These Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes start with caramelized, tender sweet potatoes, and seasoned ground turkey, and then are loaded up with your favorite taco toppings.
Be sure to try some of our other favorite stuffed sweet potato recipes: these Mediterranean Sweet Potatoes, these Southwestern Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, or a Mexican Street Corn-inspired Loaded Sweet Potato.
Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Amid all the delicious holiday baking and recipe development, it’s nice to have a nutritious meal that feels like pure comfort food. Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes fit the bill. They’re satiating and hearty while still being healthful and fresh.
I took my favorite method for baking sweet potatoes, loaded it up with the filling from my family’s favorite Turkey Tacos, and drizzled copious amounts of the best chili-lime sauce on top.
The secret to the best baked sweet potatoes
Baking whole sweet potatoes can take well over an hour and the result can often be a little lackluster. So, instead, we roast sweet potato halves. This takes about half the time in the oven and results in deliciously caramelized and sweet fleshy interiors. Once you try it this way, I’m convinced you’ll never want to bake sweet potatoes any other way! Here’s a quick break-down:
- Wash and cut. Thoroughly scrub the sweet potatoes to remove any dirt or debris. Dry the potatoes and then cut them in half lengthwise.
- Add oil and seasoning. Drizzle oil over the potatoes and rub the oil into both sides. Add salt and pepper to both sides of the potatoes and then again, rub into all sides.
- Bake. Arrange the potatoes face down and put them in the oven to bake until tender!
Quick Tip
When baking sweet potatoes, be sure to line the tray with parchment paper or a Silpat® liner. This keeps the flesh side of the potatoes (facing down on the tray) from burning or browning too much. Make sure to use a large enough tray (or 2 trays) so that the potatoes aren’t too close to each other and the hot air can circulate freely.
A few sweet potato baking tips
- Use similar-sized sweet potatoes. Sweet potatoes come in all different shapes and sizes so it’s important to try and get ones that are similar sized. This allows for all the potatoes to finish cooking at about the same time.
- Oil and season your sweet potatoes. Add olive oil, salt, and pepper to your sweet potatoes before baking; this allows the sweet potatoes to really manifest their full flavor. It also helps with the caramelization and all-around tasty flavor.
- Place sweet potatoes flesh-side down. While it might seem odd to place the sweet potato with its flesh side down the whole time, it is actually key to the flavor. It allows the potatoes to caramelize as they bake.
- Adjust cook time. It’s important to note that depending on the size of your sweet potatoes, and the calibration of your oven, your sweet potatoes might need additional or less cooking time. I like checking them every once in a while, by taking a fork, flipping over one of the potatoes a bit to see how tender they are, and continuing from there.
Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potato Filling Tips
- Keep the ground turkey cold and avoid overcooking. Keep the turkey in the fridge right up until it goes in the skillet. Don’t set it out or let it come to room temperature. Because of the low fat content, ground turkey isn’t too forgiving when it’s overcooked; it will become dry, crumbly, and lose flavor. Check out more ground turkey cooking tips here.
- I recommend ground turkey that is sold in a carton, rather than in a chub. Chub-style ground turkey is the kind that comes in the plastic tube. It tends to be quite watery and less flavorful. If you aren’t a fan of ground turkey, try lean ground beef or ground chicken instead!
- Use quick-prep options. For the fastest possible prep time, use frozen diced onions, pre-minced garlic, and a packet of taco seasoning in place of the seasoning mix indicated in the recipe. Keep toppings to a minimum and enjoy this meal in a flash!
Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Toppings
Once the potatoes are baked and the taco filling mixture is complete, it’s all about the toppings. Add as many or as few as you’d like. I’d definitely recommend the chili lime (included in this recipe) sauce to finish things off!
- Grated sharp (or extra-sharp) Cheddar cheese
- Store-bought or homemade salsa (This salsa recipe takes 10 minutes to whip together and is our favorite!)
- Drained and rinsed black beans (These can be tossed into the taco meat filling to increase the amount of protein and fiber in this dish — they’ll also help stretch the meat further.)
- Chopped cherry tomatoes
- Fresh cilantro
- A squeeze of fresh lime
- A large scoop of sour cream (we use fat-free to keep these on the light side)
- Sliced avocado or scoop of guacamole
- Chili-lime sauce (This sauce uses a few of the same seasonings in the taco filling mixture, plus mayo, and some fresh lime juice and zest.)
