Can I use store-bought hot honey?

Yes, hot honey available for purchase can be used as a substitute for homemade hot honey. Hot honey available for purchase can be used like homemade hot honey to provide sweet and spicy flavors. Hot honey available for purchase may differ in sour and spicy qualities from homemade hot honey. Try using a small amount of hot honey available for purchase to see how you like it. Regular honey is not spicy.

What can replace cottage cheese?

Greek yogurt is suggested as a substitute for cottage cheese. It offers a cold, tangy texture contrast to beef and sweet potato. Greek yogurt has a different texture and appearance than cottage cheese when served on sweet potatoes. Greek yogurt should be served after the hot beef, not added to the sweet potato mixture.

Can I make these vegetarian?

Yes, plant-based foods can be substituted for ground beef in this recipe. Substitutes that could be used for ground beef in this recipe include seasoned lentils and crumbled tofu and plant-based ground beef alternatives listed for the recipe. Other adjustments to cooking time and liquid amounts may be needed for plant-based substitutes. Other steps in the recipe, such as topping the dish with cottage cheese, avocado, and hot honey, can be followed as written.

Can I bake the potatoes instead?

Yes, you can roast the potatoes rather than air-fry them. Roast potatoes in a 400°F oven for 45 to 50 minutes, flipping once during roasting. Oven-roasted potatoes taste similar to air-fried potatoes, but have less crusty skin. In addition to monitoring time, check for doneness with a fork. Other factors, including potato size, can affect roasting time.

How should I store leftovers?

Separate potatoes, beef, cottage cheese, and avocado. These steps will help avoid warming the cottage cheese when making the filling and cutting down on required prep of avocados. You can reheat the beef and potatoes and assemble new loaded potatoes with fresh toppings. You can also reheat and serve whole baked potatoes to retain texture.

Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Spiced Beef, Cottage Cheese, and Hot Honey

By Emma CollinsOct 1, 2026

Prep

10 min

Cook

55 min

Total

70 min

Servings

Jump to recipe

Choose medium sweet potatoes with orange flesh and intact skins to serve with other dishes that include mild, slightly sweet flavors and other ingredients, such as cooked beef, cottage cheese, avocado, and hot honey. Air-frying sweet potatoes creates a crunchy exterior and soft interior, which can pair well with other flavors and ingredients served with the potatoes.

Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Spiced Beef, Cottage Cheese, and Hot Honey

Potatoes are coated with olive or avocado oil and other seasonings. Beef is seasoned with garlic, onion powder, chili powder, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, and beef broth. Cornstarch is added to the beef pan sauce as a thickener. Cottage cheese helps round out the beef flavor, and avocado adds a creamy element. Hot honey sauce is prepared with hot honey, sriracha, red pepper flakes, and vinegar. Other sweet and flavorful elements are added.

The potatoes are cooked when they are soft enough to be easily pierced with a fork and the skin is crisp. Flip the potatoes after 30 minutes to crisp both sides. There should be a lot of beef sauce; there should not be much broth. Pricking the potatoes helps steam escape. Slicing the potatoes before serving helps keep the filling warm. Don't slice through the potatoes completely; the potatoes help hold the filling in place at the bottom.

Serve potatoes hot and light. Add beef, cottage cheese, avocado, and hot honey. Refrigerate and store cooked food and leftovers in separate containers. Reheat beef and potatoes before serving. Slice or mash avocado immediately before serving to maintain appearance and texture.

Why this recipe works

Medium orange sweet potatoes are sweet and juicy enough to pair well with beef and cottage cheese and the spicy hot honey.
About a pound of ground beef makes enough filling for three to four potatoes. Each piece of beef is completely covered by the seasoned sauce.
Cottage cheese is a good topping because of its slightly sour taste. It complements the seasoned beef and does not require a cheese sauce.
Mature avocado adds creaminess to potato dishes, changing the texture of each bite using a single fresh ingredient.
The hot honey recipe uses ingredients you probably already have on hand, including honey, sriracha, and red pepper flakes, plus vinegar.
You can adjust the spiciness of the hot honey to suit your taste.
Cooking the beef along with the potatoes in the air fryer cooks the main ingredients of the dish at the same time and allows you to serve the dish topped with hot beef.

Instructions

Wash and dry the sweet potatoes.

Carefully pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork or sharp knife.

Rub each potato with oil and season with salt and pepper.

Air fry at 400°F for 45 to 50 minutes, flipping them after 30 minutes, until fork-tender and skins are crisp.

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.

Add ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until browned.

