20 minute meal! These Turkey Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are a fantastic option when you need a quick dinner recipe.
This isn’t the first time I’ve stuffed sweet potatoes, but each time I do, I wonder why I don’t make them a regular item on my meal plans. The first version involved spinach, feta and hummus – an easy meatless meal option. The second time around, I stuffed the sweet potatoes with a hoisin turkey and broccoli mixture. One of my readers commented, “Tripled this recipe to freeze for lunches – absolutely delicious! Will definitely be a staple for lunch!”
Hopefully these turkey taco stuffed sweet potatoes will get such rave reviews. They certainly did at my house!
While it can be very convenient to dump a package of taco seasoning in the ground turkey, I assure you that it takes no more than a minute to add the individual seasonings, which give you a lot more control over the sodium levels and flavor. In fact, this entire recipe takes just 20 minutes to make. While the sweet potatoes are cooking in the microwave, the turkey mixture cooks on the stovetop. Multi-tasking at its best!
Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them in half lengthwise, scoop out the flesh and mash it with some olive oil and cumin before scooping back into the skins. Top it all off with the cooked, seasoned ground turkey mixture.
We used pepper Jack on top of our stuffed sweet potatoes, but cheddar, Monterey Jack or even Parmesan cheese would work just as well.
Watch how easy it is to make these Turkey Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes:
Turkey Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cumin divided
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 + 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper
- 3/4 pound lean ground turkey
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/4 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup grated pepper Jack cheese
- 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
Instructions
- Pierce the sweet potatoes all over with a fork. Cook in the microwave on HIGH until tender when pierced with a fork, 4 to 5 minutes per side. Let the potatoes rest until cool enough to handle.
- Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Carefully scoop the flesh out of the potatoes and place in a medium-sized bowl. Reserve the skins. With the back of a fork, mash the potato flesh until most lumps are gone. Stir in the olive oil, ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoons salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Divide the mashed sweet potato evenly between the potato skins. Place on a baking sheet.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lightly coat with cooking spray. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through. Stir in the garlic, chili powder, remaining ¾ teaspoon cumin, oregano, paprika, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook for 1 minute. Stir in the crushed tomatoes.
- Preheat the broiler. Spoon the turkey mixture into each sweet potato skin. Top each with 1 tablespoon grated cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, about 30 seconds. Garnish with parsley. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: This post contains links to my Amazon affiliate page. Any revenue made from sales through these links helps to support this blog. Thank you!
Krista says
Mar 6, 2017 at 9:40 amThis is great for Taco Tuesday! Great way to eat a sweet potato!
Des @ Life's Ambrosia says
Mar 6, 2017 at 2:01 pmI don’t usually like sweet potatoes, but I could get behind these!
Renee - Kudos Kitchen says
Mar 6, 2017 at 4:47 pmThese look incredible. I’m a huge fan of sweet potatoes but have never stuffed them. Great idea!
Trish - Mom On Timeout says
Mar 6, 2017 at 8:38 pmThese look outrageously YUMMY! What a great idea!
Catalina @ Peas & Peonies says
Mar 7, 2017 at 1:23 amSweet patatoes and turkey sound so good! I won’t mind to have this turkey taco stuffed weet patatoes for dinner tonight!
Sharon @What the Fork says
Mar 7, 2017 at 2:22 pmWow these look really appetizing. This is something I’ll have to add to the “need to make list”
Spanishtoenglish says
Mar 7, 2017 at 7:50 pmI made this recipe this week. The flavor of the turkey taco stuffed sweet potatoes was good. I could cook for my family a delicious dinner. I will be sure to come back here.his is a really good post. Thank you!
Amy @ Little Dairy on the Prairie says
Mar 9, 2017 at 9:42 amWe can definitly use a fun new way to serve taco’s since we eat them several nights a week! This is just right!
Elizabeth says
Apr 15, 2017 at 4:24 pmAre these cooked in the oven and the microwave? The directions say to place on a baking sheet? If so at what temp? And for how long?
Dara says
Apr 16, 2017 at 6:59 amHi Elizabeth, the potatoes are cooked in the microwave, then the stuffed potatoes are cooked under the broiler for 30 seconds to melt the cheese (see step 4 of the directions), which is why they’re placed on a the baking sheet. I hope you enjoy them!
