Sausage Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet and slightly spicy, these sausage stuffed sweet potatoes are totally delicious! Sweet potato filling is mashed with cumin, salt and creamy yogurt, topped with spicy Italian sausage, and sprinkled with pepper jack. Simple, tasty, and easy to prep ahead.

Twice baked sweet potatoes are one of my favorite comfort foods....who can resist creamy sweet potato topped with gooey cheese? While we love taco-stuffed sweet potatoes and can never get enough enchilada stuffed sweet potatoes, these sausage stuffed sweet potatoes are always at the top of my list!

Simple to prepare and easy to prep ahead, these sausage stuffed sweet potatoes have deliciously contrasting flavors: sweetness from the sweet potatoes, spiciness from the sausage, and savory cheesy goodness from the cheese.

Bake your sweet potatoes ahead to make this an easily do-able weeknight dinner: you can have them on the table in under 30 minutes if you prep them this way!

The first bake

Twice baked sweet potatoes are baked twice: for the first bake, the sweet potatoes are usually whole roasted to cook them all the way through. Once cooked, the sweet potatoes are sliced in half, and the flesh is scooped out, mashed with some other ingredients, then spooned back into the skins and sprinkled with cheese.

For the first bake, you can actually cook the sweet potatoes any number of ways including:

• in the Instant Pot
• in the Slow Cooker
• in the Oven
• in the Microwave

Once your sweet potatoes are cooked through all the way, you can store them in the fridge for up to 4 days, or proceed to the second baking step right away. Prepping them ahead like this saves you up to an hour of cook time later in the week!

The second bake

After cooking the sweet potatoes through, we carefully scoop the flesh out of the sweet potatoes and transfer to a bowl. I like to leave a small border around the sweet potato skin, which helps keep the skins from completely collapsing.

Next, we mash the sweet potato flesh with creamy greek yogurt, cumin and salt. Once fully mashed up and combined, spoon it back into the sweet potato skins.

Top with cooked and crumbled Italian sausage and sprinkle with pepper jack cheese, then bake in the oven for 10 or so minutes, until cheese is fully melted.

How to serve twice baked sweet potatoes

Since these twice baked sweet potatoes contain a protein (the sausage + cheese), and a carbohydrate (the sweet potato), I like to serve with a veggie-heavy side dish and call it a meal.

Here are some salads or veggie-rich recipes that would go well with this recipe:

• Sauteed Green Beans
• Balsamic Roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Pomegranates
• Green Apple, Fennel + Brussels Sprouts Slaw
• Our Staple Kale Salad

Recipe tips

• sweet potatoes can vary greatly in size, so use cook times as an estimation and use your best judgement
• you can tell if your sweet potato is cooked through by giving it a gentle squeeze with an oven-mitt covered hand. If it is still firm, the sweet potatoes are not ready. If it gives way, it is cooked through
• swap the spicy Italian sausage for your favorite sausage
• to save time cooking the sausage, purchase sausage meat that is not in the casing. If you can't find this, simply cut the casings off the sausage and break it up into small pieces while cooking

Prep ahead for easy meals

Sausage stuffed sweet potatoes may be prepared ahead fully, and reheated for easy meals.

Fridge storage

Bake the sweet potatoes all the way through (both baking steps), then cool completely. Store in a large meal prep container (I use a 6 cup glass meal prep container), for up to 4 days.

To reheat- place in a covered dish at 350°F for 15-20 minutes, until sweet potatoes are fully warmed through.

Freezer storage

Bake the sweet potatoes through all steps (first and second baking steps), then cool completely. Wrap sweet potatoes in parchment, followed by aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Place in a large meal prep container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat- unwrap the sweet potatoes and place (fully frozen) in a covered baking dish. Bake at 425°F for 40 minutes, then remove cover and bake for another 15-20 minutes until cheese bubbles and potatoes are heated through.

More sweet potato recipes:

• Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Smoky Sweet Potato Hummus
• Southwestern Sweet Potato Wild Rice Salad
• Crispy Air Fryer Sweet Potato Tots
• Sweet Potato Pancakes

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Sausage Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

5 from 1 vote

Prep Time: 10 minutes mins

Cook Time: 20 minutes mins

Total Time: 30 minutes mins

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Sweet and slightly spicy, these sausage stuffed sweet potatoes are totally delicious! Sweet potato filling is mashed with cumin, salt and creamy yogurt, topped with spicy Italian sausage, and sprinkled with pepper jack. Simple, tasty, and easy to prep ahead.

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 lb spicy Italian sausage (ground sausage if possible; see note *)
• ▢ 4 medium-sized sweet potatoes
• ▢ ½ cup Greek yogurt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 2 cups pepper jack (shredded)
• ▢ parsley (optional; to garnish)

Instructions 

The First Bake

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Scrub your sweet potato and pat dry with a towel. Prick sweet potato with a fork 10 or so times.
• Place sweet potato on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes- 1h 15 minutes, depending on the size of your potato:

  -small- check after 30 minutes

  -medium (200g/6-9 oz)- 1 hour

  -large (1 lb/ 450 g)- 1 hour 15 minutes

  *all ovens are different and this is a rough guideline
• Test if your sweet potatoes are cooked through by gently squeezing with an oven mitt. If they are tender, they are ready to serve. If they are firm, return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes.
• Do this step ahead, or allow to cool until safe to handle before proceeding to the second bake.

The Second Bake

• In a medium non-stick pan, cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking the sausage up with the spatula into small crumbled bits. When sausage is cooked through (around 6 minutes), remove from pan and drain excess fat on a paper towel-lined plate.
• Gently scoop the insides out of sweet potatoes, leaving the skins intact.
• In a medium bowl, combine sweet potato puree with Greek yogurt, salt and ground cumin. Mix until smooth and completely combined.
• Arrange the sweet potato skins on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and gently spoon the filling back in.
• Scatter the sausage evenly over the sweet potato skins, then top with shredded pepper jack cheese.
• Bake in oven for 10-15 minutes, until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

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Tips:

*if you can't find ground sausage, simply remove the casing from the sausage and break up while cooking with a spatula.

 

Storage

• Sweet potatoes may be baked through ("the first bake") and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days.
• Fridge storage- After baking all the way through, sweet potatoes may be cooled completely and stored in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a covered baking dish at 350°F for 15 minutes.
• Freezer Storage- Sweet potatoes may also be frozen after baking all the way through. Wrap sweet potatoes in parchment, followed by aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Place in a large meal prep container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months.
• To bake from frozen- unwrap the sweet potatoes and place (fully frozen) in a covered baking dish. Bake at 425°F for 40 minutes, then remove cover and bake for another 15-20 minutes until cheese bubbles and potatoes are heated through.

 

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2sweet potato halves, Calories: 422kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 39g, Fat: 16g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 118mg, Sugar: 8g

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

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