More nutritious dinners
- Turkey Bolognese with spaghetti
- Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup with chickpeas
- Harvest Bowl with butternut squash
- Sweet Potato Couscous with fresh basil pesto
- Turkey Meatloaf with lots of “hidden” veggies
Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are loaded with tender sweet potatoes, seasoned ground turkey, and all your favorite taco toppings. Simple, delicious, and perfect for taco night!
Equipment
- Large, dark sheet pan
- Parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
- Large pan
Ingredients
Sweet Potatoes
Taco Meat Filling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion 1/2 of an onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic 2 cloves
- 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon beef bouillon powder
- 1 pound ground turkey extra-lean, 90/10 or 93/7
- 1/3 cup tomato sauce
- Toppings as desired see note 1
Chili Lime Sauce (optional)
- 1/2 cup mayo I love Best Foods/Hellman’s
- 2 limes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce or hot sauce
Instructions
Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a very large, dark sheet pan with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Don’t skip this; it helps the potatoes cook evenly without the cut side burning.
- Thoroughly scrub and clean the sweet potatoes in cold water. Completely dry potatoes and cut in half lengthwise.
- Drizzle oil over the potatoes and rub it over all the sides. Sprinkle 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper over the potatoes and rub into both sides.
- Bake potatoes, flesh-side down, 30–37 minutes or until the skin looks slightly shriveled and potatoes are tender (easily pierced with a fork). See note 2.
Meat Filling
- Dice onion and mince garlic. Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and once oil is hot, add diced onion. Cook 3–5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for 20–30 seconds; add in all taco meat filling seasonings and season to taste with salt and pepper. (I add 1/2 teaspoon of each.) Stir the spices until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Nothing should be burning; reduce heat if needed. Press seasoned onions to the side of the pan.
- Add ground turkey to the center of the pan. Crumble the meat into small pieces and cook until no longer pink (about 5–8 minutes), incorporating the seasoned onions as you crumble. Add tomato sauce and scrape the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits. (This is where the flavor is!) Let simmer 3–5 minutes or until meat is fully cooked through, then remove from heat.
Toppings/Assembly
- In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients, including 1/4 teaspoon lime zest and 3 tablespoons lime juice. Whisk together until smooth. Season to taste. (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.)
- To assemble, place baked sweet potatoes on plates, flesh side up. Mash the insides a bit with a fork. Top with spoonfuls of the meat filling; drizzle sauce on top and add any additional desired toppings. (My favorites are black beans, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and lime juice.)
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Try some toppings: black beans, sharp or extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, sour cream (fat-free or lite is great), fresh guacamole or ripe avocados, chopped cherry tomatoes, salsa or pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, and fresh lime.
Note 2: A 5–6-ounce potato will cook in around 25–27 minutes, 6–8 ounce potatoes around 30 minutes, and 9–11 ounce potatoes around 33–37 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a fork into the largest potato. If it goes in easily, the potatoes are ready. If not, bake an additional 5 minutes. Cook until fork-tender, checking every 5 minutes.
Nutrition Note: Nutritional information does not include any optional toppings.
Storage: To store the leftover Taco Sweet Potato Foil Packets, keep them in the foil packs or transfer them to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 367mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1684IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is one of weekly meals so delicious.
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks so much for your comment Dawn! 🙂
These were absolutely amazing! I’ve already made these twice and have the ingredients ready for a third go. The Chili-Lime Sauce, Black Beans and Cilantro are great additions to enhance flavor. If I could give you a million stars I would. Thank you for this recipe!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thank you so much Matthew! 🙂
These stuffed sweet potatoes are soo yummy and easy to make, I loved them!! I especially like that this recipe bakes the potatoes instead of microwaving them, it’s not a problem to microwave in a pinch but I feel like they taste better baked. The sweet potato goes so well with the spicier taco ingredients and it’s healthy to boot. I’ll be making these again for sure! Also, I’ve never thought to stuff sweet potatoes but I adore it, it’s so versatile and easy, I’lll be trying a variety of other “stuffings” too!
So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe; thanks so much for the comment Alison!