Cheesy Beef-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Recipe

If you're looking for a dish that's hearty, flavorful, and satisfying, you've come to the right place. These cheesy beef-stuffed sweet potatoes are brought to us by recipe developer Catherine Brookes, and they're packed with all the good stuff. There's savory ground beef, plenty of spice, and wonderfully gooey melted cheddar cheese for the ultimate side dish or main course.

You'll kick off the recipe by roasting up some sweet potatoes until they're caramelized on the outside and perfectly soft and fluffy on the inside. While those bake, the delicious beef mixture is whipped up in a pan. With onion, garlic, and a medley of spices bringing aromatic flavor and a subtle kick, this mouthwatering filling is bursting with goodness. Toss in some black beans for an extra protein punch, and let's not forget about the irresistible cheddar cheese topping.

This is a brilliant crowd-pleasing dish to make for a weeknight family meal. It's easy to prep, with the filling cooked up in no time and the oven doing most of the hard work. If you have any leftovers, they will keep well in the fridge for later too. Simply separate the beef mixture and potatoes and stuff right before reheating and serving.

To kick things off, you'll need four medium-sized sweet potatoes. Rub these with a little olive oil and salt and they're ready for baking. While the oven works its magic, prep the beef filling. For this you'll need diced onion, garlic, ground beef, black beans, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. For that wonderfully melty, cheesy finish, grated cheddar cheese is also sprinkled over the cooked and stuffed sweet potatoes before a final brief bake in the oven.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Place the sweet potatoes in a baking pan. Rub with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and some salt to taste.

Bake the potatoes for 50 minutes, or until a knife easily pokes through the flesh.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.

Fry the onion until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add the garlic and cook for another minute, stirring constantly.

Add the ground beef, turn up the heat to medium-high, and cook until browned, breaking the meat apart with a wooden spoon as you go.

Add the black beans, all spices, and some salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 3-4 minutes.

Make a slit in the sweet potatoes length-ways and open them up to make space for the beef filling.

Spoon the beef mixture on top of the potatoes.

Top with the grated cheddar cheese.

Bake for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese.

Serve the stuffed sweet potatoes, optionally garnished with green onions.

One of the best things about this recipe is its versatility. Don't hesitate to get creative and switch up the ingredients to suit your taste preferences or dietary needs. If you're vegetarian or looking to cut down on meat, you can easily swap out the ground beef for plant-based meat alternatives, crumbled tofu, cooked lentils, or even a mix of stir-fried vegetables like mushrooms, bell peppers, and carrots. You'll still get that satisfyingly hearty filling without any meat.

While cheddar cheese adds a classic and indulgent flavor to these stuffed sweet potatoes, feel free to experiment with different types of cheese. Try Monterey Jack for a milder taste, pepper jack for some extra heat, or even crumbled feta for a tangy twist.

Don't limit yourself to just black beans — there are plenty of other legumes that will work fantastically here. Swap in kidney beans, pinto beans, or chickpeas for a different flavor and texture profile. You can also load up your stuffed sweet potatoes with extra veggies to boost the nutrition and add even more color and flavor. Diced cherry tomatoes, a roasted corn salsa, or shredded lettuce would all be great additions.

Achieving wonderfully tender sweet potatoes is all about utilizing the right methods. With a few simple tips and tricks, you can ensure they turn out perfectly fluffy and delicious every time. As suggested in this recipe, baking sweet potatoes in the oven is often considered the optimal method for achieving tender results. This results in deliciously caramelized and browned skins, with soft and fluffy flesh in the center. When prepping sweet potatoes for baking, rubbing a little oil and salt into the skin is a great way to help it crisp up during cooking. Another tip is to keep those middles extra fluffy is to prick the potatoes all over with a fork before baking, to help them release moisture as the cook.

If you're short on time, cooking sweet potatoes in the microwave can be a much quicker and more convenient option. Simply pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork, place them on a microwave-safe plate, and microwave on high for 5-7 minutes per potato, turning halfway through cooking. This method will still yield tender and fluffy sweet potatoes, just in a fraction of the time!

Finally, to ensure even cooking and tender results, choose sweet potatoes that are similar in size. This will help them cook at the same rate, preventing some from being undercooked while others are overcooked, and simplifying your cooking process.