Vegan Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes with drizzled spicy southwest sauce! The starchy sweet vegetables are so good for you and stuffed sweet potatoes are easy to create!
I am thrilled to share this Mexican stuffed sweet potato recipe with you because it so simple and satisfying and comes with the best homemade southwest sauce!
Oven baked sweet potatoes and golden potatoes are one of my favorite foods that kept me fed and nourished through college. It was a cheap food that I could quickly cook in advance and have ready to stuff with my favorite vegetables and proteins.
When I was in college, I would go home to my studio apartment after classes and before heading to work at Nordstrom’s, to fuel up on a filling stuffed potato. Potatoes are great because they are inexpensive and full of healthy fiber plus vitamins and minerals, which always gave me the energy and a full belly to last 8 hours running around on the sales floor. Gosh I was so skinny then, mostly from working in retail. Friends, a quick way to loose weight? Work sales at Nordstrom😊. It is great exercise!
Two ways I would make loaded potatoes. Mexican style with a few black beans, peppers, onions and corn, which were pre-cooked and ready to quickly heat up and assemble together. Or shrimp and cabbage or lettuce loaded on top of a golden baked potato (mmm… might have to share that recipe soon)😊. Potatoes are great for you too. Sweet potatoes in particular are high in Vitamin A, iron, fiber and potassium!
Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes were (and are) one of my favorite ways to eat potatoes. Fast-forward to today and I still love this meal. Even more-so topped with this winning Southwest Sauce that I use on my famous Cod Fish Tacos recipe. My husband asks for this sauce all the time so I finally started to make a triple batch of it to keep in the fridge in a condiment container for taco nights and Mexican dinners.
Guess what else? These are vegan too! This vegan sweet potato recipe can be adjusted by using vegan mayonnaise and maple syrup in place of honey in the southwest sauce (it is added in the recipe instructions).
Let’s start with the basics of how to make stuffed sweet potatoes. Beginning with cooking the potatoes.
Ways to cook sweet potato
You can cook the sweet potatoes ahead of time or right as you are making this recipe. Two methods are oven baked sweet potatoes, and microwaved sweet potatoes. In these photos I microwaved my potatoes, but for a crispier outside and more flavor, bake them in the oven first if you have time. Microwaving is great to save time and makes this stuffed sweet potato recipe ready in less than 30 minutes.
How to cook sweet potatoes in the oven
Rinse and wash off the sweet potatoes then punch them with a fork to release air. Then coat the potatoes in olive oil and salt and pepper if you prefer. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until tender in the center when poked with a fork.
You can also first wrap the potatoes in foil after adding oil and salt and pepper. This will make them softer and less crisp of the potato skins.
Tips to microwave sweet potatoes
How to microwave sweet potatoes? Use the same method as oven baked sweet potatoes by rinsing them first then poking them with a fork to release air. If you do not poke them, they will explode in the microwave and oven! Nobody wants that mess😉. If you have a potato setting on your microwave, just push that then start. The potatoes are done cooking when they are poked with a fork and tender in the middle. Or microwave on high for 5-8 minutes, rotating halfway.
How to make Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes
First, make the southwest sauce and add it to a condiment bottle. Cook the sweet potatoes and while they are cooking make the filling. Chop up all the vegetables according to directions (into small dices). In a large saucepan add olive oil, frozen corn kernels, black beans, red bell pepper, onions, paprika, pepper, salt and lime juice. The lime juice really gives this dish some punch! Sautee the ingredients for about 10 minutes on medium-high until cooked then add the fresh cilantro and mix together. If at any point the vegetables start to burn turn the heat down slightly or add a dab more oil.
Once everything is cooked it is time to assemble and load up the sweet potatoes with all the goodies! Slice through each sweet potato, cutting almost in half, and push the ends together so the center opens up. Add a large scoop of the bean filling in the center. Top with avocado slices, extra cilantro, green onion slices and southwest sauce. You can also add some fresh salsa on top too!
This is such an easy meal and you can also meal prep it into containers for lunches or make the sweet potatoes in advance and heat it up for a quick dinner in less than 30 minutes!
If you like this loaded sweet potato recipe, you might also enjoy:
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Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes
Southwest Sauce
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (can use vegan mayo)
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1/4 teaspoon oregano (dry)
Mexican Bean and Corn Filling
- 16 ounces corn kernels
- 1 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 white onion (small onion), diced
- 1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 lime
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 cup cilantro fresh, chopped and more for garnish
- 1/4 cup green onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (plus more if adding around sweet potatoes for baking)
- 1 avocado
Instructions
Southwest Dipping Sauce
- Combine in a small bowl ½ cup mayonnaise, 1 teaspoon of lime juice, 2 teaspoons honey (or maple syrup), 1 teaspoon white vinegar, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon garlic salt, ¼ teaspoon dry oregano. Mix well, cover and refrigerate (or add to a condiment container) while the rest of the food is cooking. Serve when the food is ready, or for more flavor let it set for an hour before serving.
Bake the Sweet Potatoes
Oven Method
- Rinse and wash off the sweet potatoes then punch them with a fork to release air. Optional to first coat the potatoes in olive oil and salt and pepper before baking. You can also wrap each potato in foil which will keep it naturally moist, softer and less crisp. Bake at 400 degrees for 40-50 minutes or until tender in the center when poked with a fork.
Microwave Method
- Rinse and wash off the sweet potatoes then punch them with a fork to release air (so the potatoes do not explode). If you have a potato setting on your microwave, push that setting then start. Or microwave on high for 5-8 minutes, rotating halfway. The potatoes are done cooking when they are poked with a fork and tender in the middle.
Mexican Bean and Corn Filling
- While the potatoes are cooking, cook the filling. In a large saucepan add the olive oil, corn kernels, black beans, chopped red bell peppers, onions, salt, pepper, paprika and the juice of 1/2 the lime. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring often, until the onion is translucent about 5-9 minutes. Add the fresh chopped cilantro and mix in. Turn off the heat and set aside.
Stuff the Sweet Potatoes
- Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise carefully keeping them intact. Pinch the sides together to squeeze and open up the center. Fluff it with a fork. Scoop a large amount of the filling into each opened potato. Garnish each sweet potato with extra cilantro, green onions, avocado slices, a splash of the remaining 1/2 a lime and the Southwest Sauce.
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