Chili-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

This hearty dish is a weeknight dream. Rethink the potato bar by starting with a vitamin A-rich sweet potatoes cooked in the microwave. Set out bowls of quick-fix chili and toppers so everyone can help themselves.

Double the recipe if you want leftovers to pack in a lunch or two during the week. Assembled potatoes will keep in the fridge up to 3 days.  Reheat in the microwave and top with cheese.

Modified recipe: BHG, October 2022

Author: Michelle Hanson

Michelle Hanson, MA, RD, LD is Fresh & Natural Food’s Registered Dietitian. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics with a minor in Community Health from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities. She is a registered dietitian and current member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Michelle has been a nutrition consultant for numerous years as well as a nutrition research director at the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

Michelle is passionate about food and nutrition and believes in helping people find simple, realistic ways to make healthy eating a part of their everyday lifestyle.
If you are interested in meeting Michelle or have questions for her, you can email her at: michelle@fnfoods.com. She will look forward to meeting you!

Servings: 4 | Prep Time: 5 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Ready in: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup salsa, well drained
• 1/2 lb of ground turkey or beef -very lean
• 1 15-oz. can kidney or black beans
• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1 cup grated cheese mozarella or cheddar
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

1. In a 2-qt. saucepan heat 1 T olive oil over medium. Add drained salsa and cook unitl vegetables are softened, 3 minutes. Add the meat and chili powder. Cook and stir, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until cooked throuugh, about 5 minutes.
2. Stir in reserved salsa liquid and beans. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until flavors meld, 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, to cook the sweet potatoes, wash and pat dry. Preck each sweet potato with a fork four times and microwave on high for 10-12 minutes; flipping them once during cooking.  Gently squeeze sweet potatoes with an oven mitt to check for doneness; they should give easily. If not, continue to microwave in 1- minute increments until tender. (Or roast the sweet potatoes in a 400 º oven until tender, about 45 minutes).
4. Split open the sweet potatoes with a knife and place on plates. Spoon chili over potatoes and top with cheese, sour cream, and green onions.

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 471 cal, 17g fat, (9g sat fat), 52g carb 27g protein; 9g fiber, sodium 1,327mg.

To reduce the carbs: use one small sweet potato and 1/4 cup beans (thus reducing it to 30g carbs total ); to reduce the sodium: use less cheese