Taco stuffed sweet potatoes are easy to make and a fun twist on taco night. Sweet, tender and fluffy sweet potatoes are filled with ground taco meat and covered in cheese and your favorite toppings, making this a delicious family dinner.
Tuesdays are for tacos in my house. This is true pretty much always, but has been an especially constant staple amid the craziness of 2020.
Tacos may not be able to fix our screwy world, but they can bring my family to the table with all smiles, allow us some quality time together, and ensure everyone leaves with a happy, full tummy.
I’ll take it.
My kids could happily eat our regular turkey tacos every week and never get tired of them. I probably could too, honestly.
But I do like to change things up to keep taco night fresh and interesting.
Sometimes that means turkey taco rice skillet or baked taco mac and cheese. Or in the fall when all the squash are in season, I’ll make turkey taco spaghetti squash boats.
Today, though, we’re all about the sweet potato.
Taco stuffed sweet potatoes give you the delicious contrast of soft, fluffy sweet potatoes filled with slightly spicy ground meat, all covered in cheese and all your favorite toppings.
It feels warm and cozy to tuck into a stuffed sweet potato bowl, particularly in the cooler weather.
Plus, it adds a good bit of nutrition to use sweet potatoes as the base for the taco filling. It also makes these “tacos” gluten-free and whole 30 friendly (depending on your toppings).
And sure, I just shared my microwave sweet potatoes with you and wanted to do something fun with them. So yes, there’s that too.
Now, I’ve got some notes and substitutions coming up on how to make taco sweet potatoes. Just tryin’ to be helpful.
If you want to jump on down to the recipe, simply scroll right on through the rest of the text. The recipe card is near the bottom of the page, above the comments section.
Notes on making taco stuffed sweet potatoes:
- You can bake your sweet potatoes in the oven, as noted in the recipe card below, or you can make them in the microwave. Or use your Instant Pot.
- Make sure you have some decent sized sweet potatoes though and ones that are going to be stable enough to slice open and stuff. (In other words, no really weird shapes.)
- Ground turkey is our go-to for taco meat, but you could substitute ground beef or ground chicken if that’s what you have on hand.
- I use homemade taco seasoning, but store-bought is fine too.
Want to add some extra veggies? You know I support that.
Here are a few options, along with some other additions you could toss in with these tacos if you’d like.
Veggies and other add-ins:
- You could sauté some onions, peppers and/or zucchini to go with the taco meat filling.
- Or wilt in some spinach with the ground turkey and use that in the sweet potato filling.
- Also, sometimes I grate a zucchini and add that to our taco meat as it’s cooking. It pretty much melts in but adds some extra nutrition.
- Other add-ins you may want to consider are a can of black beans that have been rinsed and drained, a small can of diced green chilies, and/or some canned or frozen corn to mix in with the taco meat.
Just depends on what you have on hand and how hearty you want to make these. And how overflowing.
(You know I love giving you all the tips and substitutions to help make a recipe your own!)
Beyond that, too, you’ve got all the fun taco toppings you can add to the finished dish.
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Topping ideas for taco stuffed sweet potatoes:
- Extra shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- Sliced or diced avocado or a dollop of guac
- Dollop of plain Greek yogurt or sour cream
- Chopped fresh cilantro
- Fresh or jarred salsa or pico de Gallo
- Pickled red onions or pickled jalapeños
- Crushed tortilla chips for a bit of crunch
- Hot sauce or sriracha
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice
I’m sure there are more, too. Pick your favorites and let everyone customize their own plate.
(That’s always a good way to help ensure everyone comes to the table with a smile!)
I hope you give this a try for your next taco night to change things up a bit.
Enjoy!
XO,
Kathryn
Taco stuffed sweet potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 medium to large sweet potatoes
- 1 lb. lean ground turkey (see notes)
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Optional toppings:
- More shredded cheese, sliced or diced avocado, sour cream or Greek yogurt, chopped cilantro, salsa or pico de gallo, crushed tortilla chips, hot sauce or pickled jalapeños, etc.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400. Scrub the sweet potatoes well and pierce with a fork a few times on each side. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean-up) and bake at 400 for 45-55 minutes, until tender. (Alternatively, you can also cook the sweet potatoes in the microwave. See notes.)
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking it up with a spatula, until cooked through and no pink remains, about 7-8 minutes.
- Add the taco seasoning to the skillet and stir well to get all of the meat coated. Add a splash of water, reduce the heat to medium low, and let simmer for a few minutes, until the liquid is absorbed.
- Once the sweet potatoes are cooked and have cooled enough to handle, carefully cut an opening in each one at the top. Use a fork to fluff the insides of the potato (and season with salt and pepper, if desired).
- Scoop the cooked taco meat into each potato and place back on the baking sheet. Top each potato with ¼ cup shredded cheese.
- Return to the oven on low broil for 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and everything is warmed through. (You can skip this step if your sweet potatoes and taco meat are already nice and hot. Just add the cheese and any other toppings and serve.)
- Serve immediately with additional desired toppings.
Notes
- You could sauté some onions, peppers and/or zucchini to go with the taco meat filling.
- Or wilt in some spinach with the ground turkey and use that in the sweet potato filling.
- Also, sometimes I grate a zucchini and add that to our taco meat as it’s cooking. It pretty much melts in but adds some extra nutrition.
- Other add-ins you may want to consider are a can of black beans that have been rinsed and drained, a small can of diced green chilies, and/or some canned or frozen corn to mix in with the taco meat.
Nutrition
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