, and most of the work happens while things are roasting or cooking on the stove.
- Roast the Sweet Potatoes: Use an air fryer or the oven to roast the sweet potatoes until crispy. Toss the sweet potatoes with olive oils and smoked paprika before roasting.
- Brown the Ground Beef: While the sweet potatoes are roasting, cook the ground beef in a skillet on the stove top. When it is almost browned, add the seasoning and water and let it simmer for a few more minutes.
- Make the Elote: Blend the cottage cheese until it is smooth. Combine all the ingredients for the corn in a medium bowl.
- Assemble the Bowls: Add a scoop each of beef, sweet potatoes and creamy elote to a bowl and then top with avocado, pickled onions, jalapenos and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Substitutions and Variations
If you want to go even leaner, use ground turkey or ground chicken instead of the ground beef.
Regular potatoes can also be used instead of sweet potatoes if desired. Yukon gold potatoes are great for roasting.
All the toppings are also totally customizable. You can add tomatoes, shredded cheese, radishes, black beans, or whatever your family loves!
How to Meal Prep This Recipe
These are perfect for meal prep bowls because all the components hold up really well and reheat beautifully. A little prep at the beginning of the week means you’ve got a healthy, high protein meal ready to go anytime. It’s my favorite lunch lately!
- Prep the components separately – Cook the ground beef, roast the sweet potatoes, and mix up the street corn. Let everything cool before storing.
- Store in containers (the right way) – Store everything separately so you can easily reheat the ground beef and sweet potatoes. Add avocado fresh before serving for best results!
Storing and Reheating
Leftovers are best stored separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. The ground beef and creamy elote will keep for up to 4 days. The sweet potatoes will last up to a week.
If everything is stored separately, then it’s easy to reheat the sweet potatoes and ground beef. I like to zap them both in the microwave if I’m in a hurry. If I have more time, I’ll reheat the sweet potatoes in the air fryer so they get crispy again.
This is the kind of meal that checks all the boxes…easy, satisfying, packed with flavor, and actually good for you. Whether you’re meal prepping for the week or just trying to get a quick dinner on the table, these high protein Mexican street corn ground beef sweet potato bowls deliver every time.