Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
These taco stuffed sweet potatoes are a healthy, high-protein dinner packed with fiber. But more importantly, it’s absolutely delicious. A baked sweet potato split open and loaded with seasoned taco meat, melted cheese, sour cream, guacamole and whatever else you’d normally pile on a taco.
This is a naturally high-protein, high-fiber dinner that doesn’t feel like health food. The sweet potato gives you complex carbs, fiber and vitamins. The taco meat adds the protein. And the toppings bring everything together. It’s also one of the simplest dinners I make because if you’ve got taco meat in the freezer from my Freezer Series, the only actual cooking involved is baking the sweet potatoes. Defrost, reheat, load and eat.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Sweet potatoes. Choose medium to large sweet potatoes that are roughly the same size so they bake evenly.
- Olive oil and salt.
- Taco meat. Having taco meat in the freezer is one of my favorite weeknight dinner hacks.
- Toppings: Go wild! Setting up the potatoes and meat with bowls of toppings for a DIY stuffed potato bar is always fun.
- Cheese like cheddar, Monterey Jack or a Mexican blend is great. A crumble of cotija or feta cheese is also nice.
- A dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt adds a little creaminess.
- The two toppings I won’t leave out are guacamole and pico de Gallo or salsa. You need that freshness to cut through the creaminess of the sweet potatoes and the richness of the meat.
- Black beans. A spoonful of seasoned black beans (drained, rinsed and warmed with a pinch of cumin and salt) adds extra protein and fiber.
- Fresh or pickled jalapeños for anyone who wants more heat.
- Green onions or cilantro. A sprinkle of either (or both) adds freshness and color on top.
- Hot sauce. Set a bottle on the table and let people help themselves.
How to Make Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Step 1: Bake the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Prick each one several times with a fork (this lets steam escape and prevents splitting). Rub lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place directly on the oven rack or on a lined baking tray and bake for 45 to 60 minutes until completely soft when pierced with a knife. The baking time depends on the size of the potatoes. They’re done when a knife slides through the center with no resistance.
Step 2: Make the taco meat (if not using pre-made). While the potatoes bake, cook the ground beef with the seasonings as per the original recipe.
Step 3: Split. When the sweet potatoes are done, let them cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then cut a slit down the center of each one. Push the ends toward each other to open the potato up.
Step 4: Load. Pile the taco meat into the split sweet potato. Add cheese while the potato is still hot so it melts. Then add sour cream, guacamole, salsa, black beans and whatever other toppings you want. Serve immediately.
How to Bake Sweet Potatoes in the Air Fryer
If you don’t want to wait an hour for the oven, the air fryer cuts the time significantly.
Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork, rub with a light coating of oil and sprinkle with salt. Place in the air fryer basket and cook at 400°F (200°C) for 35 to 40 minutes, turning halfway. The exact time depends on the size of your potatoes and your air fryer. They’re done when a knife slides through the center easily.
The air fryer gives you a slightly crispier skin than the oven, which is a nice contrast against the soft interior and the saucy taco meat.
Making Ahead and Storing
- Baked sweet potatoes. Store cooked, unsplit sweet potatoes in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave for 2 to 3 minutes or in the oven at 350°F (175°C) for 15 to 20 minutes. Having baked sweet potatoes ready in the fridge makes this dinner even faster during the week.
- Taco meat. Keeps in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in flat zip-lock bags. Reheat in a pan with a splash of water.
- Assembled sweet potatoes. These don’t store well once fully loaded. The toppings make the potato soggy. Store the components separately and assemble fresh.
- Meal prep approach. Bake a batch of sweet potatoes and make a big batch of taco meat on Sunday. Store both in the fridge. For dinner, split a potato, reheat the meat, load and eat. Five minutes from fridge to table.
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp salt
Toppings
- 3 cups taco meat
- guacamole
- pico de gallo
- sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Prick each one several times with a fork (this lets steam escape and prevents splitting).
- Rub lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Place directly on the oven rack or on a lined baking tray and bake for 45 to 60 minutes until completely soft when pierced with a knife.
- Heat the taco meat with a splash of water over medium-low heat until hot throughout.
- When the sweet potatoes are done, let them cool for 2 to 3 minutes, then cut a slit down the center of each one.
- Pile the taco meat into the split sweet potato. Add cheese (if using) while the potato is still hot so it melts.
- Then add sour cream, guacamole, pico de gallo and whatever other toppings you want. Serve immediately.
Notes
- Air fryer sweet potatoes: Prick with a fork, rub with oil and salt. Air fry at 400°F (200°C) for 35 to 40 minutes, turning halfway, until a knife slides through the center easily. Faster than the oven with a crispier skin.
- Freezer taco meat shortcut: Make a double or triple batch of taco meat and freeze in flat zip-lock bags for up to 3 months. I make the whole batch (2lbs/1kg of ground beef/beef mince) and freeze in two equal portions. Defrost overnight in the fridge or in cold water for 30 minutes, warm in a pan and load onto the baked potatoes. This turns a 45-minute dinner into a 5-minute assembly job.