Nicole says
May 22, 2017 at 5:00 pmI’m confused. It makes it seem like we are supposed to cook the potatoes in the oven before we broil them. It says as the potatoes are cooking to brown the meat. So how long do they go in the oven and for what temp?
Dara says
May 22, 2017 at 5:45 pmHi Nicole, I just edited the recipe to make it a bit clearer. The potatoes are fully cooked in the microwave, then the stuffed potatoes are cooked under the broiler for 30 seconds just to melt the cheese. I hope you enjoy them!
Tammy Hairston says
May 1, 2017 at 6:19 pmThese are wonderful, the combination of the Turkey and sweet potatoes are delightful. This is a keeper for sure!
Trudy says
May 22, 2017 at 4:12 pmAwesome meal great way to have taco
Lori says
Jun 16, 2017 at 1:15 pmAre these yams? At my grocery store the sweet potatoes are white and yams are orange. So I’m never sure which one to get.
Dara says
Jun 20, 2017 at 4:47 pmThat’s always confusing, Lori! Technically they’re yams, but some grocery store label them as sweet potatoes.
Samantha says
Jul 17, 2017 at 10:59 amYams are native to Africa. What most North American s think is a yam is actually a soft sweet potato. Maybe we need to educate our grocers.
Katie says
Jun 21, 2017 at 6:25 pmThis was delicious! I left out the cheese and used one fresh tomato instead of a can and it still worked great! It definitely takes more than 10 minutes to cook/prep though.
Ricky says
Jul 25, 2017 at 4:46 pmWe made this last night and will be making it a thousand more times. It was that good and the entire family agreed. Thank you for the recipe.
Katy says
Aug 14, 2017 at 12:42 pmWe don’t own a microwave. This might be a silly question, but how long would the sweet potatoes need to be in the oven (and at what temperature) to achieve the same results as the ones produced with a microwave? I have all the ingredients and can’t wait to try this out! Thank you in advance!
Dara says
Aug 14, 2017 at 12:53 pmHi Katy, not a silly question at all. To bake a sweet potato, pierce the potato in several places with the tines of a fork, then bake in a 400 degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
T.shaw says
Jan 29, 2019 at 5:27 pmYou don’t have to wrap them with foil? Just place them on the rack? Thx
Dara says
Jan 29, 2019 at 5:46 pmWhen you pop them in the oven at the end, it’s just to melt the cheese. The sweet potatoes are cooked in the microwave at the beginning of the recipe. However, if you choose to bake the sweet potatoes in the oven instead of the microwave (before adding the filling), you can place them directly on a baking sheet without wrapping in foil.
Sarah says
Aug 17, 2017 at 2:27 pmI made these last night. My husband and I both loved them! Delicious and easy – thank you for the recipe!
Emily says
Sep 7, 2017 at 5:40 pmMade these tonight and they were great! I love that this is a healthier taco option, yet still filling. I added black beans, chopped onion and poblano pepper to the turkey mixture and used cilantro instead of parsley. Will definitely make again. Another plus is this is a very budget friendly meal.
Shelly says
Sep 7, 2017 at 6:23 pmYummm! Made these bad boys for dinner last night with a few alterations. I added black beans & green chills to my turkey mixture. Also added a little bit of the shredded pepper jack to my sweet potato mixture before returning to the skins. Everyone loved them & went to bed with happy tummys. Thank you for the inspiration !
Shelly says
Sep 7, 2017 at 6:24 pmkept trying to put “5 Stars” but it wasn’t letting me 🙁
Jessica Holt says
Sep 8, 2017 at 8:10 amThese never get old. We’ve made them 5 or 6 times now and enjoy them even more each time . It’s just my husband and me, so the remaining two stuffed potatoes get eaten for lunch the next day. Two meals in one!
Lisa says
Sep 22, 2017 at 7:06 amJust wondering how they hold up as left overs?
