Though they’re super tasty in their own right, making stuffed sweet potatoes with vegetables, beans, and other vegan ingredients takes them to a whole new level.
Sweet potatoes are vegetable bliss, even served plain (though a little vegan butter never hurts). You haven’t really had the ultimate sweet potato experience until you’ve had them stuffed with tasty fillings.
I recommend using large sweet potatoes for stuffing. Scrub them well before getting started.
To microwave: If you’re not opposed to microwaving, you can make quick work of this, allowing 3 to 4 minutes per sweet potato. They should be well done, but not completely collapsed.
To bake: Admittedly, baking sweet potatoes brings out their optimal flavor and texture. This needs some advance planning. Wrap each sweet potato individually in foil and bake at 375º F, for about 45 minutes, or until it can be easily pierced with a fork.
When the sweet potatoes are ready, split them in half lengthwise, mash the flesh with a fork, and then fill ‘em up. Or, you can leave the halves connected and stuff them down the center as shown at top and just below; there’s not as much room for filling, though admittedly, they’re a bit prettier that way.
The simple ideas that follow for stuffed sweet potatoes will have you eating and enjoying in no time. The best part — you don’t need to follow any recipes, just use these ideas for inspiration, and invent some of your own.
Chili and avocado: If you have leftover bean and veggie chili, this is an ideal way to use up leftovers, but if not, a natural brand of chili like Amy’s is quite good. Or, you can just mix whatever kind of beans you have on hand with some salsa.
Dollop the chili onto the sweet potato, then top with diced avocado and/or tomato, cilantro, and if you’d like, a sprinkling of vegan cheese. This is particularly filling, so half of a large sweet potato might be all you can handle. If you’ve got a bigger appetite, both halves will provide plenty of satisfaction.
Hummus and broccoli: Tangy hummus is a nice foil for sweet potato. Broccoli pulls the two flavors together. Use store-bought hummus or make your own. Simply slather some hummus on the prepped sweet potatoes and top with bite-sized steamed broccoli florets.
Arugula, olive, and avocado: Peppery arugula, briny olives, and mellow avocado contrast deliciously with the sweet potato. Just layer some arugula leaves on your cooked sweet potato, followed by a dollop of avocado that’s been mashed with a little lemon or lime juice, and a sprinkling of chopped green and/or black olives.
Pesto and Mushroom: With just three ingredients, this stuffed sweet potato variation is one of those beautiful, blissfully easy vegan dinner ideas that practically makes itself.
The combination of briny pesto, smooth sweet potato, and earthy mushrooms somehow amplifies these three already-delicious components.
As for prepared vegan pesto sauces, there are more available than ever. Look for them in the pasta aisle or produce section of supermarkets, and in natural foods store. My favorite for this dish is artichoke pesto.
To make, simply wilt down about 8 ounces of brown mushrooms (this will be enough for about 3 large sweet potatoes). Spread a generous amount of pesto onto the split and lightly mashed sweet potatoes and top with the mushrooms.
Spinach and Thai peanut: The combination of lots of wilted spinach and peanut sauce is made that much more heavenly when it’s perched atop a sweet potato.
Simply wilt down a batch of baby spinach, bathe it in a good-quality prepared Thai peanut satay sauce or homemade Coconut Peanut Sauce, and load it onto the prepared sweet potato halves.
This post is excerpted and adapted from 5-Ingredient Vegan by Nava Atlas
Photos by Hannah Kaminsky originally appeared on VegKitchen.
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