Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Print Page)
Tender roasted sweet potatoes topped with spiced beef, beans, gooey cheese and fresh avocado, tomatoes and cilantro.
# What You Need:
→ Sweet Potatoes
01 - 4 medium sweet potatoes
→ Taco Filling
02 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
03 - 1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey for a lighter option)
04 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 tablespoon chili powder
07 - 1 teaspoon ground cumin
08 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
09 - ½ teaspoon dried oregano
10 - ½ teaspoon salt
11 - ¼ teaspoon black pepper
12 - ½ cup tomato sauce or salsa
13 - ½ cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
→ Toppings
14 - 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
15 - 1 cup diced tomatoes
16 - ½ cup chopped red onion
17 - 1 avocado, diced
18 - ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
19 - ¼ cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
20 - Lime wedges (optional)
# Directions:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Prick sweet potatoes several times with a fork, place on a baking sheet, and roast for 40–50 minutes until fork-tender.
02 - While sweet potatoes bake, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
03 - Add ground beef to the skillet. Cook, breaking up with a spoon, until browned, about 5–6 minutes. Drain excess fat if necessary.
04 - Stir in chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Add tomato sauce or salsa and black beans. Simmer for 4–5 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat.
05 - When sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice each down the center and gently fluff the flesh with a fork. Fill each generously with the taco mixture.
06 - Sprinkle stuffed sweet potatoes with cheese and return to the oven for 3–5 minutes until melted and bubbly.
07 - Top with diced tomatoes, red onion, avocado, fresh cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. Serve with lime wedges if desired.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The sweet potato does all the heavy lifting as an edible bowl, which means zero shells breaking and zero plates to wash afterward.
- You get every single flavor of taco night packed into something that actually makes you feel good after eating it.
- The leftovers reheat beautifully, so making extra is never a mistake you will regret.
02 -
- Underbaked sweet potatoes are the number one reason this recipe disappoints, so test the very center of the thickest potato before pulling them out.
- Letting the meat mixture simmer until it actually thickens makes a huge difference because watery filling makes the potato bottoms soggy and sad.
03 -
- Line your baking sheet with parchment paper because caramelized sweet potato juices will stick to the pan and create a mess you do not want to scrub later.
- Toasting the spices in the skillet for about 30 seconds before adding the tomato sauce blooms their oils and deepens the flavor in a way that feels almost unfair for such little effort.