Can I stuff a sweet potato with different fillings?

Yes! Use this recipe more as a guide or how to, then customize your potato to your preference. Choose different combinations of beans, herbs, spices and sauces to stuff your potato with.

Do you have to put holes in sweet potatoes before baking?

I highly recommend that you do. Take a fork and poke a few holes round your sweet potato. This will allow your potato to vent out some steam as it bakes and will prevent any chance of your sweet potato exploding in the oven.

Do I need to wash my potato?

Potatoes in general are grown in the grown, so they are covered in dirt. So, if you plan to eat the skin, you should wash your potato really well before baking. You can use a brush to scrub the potato under running water to help remove as much dirt as possible.

Can I make this in advance?

Yes! Prep the sweet potatoes in advance then allow to cool and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. If you are cooking your lentils from scratch, you can also prep them in advance too. Just cook according to package instructions until the lentils are tender. Once the lentils are cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. The sauce can also be stored up to 7 days in the fridge.

What brings out the flavor of sweet potatoes?

To enhance some of the natural sweetness of a sweet potato, sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Feel free to add additional seasonings as desired.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Lentils

Description

These Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Lentils are an easy and budget-friendly plant based meal smothered in a Roasted Garlic Tahini Dressing. A low effort meal with complex flavors.

Ingredients

Scale

3 medium sized sweet potatoes
1 head of garlic, top removed to expose cloves
4 cups of curly kale, (about 6–7 leaves with stems removed)
1, 15 oz can French lentils, drained and rinsed
Avocado oil for roasting
1 tsp garlic powder, divided
3 tbsp good quality tahini
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp maple syrup
Zest of 1 medium lemon
Juice of half a lemon
3–4 tbsp of cold water
Salt and pepper to taste

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 425F. Wash/scrub the outside of your sweet potato really well then carefully poke a few holes over the surface with a fork and place on a parchment lined baking tray.
Place your garlic bulb over foil. Drizzle about 1 teaspoon of oil over the exposed cloves then sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Wrap the garlic in the foil and place on the tray with the potatoes.
Place the baking tray in the oven. Roast for 40 minutes, then remove the garlic and set aside. Return the tray to the oven using the bottom rack and roast for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes have cooked through.
Pat the lentils dry with a clean kitchen towel then spread out on a separate parchment lined baking tray. If there is enough room, spread the kale out on the other half of the baking tray or use a separate tray. Drizzle the kale with 1 teaspoon of oil, half the garlic powder and a pinch of salt. For the lentils, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, remaining garlic powder and a pinch of salt. Toss both to coat evenly then spread out on the tray in a single layer.
Place the tray of lentils and kale in the oven on the middle rack and roast during the last 10 minutes of cooking time, stirring both sides half way through.
Remove all trays from the oven and set aside to make the dressing. Combine the tahini, half the roasted garlic cloves, mustard, maple syrup, lemon juice and zest, and a generous pinch of salt. Mash the garlic with a fork then whisk to combine until thickened. Pour in 3 tablespoons of water and whisk again until creamy. Add additional water as needed if you want to thin the dressing out more.
Cut the sweet potatoes in half and squeeze 1-2 roasted cloves between each potato with a pinch of salt. Using a fork, lightly mash the garlic into the potatoes. Top the potatoes with the kale, lentils and a few spoons of the dressing then enjoy.

Notes

Don’t forget to poke holes in your potato before baking. The holes in the potato help act like a vent to release steam from the roasting potato. This will prevent the low risk of your potato exploding in the oven.

Roast your potatoes ahead of time. If meal prepping for the week, roast 3 sweet potatoes and store in the fridge to help save time when making this meal through the week.

Don’t be afraid to microwave. You can fully cook your potato in the microwave or use it to partially cook it upfront and finish roasting it in the oven to save time. Start by poking holes in your potato, place on a microwave safe dish and cook for 3-5 minutes in your microwave. Then, finish roasting it in the oven at 400F for 15 minutes or until tender.

Change it up. Try different filling ideas or sauces to top your sweet potato with. For example, swap the lentils for chickpeas or kale for other hearty roasted vegetables.