Perfectly Baked Sweet Potatoes

About this Recipe

To me, there in nothing better than a perfectly tender, puffy, baked sweet potato. They are convenient to have on hand and versatile, with an endless number of uses. I love to enjoy sweet potatoes for breakfast, topped with yogurt, nut butter and fruit or stuffed with some eggs and avocado. They are also a great starchy side to pair with almost any protein for lunch or dinner, or my favorite way is stuffed with taco meat and my Mango-Avocado salsa. These sweet potatoes require only 5 minutes of prep time, so you can pop them in the oven while you meal prep or while you are prepping the rest of dinner. I love that these are customizable and the toppings are endless, not to mention super nutritious!

Why Sweet Potatoes?

• Helps Control Blood Sugar – Sweet potatoes are a great carbohydrate to regulate blood sugar, because they are a good source of fiber to slow sugar absorption.
• Versatile – These baked sweets have a variety of uses and can be topped with sweet or savory toppings.
• Delicious – Sweet potatoes have natural sugars that enhance their sweetness, a creamy and buttery texture and pair well with both sweet and savory ingredients.
• Nutrient Dense — Sweet potatoes are high in fiber, vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium.
• Easy to Cook — They require minimal prep, as the oven does most of the work.

Baked sweet potatoes are an easy and delicious way to prep a starch for the week, and they are a great vehicle for a variety of toppings.

What are Perfectly Baked Sweet Potatoes?

This recipe is essentially a fuss-free, mess-free method to make a perfect baked sweet potato every time. Simply pierce the sweet potatoes, rub the skin with a little bit of olive oil and season with some salt. That’s it! Once the prep is done, simply place the sheet pan in the oven and let the oven finish the work. They can be enjoyed immediately or stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for later in the week, warm or cold! Sounds good right? So let’s make them!

How to make Perfectly Baked Sweet Potatoes?

It’s a very easy recipe and, again, requires only 5 minutes of hands-on time. So you can prep them and then relax while they bake, making it perfect for meal prep or a quick starchy side. We pierce the sweet potatoes, place them on a parchment-lined sheet pan, rub the outside with some olive oil and season with some salt. Enjoy them immediately or store them in the refrigerator or freeze them for later.

What you’ll need:

• Sweet Potatoes – we use medium sweet potatoes, as they are a perfect serving size.
• Olive Oil – just to coat the skin before they bake.
• Salt – a little sprinkle to coat the skin.

What to serve with Perfectly Baked Sweet Potatoes

Personally, I love using baked sweet potatoes for breakfast, lunch, dinner or even as a snack. For breakfast, they taste delicious loaded with some eggs, avocado, cream cheese, yogurt, nut butter, chocolate, nuts and/or fruit. They are a perfect vehicle for taco meat, pulled chicken, tofu or beans as a full meal. I cannot forget to mention that baked sweet potatoes are delicious as a side dish simply prepared with just some butter, tahini or cheese. Feel free to get creative with your toppings! They can be enjoyed on their own, warm or cold. Again, they are super versatile. No matter what way you choose to enjoy, you cannot go wrong!

Tips:

• • • I recommend choosing all medium sized sweet potatoes, about 5.5 oz, so that they cook evenly.
    • I recommend using parchment paper, as sweet potatoes have natural sugars that caramelize and release a syrup that make stick to the bottom of your sheet pan.
    • To store, simply store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 6 days.