Stir in onion powder, chili powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and cornstarch.

Pour in beef broth and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the meat.

In a small bowl, whisk together hot honey, sriracha, red pepper flakes, and vinegar. Set aside.

Carefully slice open each sweet potato.

Add a pat of butter, season with salt and pepper, then mash and fluff the flesh with a fork so the butter melts in and the texture is creamy.

Top each potato with a scoop of ground beef.

Add a generous spoonful of cottage cheese.

Finish with sliced or mashed avocado.

Drizzle with hot honey and serve warm.

FAQ

Orange sweet potatoes are the preferred choice for this recipe. Medium-sized orange sweet potatoes with intact, unblemished skin and uniform size cook evenly. The moist, sweet flavor of orange sweet potatoes pairs well with other foods in the recipe, such as beef and sweet-and-spicy honey. Other types of sweet potatoes, including Japanese sweet potatoes and russet potatoes, can be substituted but will alter the flavor of the meal.

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Dinner Beef American High Protein

Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Spiced Beef, Cottage Cheese, and Hot Honey

Name: Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Spiced Beef, Cottage Cheese, and Hot Honey
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 70 min
Yield: 3 to 4
Ingredients: 4 medium sweet potatoes; olive or avocado oil (for rubbing); salt (to taste); pepper (to taste); butter (for serving); 1 lb ground beef; 1 tbsp olive or avocado oil; 1 tsp minced garlic; 1/2 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp chili powder; 1 tsp paprika; 3/4 tsp salt; 1/2 tsp black pepper; 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce; 1 tsp cornstarch; 1/4 cup beef broth; 1/4 cup hot honey; 1 tbsp sriracha; 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 to 1 teaspoon, to taste); 1/2 tbsp white or apple cider vinegar; cottage cheese (as needed); 1 avocado (thinly sliced or mashed)

By Emma CollinsOct 1, 2026

Prep

10 min

Cook

55 min

Total

70 min

Servings

Jump to recipe

Why this recipe works

Medium orange sweet potatoes are sweet and juicy enough to pair well with beef and cottage cheese and the spicy hot honey.
About a pound of ground beef makes enough filling for three to four potatoes. Each piece of beef is completely covered by the seasoned sauce.
Cottage cheese is a good topping because of its slightly sour taste. It complements the seasoned beef and does not require a cheese sauce.
Mature avocado adds creaminess to potato dishes, changing the texture of each bite using a single fresh ingredient.
The hot honey recipe uses ingredients you probably already have on hand, including honey, sriracha, and red pepper flakes, plus vinegar.
You can adjust the spiciness of the hot honey to suit your taste.
Cooking the beef along with the potatoes in the air fryer cooks the main ingredients of the dish at the same time and allows you to serve the dish topped with hot beef.

Ingredients

Servings3

•4 medium sweet potatoes
•olive or avocado oil (for rubbing)
•salt (to taste)
•pepper (to taste)
•butter (for serving)
•1 lb ground beef
•1 tbsp olive or avocado oil
•1 tsp minced garlic
•½ tsp onion powder
•1 tsp chili powder
•1 tsp paprika
•¾ tsp salt
•½ tsp black pepper
•½ tbsp Worcestershire sauce
•1 tsp cornstarch
•¼ cup beef broth
•¼ cup hot honey
•1 tbsp sriracha
•½ tsp red pepper flakes (1/2 to 1 teaspoon, to taste)
•½ tbsp white or apple cider vinegar
•cottage cheese (as needed)
•1 avocado (thinly sliced or mashed)

Instructions

1
Wash and dry the sweet potatoes.
2
Carefully pierce each sweet potato several times with a fork or sharp knife.
3
Rub each potato with oil and season with salt and pepper.
4
Air fry at 400°F for 45 to 50 minutes, flipping them after 30 minutes, until fork-tender and skins are crisp.
5
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.
6
Add minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant.
7
Add ground beef, breaking it up with a spatula, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes until browned.
8
Stir in onion powder, chili powder, paprika, salt, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and cornstarch.
9
Pour in beef broth and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the meat.
10
In a small bowl, whisk together hot honey, sriracha, red pepper flakes, and vinegar. Set aside.
11
Carefully slice open each sweet potato.
12
Add a pat of butter, season with salt and pepper, then mash and fluff the flesh with a fork so the butter melts in and the texture is creamy.
13
Top each potato with a scoop of ground beef.
14
Add a generous spoonful of cottage cheese.
15
Finish with sliced or mashed avocado.
16
Drizzle with hot honey and serve warm.