These turkey stuffed sweet potatoes take less than 30 minutes to make, are loaded with protein and veggies and are the perfect easy weeknight dinner!
The perfect easy weeknight dinner
I'm a planner. I like having schedules, and to-do lists and keeping myself as organized as possible. Unfortunately not everyone in my family is the same way. This makes the 5:30 pm question of "what should we make for dinner" inevitable. These 30-minute turkey stuffed potatoes can be made super quickly, with ingredients you probably already have on hand! The best part? It's a meal EVERYONE will enjoy- and they are totally customizable!
These turkey stuffed sweet potatoes are a bi-weekly staple in my house. This is what dreams are made of. Imagine smooth sweet potato with a sprinkle of cumin, topped with tex-mex ground turkey and shredded cheese and broiled until golden is perfection. I promise you won't even be able to taste that it's packed with nourishing ingredients!
How can I make these easy stuffed sweet potatoes my own?
One of my favourite things about these turkey stuffed sweet potatoes is how customizable they are. Once you have the base of the sweet potatoes done, you can create your own combination of flavours using whatever you have on hand.
Protein- I typically use turkey meat or ground chicken in my stuffed sweet potatoes for the sole reason of- that's typically what we have on hand! Other options include: ground beef, ground veal or even crumbled tofu, tempeh or lentils! OR skip the ground meat and use black beans!
Veggies- I love stuffed sweet potatoes because you can hide veggies in the filling to create a balanced meal that everyone will love. Some of my go-to veggies to add are: grated zucchini, grated carrot, chopped spinach and even diced red peppers. other great suggestions would be chopped kale, crumbled broccoli or even some cauliflower rice!
Toppings- I am a firm believer that life is better with toppings. I love to top my stuffed sweet potatoes with sour cream, extra cheese, avocado and salsa. Use this as an opportunity to get creative- use your favourite sauces, chopped veggies and even some greens!
What Ingredients do I need for turkey stuffed sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes- Find potatoes that are similar in size and fairly oval shaped. I know symmetrical potatoes are hard to find but try your hardest to find potatoes that are similar in size and fairly oval shaped. This will make it easier when cutting and filling them!
Cumin- I LOVE cumin. I honestly think it may be my second favourite spice (second to cinnamon of course). I just love the unique cozy flavour it brings to dishes, and it pairs especially well with sweet potato!
Ground Turkey- This is where you can start customizing! Use ground beef, ground turkey, ground chicken or even black beans or lentils! Choose your favourite protein source to mix the spices into.
Toppings- I love mixing in some hidden veggies such as tomatoes or spinach into my potatoes and topping with a good sized portion of shredded cheese. The broiled cheese is my FAVOURITE part of this recipe!
PS. If you know me I'm always looking for new easy and healthy weeknight meals to make. Most of my recipes are super simple to make, and are less than 30 minutes! Some of my favourite easy healthy dinners include this tofu alfredo, or spaghetti squash casserole!
I love seeing you make my recipes! If you make these turkey stuffed sweet potatoes be sure to tag me on Instagram - @nourishedbynic or leave a comment here letting me know how it was 🙂
Easy Turkey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- ⅓ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon avocado or olive oil
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
Filling
- 1 lb lean ground turkey see notes for vegetarian option
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup canned diced tomatoes with their juices
- 1 medium zucchini grated
- 1 large handful of Spinach chopped
Optional Toppings
- 1 can Black Beans rinsed and drained
- 1 can corn rinsed and drained
- 2 Green onions thinly sliced
- cheddar cheese shredded
Instructions
For the Sweet Potatoes
- *Microwave cooking method* Pierce each potato multiple times with a fork and cook one at a time in the microwave for 3 minutes each side, carefully remove from microwave and allow to cool
- *Oven cooking method* Preheat oven to 425ºF. On a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil, prick sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Bake until tender, 45 to 50 minutes.
- One potatoes are cooled, slice length wise and scoop out the inside potato flesh (being careful to keep the skins intact because you'll need them later)
- Distribute the potato mash evenly back into each of the potato skins
For Ground Turkey
- In a large pan, add olive oil and garlic over medium high heat and cook until fragrant, Add turkey meat and cook until brown
- Add spices and stir meat until spices are fully mixed in. Add in the diced tomatoes and black bean, corn, and grated zucchini and spinach if you're using and stir until warm.
For the Final Product
- Arrange potato skins on a cookie sheet and distribute mashed sweet potato into each skin. Top with turkey meat mixture and sprinkle with shredded cheese
- Broil assembled potatoes in the oven for about 6-8 minutes until cheese begins to brown
- Remove from oven and I like to serve with green onions, salsa and sour cream ( or plain greek yogurt)
