Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes make an easy vegetarian dinner idea. They taste like tacos with extra nutrients in each bite!
Loaded with seasoned black beans and sauteed veggies, these stuffed sweet potatoes will leave you feeling full and satisfied. When you top them with the creamy sauce below, they are naturally dairy-free, but you can top them with shredded cheese if you prefer.
These sweet potatoes are hearty enough to be served as a meal, but you can also serve half of one as a side dish with your favorite cooked protein.
It also pairs perfectly with a bowl of Mexican Chicken Soup or Vegetarian Tortilla Soup.
Ingredients You’ll Need
I’ve purposefully kept this recipe simple to minimize the prep work. All you need is a few simple ingredients to make a flavorful sweet potato filling.
If you have a different vegetable on hand or want to add in extra garlic and herbs, feel free! You could also add a squeeze of lime juice just before serving to brighten up the flavors.
This recipe is vegan as written, but if you want to add in ground beef or ground turkey, you can start cooking that in the pan after the onions and peppers are tender. You may want to add a little extra seasoning in that case, to account for the extra bulk.
How to Make Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
The hardest part of this recipe is simply waiting for the potatoes to bake in the oven first. To prepare baked sweet potatoes, preheat the oven to 425ºF and scrub the potatoes under running water to remove any dirt.
Dry the potatoes well, then pierce them several times with a fork or narrow knife to help them vent. Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment and rub the outer sweet potato skins with olive oil.
Bake until the sweet potatoes smell very fragrant and are easily pierced with a fork, about 45 to 60 minutes at 425ºF. For the best texture, err on the side of cooking the potatoes longer, so they will have a creamy interior.
To prepare the creamy nacho cheese sauce, add the cashews, water, green chiles, lemon juice, jalapenos, and salt to a high-speed blender.
Secure the lid and blend until the sauce is silky smooth, about 60 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides, as needed, to make sure there are no cashew pieces missed.
Set this sauce aside until you’re ready to serve. If it thickens as it sits, add a tablespoon of water and stir well to thin it out again.
When the potatoes have 10 minutes left in the oven, add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the red onion and bell pepper until softened, about 5 to 8 minutes.
Once the veggies are tender, add in the cumin, oregano, chili powder, drained black beans, spinach, and salt. Stir well, until the spices smell fragrant and the spinach has wilted.
Carefully cut the warm sweet potatoes in half, then fluff the insides of the potato with a fork. Spoon the hot filling into each sweet potato, then drizzle with the creamy cashew sauce.
Garnish with fresh cilantro or any other toppings you love.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Store the filling and sauce separately, if you’d like to use them in other ways.
The black bean filling is an amazing topping for nachos with the leftover cheese sauce, too!
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can skip the cashew sauce in this recipe and top the potatoes with cheddar cheese, sour cream, or Greek yogurt for creaminess, instead. Guacamole would also be delicious on top!
No, wrapping potatoes in foil will result in a soggy outer skin and it won’t make the potatoes cook any faster. Using parchment paper on the bottom of the pan will make clean-up a breeze!
Looking for more sweet potato recipes? Try my Sweet Potato Smoothie, decadent Sweet Potato Brownies, Sweet Potato Toast, or fluffy Sweet Potato Muffins.
Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil , plus more for baking potatoes
- ½ large red onion , diced
- 1 red bell pepper , diced and seeds removed
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 (15 oz.) can black beans , drained and rinsed
- 2 cups baby spinach , roughly chopped
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
Cashew Cheese Sauce
- 1 cup raw cashews (not salted)
- 1 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 (4 oz.) can green chiles with juices
- ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 6 tablespoons water
- 6 jarred jalapeno slices
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scrub the potatoes under running water and dry them off with a towel. Pierce the potatoes with a fork to vent, then rub them with a bit of olive oil. Arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake until very tender, about 60 minutes.
- To prepare the cheese sauce, add the cashews, lemon juice, green chiles, salt, water, and jalapenos to a high-speed blender. Secure the lid and blend until silky smooth. Set aside until you're ready to use it. If the sauce thickens, stir in a tablespoon of water to thin it out again.
- When the potatoes have 15 minutes left in the oven, add a tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and bell pepper until they soften, about 5 to 8 minutes.
- Add in the cumin, chili powder, oregano, drained beans, spinach, and salt. Stir often until the spinach wilts and the beans are heated through.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and carefully cut them in half. Use a fork to open each potato, then spoon the warm filling into each one, dividing it evenly. Drizzle the cashew sauce over the potato and serve right away while they are warm.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you store the filling and sauce separately in airtight containers, they have lots of other uses, too! The black bean filling is delicious in a morning scramble, and can also be served over nachos for another variation.
Notes
Nutrition
If you try this stuffed sweet potato recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below letting me know how you like it.
Any thoughts on a non-nut based sauce for those of us who can’t have it?
If you can eat hemp hearts they usually make an excellent substitute for cashews! They have a slightly different mouthfeel, but still make a creamy dairy-free sauce. Or, if you can eat dairy, you could top these with melted cheese, sour cream, or Greek yogurt. Hope you enjoy them!
Hi! Is it necessary to soak the cashews for the cheese sauce?
If you have a high-speed blender like a Vitamix, then soaking isn’t necessary. (I never have the patience to do that!) But if you have a standard blender, soaking may help the cashews break down better.
OMF!! This recipe is bomb. So delicious, and loads of flavor. Thank you for sharing