By now, we know that the key to eating healthy(ish) on those days when we’re short on time — and patience — is having an arsenal of recipes that are simple to whip up, eat up, and clean up.
Though sandwiches are sure winners, there’s a new favorite in town: stuffed sweet potatoes. All you need to do is pop them in the microwave (or roast them), stuff ’em with ingredients, and attempt to eat politely.
But what do you stuff them with? Great question. Let these recipes answer.
1. Healthy chipotle chicken sweet potato skins
Sweet, spicy… these skins seem to have it all. Plus, they’re filled with spinach, spices, and herbs. Sound a little too healthy? The melted cheddar cheese topping makes it feel like more of a treat.
2. Moroccan stuffed sweet potatoes
Bet you haven’t had these before! Here sweet potatoes are stuffed with an eggplant-tomato mix topped with Moroccan spices, a combo called zaalouk. Then, the sweet potato is stuffed to the brim with chickpeas and tahini.
These vegan, gluten-free little boats turn out as gorgeous as they are delicious (especially with the pop of red from the pomegranate seeds), so you can expand your culinary horizons and be totally pat-your-belly satisfied.
3. Baked, stuffed, and overstuffed sweet potatoes
Looking for a lighter meal? There’s a kale salad add-in for that. Want to scarf down everything in sight? There’s a quinoa, black bean, and mushroom solution for that as well.
These recipes cover all the bases by providing a variety of ways to stuff (and overstuff) a sweet potato — and each one is delicious.
4. Easy paleo chili stuffed sweet potatoes
Chili in 20 minutes? We’re onboard.
This recipe is exactly what it sounds like: smoky, beefy, spicy, chili scooped into a sweet potato bowl (genius!) with a Whole30-friendly ranch sauce drizzled over the top. Add a sprinkle of scallions and grab a napkin (or five).
5. Spinach and artichoke sweet potato skins
There’s spinach artichoke dip, and then there’s spinach artichoke sweet potato skins. While both are delicious and great game-day recipe options, there’s one clear winner when it comes to health: the beloved sweet potato.
These skins are filled with cheeses, secret spices, and plenty of veggies, so you won’t even miss the cream-filled dip and salty chips.
6. Baked sweet potatoes stuffed with feta, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes
Mediterranean ingredients are known for being delicious and filling. This recipe combines favorites like sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and feta cheese to create a twist on a Greek salad. Goodbye for now, sweet pita bread!
7. Broccoli cheese stuffed sweet potatoes
Everything just tastes better with melted cheese… including broccoli, the vegetable we all wish we loved. So, if you need an instant winner without a lot of effort for even the pickiest of eaters, this is that recipe.
With such a minimalistic list of ingredients (a few spices, cheese, veggies), it’s kind of a wonder how it’s so. dang. good. But we’re not one to ask questions — after all, our mouths are full right now.
8. Healthy creamy buffalo chicken stuffed sweet potatoes with ranch
We never thought we’d see “healthy” and “creamy buffalo chicken” and “ranch” all in the same sentence, but alas, here we are. Dreams really do come true.
Beyond being super easy to throw together, they’re also paleo and Whole-30 compliant, dairy-free (yes, even with the creamy factor), and gluten-free. Basically, it’s a recipe sure to please the whole family.
9. Southwest stuffed sweet potatoes with black beans and quinoa
Gooey, rich, filling… this recipe seems to tick all the right boxes for what you want in a stuffed sweet potato. It is basically a deconstructed burrito served inside an edible bowl, and we’re so pumped about it.
Pro tip: Add some guacamole on top of the whole thing — more, a little bit more. There ya go. Que perfecto.
10. Quinoa stuffed maple sweet potato
Maple syrup is similar to peanut butter; it just makes everything taste better.
In this case, it’s mixed with quinoa, bacon (coconut or real — your call), shredded cheese, and chicken breast, and the result is the ideal post-workout snack, power lunch, or dinner.
11. Roast turkey and cranberry stuffed sweet potatoes
Whether it’s holiday season or not, there’s never a time when we don’t love a Thanksgiving-inspired meal.
As it turns out, sweet potatoes are a great vehicle for festive goods (leftover or otherwise) and easy to make gluten- and dairy-free.
12. Roasted grape, goat cheese, and honey stuffed sweet potatoes
We know about roasted veggies, but roasted grapes?! This is a new concept— and one we’re clearly excited about.
So preheat the oven, forget everything you knew about grapes, and get ready for a sweet and savory combo that’ll knock your socks off.
It turns out, there’s so much more to the world of sweet potatoes than just salt and pepper. There’s light Mediterranean, herby Moroccan, spicy Southwestern, take your pick.
To make life a little easier, we recommend baking a batch of sweet potatoes ahead of time, sliced in half and all. That way, come dinner time, you can mix and match different stuffings every night of the week.