Dara says
Sep 26, 2017 at 2:27 pmLisa, I’ve eaten them as leftovers plenty of time and they turn out well. Be sure to cover with foil while reheating to retain the moisture in the meat. And to be honest, I’ve also eaten them straight out of the fridge and loved them just as much! 🙂
Jen Bixler says
Oct 19, 2017 at 8:34 amThank you for this delicious, healthy recipe!!! I used Rotel (no canned tomatoes) and Quorn veg crumbles instead of turkey and my family loved it! The best part is that it really did come together in under 20 minutes, even with 2 toddlers pulling on my legs. ❤️
Emily says
Nov 27, 2017 at 7:27 pmSays 6 points but when I put your calculations in it can’t to 8
Emily says
Nov 27, 2017 at 7:28 pmComes* to 8sp
Dara says
Nov 28, 2017 at 7:55 amHi Emily, I made a slight adjustment to the nutritional information because I was having some hiccups with a new recipe card I switched to for my site. However, the Smart Points remain at 6 because some of the vegetables are counted as 0 points. I calculate the recipe nutritional info without the 0 point vegetables and use this information to calculate the Smart Points. However, the nutritional info listed in my recipe includes all ingredients. Does that make sense?
Sandra says
Jan 10, 2018 at 6:34 pmLoved them. You’ve converted a sweet potato hater ! I hope you don’t mind that I posted my version of this – with a link to your recipe!
Theresa says
Jan 18, 2018 at 4:20 pmReally enjoyed the recipe. Just wondering after you add the tomatoes , do you cook them for awhile?
Thx, love trying new healthy recipes!
Kayleigh says
Jan 26, 2018 at 8:37 amWhat would you recommend making as a side dish to these potato’s?
Dara says
Aug 10, 2018 at 6:09 pmHi Kayleigh, a spinach, kale or mixed green salad would be a great option!
Lisa says
Feb 6, 2018 at 3:51 pmI just made this for the first time. It was delicious. I will be making this again. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Dara says
Feb 6, 2018 at 5:12 pmThat’s great to hear, Lisa! 🙂
Kara says
Apr 21, 2018 at 11:26 amI’m excited to try these, but I need some clarification on wow points. Is the 5 sp for one half of the potatoe or whole?
Dara says
Aug 10, 2018 at 5:57 pmHi Kara, it’s 5 SP for each stuffed half, which is a pretty generous serving. It will fill you up, I promise!
S'momma says
May 2, 2018 at 2:16 pmWe made these for dinner and loved them.. we added black beans and instead of mashing the potatoes, I diced the cooked potatoes and mixed them in with the ground turkey mixture. My daughter loved the leftovers in lettuce wraps!
Rachel says
Aug 1, 2018 at 10:18 pmThis was very flavorful. I baked the potatoes in the oven. Be sure to use big potatoes because smaller ones won’t hold their shape when you scoop out the insides. All the different flavors tested good together. I had lots of left over turkey mixture which I loved.
MARY SAMPSON says
Dec 18, 2018 at 8:14 pmDara,
What side goes well with this meal? Im a novice cook and looking to feed my husband and two small children:) ps these look amazing, cant wait to make them tomorrow night!
Mary
Dara says
Jan 7, 2019 at 4:44 pmHi Mary, I apologize for not responding to this earlier. I usually serve a big salad (green, spinach or kale) with this recipe. You may find some in my salads category that appeal.
Claudia says
Feb 20, 2019 at 4:27 pmThis is by far my very favorite sweet potato recipe! Even my husband who does NOT like sweet potatoes gobbles this up! Fantastic combination of flavors! Thanks for another great recipe Dara!
Dara says
Feb 21, 2019 at 8:21 amI’m so happy to hear that, Claudia! It made sweet potato lovers out of my boys, too. 🙂
Tannis Owens says
May 15, 2019 at 3:53 pmI can’t wait to try these. My husband isn’t a sweet potato fan so I’m wanting to eat one and freeze the other three for convenient suppers for myself. How would I go about reheating them from frozen?
Thanks 🙂
Dara says
May 16, 2019 at 9:10 amHi Tannis, I haven’t actually tried freezing these potatoes. However, I think it would work. You could either thaw them, then reheat in oven for 15-20 minutes or cook straight from frozen. If heating straight from frozen, I would cover with foil and bake (I’m guessing 45 minutes or so), then remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes or so. My instinct is to bake at 375-400 degrees F. I hope that works!