Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Why are stuffed sweet potatoes good for you? ›

One stuffed sweet potato is pretty filling so you may find that it makes an entire meal for you - depending on how hungry you are of course! The first sweet potato is stuffed with avocado and black beans. This will provide some good anti-inflammatory fat, plus iron and plant-based protein from the black beans.

Selection and storage tips: Choose firm, small- to medium-sized potatoes with smooth skin. Avoid cracks, soft spots and blemishes. Choose sweet potatoes with a bright, uniform color. Store them in a cool, dark, dry place for use within two to three weeks or at room temperature for up to a week.

If you're in a hurry, you can also roast sweet potato halves for 30 minutes. Slice the potatoes in half lengthwise, rub them with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook cut-side up until lightly browned and tender.

If you enjoy sweet potatoes, you can absolutely enjoy them daily. However, eating multiple sweet potatoes every day could cause a harmless condition called carotenodermia, where your skin turns yellow-orange. You may also want to be cautious about your sweet potato intake if you have a history of kidney stones.

They're high in fiber and antioxidants, which protect your body from free radical damage and promote a healthy gut and brain. They're also incredibly rich in beta carotene, which is converted to vitamin A to support good vision and your immune system.

The cold water bath helps rinse the starch off the sweet potatoes so they're a bit more crispy. That said, if you do not have the time, you can still get crispy baked sweet potato fries by using high heat and a little drizzle of olive oil.

TIPS & TRICKS to Make this Recipe: The main secrets to achieving that incredible crispy texture, is to soak the cut sweet potatoes in cold water for at least 30 minutes. This helps remove the starch from the sweet potatoes so they´re not limp & soggy.

The potatoes themselves get a rich, almost toffee-like complexity due to the slow roasting. Adding butter that's been cooked down until its milk solids just begin to turn brown and nutty accentuates that flavor even more. Some folks like to add cinnamon, nutmeg, or other spices to their sweet potatoes.

So if you want a sweet, sweet potato, you have to cook it until it reaches 135–170°F (57–77°C). And you want to keep sweet potatoes in that range for as long as possible. That will maximize how sweet the potatoes taste.

Keys to Success. Microwaving the potatoes to 200 degrees and then baking them for another hour causes their cell walls to break down and their starches to gelatinize, yielding a smooth, plush texture. Much of their moisture also evaporates during that time, so their flavor concentrates.

Is it better to microwave or bake a sweet potato? ›

It's really the best way. Microwaving sweet potatoes cuts down cook time by 45 to 55 minutes, and, according to a 2018 study, helps maintain the potato's nutritional value. All cooking methods cause foods to lose some of their nutrients, but the quicker your potato cooks, the more nutrients it will retain.

Boiling sweet potatoes retains more beta-carotene and makes the nutrient more absorbable than other cooking methods such as baking or frying. Up to 92% of the nutrient can be retained by limiting the cook time, such as boiling in a pot with a tightly covered lid for 20 minutes.

Baking can also cause an 80% drop in vitamin A levels, twice as much as boiling. Therefore, from a nutritional standpoint, boiling rather than baking should be recommended for cooking sweet potato.

Boiling sweet potatoes retains more beta-carotene and makes the nutrient more absorbable than other cooking methods such as baking or frying. Up to 92% of the nutrient can be retained by limiting the cook time, such as boiling in a pot with a tightly covered lid for 20 minutes.

Make the filling: In a medium-small bowl, mix together the quinoa, spinach, feta, red onion, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasonings to taste. (I like to slightly over-season my filling so that it's flavorful amongst the whole potato.)

Baked sweet potatoes are a nutritious and healthy complex carbohydrate that you can enjoy year-round. Both sweet and savory, this top potato pick is packed full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber. Sweet potatoes can be mashed and served as a side, in casseroles, or sliced and baked for sweet potato fries.