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If your weeks are like ours finding healthy, easy recipes for dinner is a win. Turkey taco stuffed sweet potatoes are a great alternative to our usual taco salad or taco night.
Bonus: The sweet potatoes and turkey can be cooked ahead of time which is great for weekday lunch meal prep or for those extra busy weeknights.
Key Ingredients
The full ingredient list and measurements are listed in the printable recipe below.
Sweet Potatoes
There are a ton of varieties of sweet potatoes from the traditional orange-fleshed variety to purple, yellow, and even white. Rich in Vitamin A and antioxidants sweet potatoes are highly nutritious and support gut health, healthy vision, and may even have cancer-fighting properties. The orange and purple-flesh sweet potatoes are our go-to choices.
For this recipe, we chose to cut the sweet potatoes lengthwise and roast them flesh side down after a light coating in olive oil. Because of the sugar content, you get a little caramelization which is the perfect flavor contrast to the taco seasoning. You will know the sweet potatoes are done when the skin is slightly crisp and the flesh is fork-tender.
Turkey Taco Filling
Jim limits his red meat intake for dietary reasons so we always have ground turkey on hand. We prefer a 93% lean ground turkey. It has just enough fat for flavor without there being so much that you need to drain off the excess after cooking. Substituting for ground beef or a different leanness of turkey will not change the deliciousness of this recipe. If you choose to use a 99% lean turkey then we recommend adding a little olive oil so that the taco seasoning mix has something to stick to when you add it to the turkey.
Toppings for Turkey Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
The great thing about this recipe is it can be completely self-serve which makes customizing the toppings perfect for picky eaters or little ones. You can also add more or less of what you like.
- Texas Caviar (aka Cowboy Caviar)
- Black beans or substitute pinto or white beans
- Whole kernel corn for additional crunch and texture
- Crumbled goat cheese can be substituted with your favorite shredded cheese
- Sour cream or for a healthier alternative you can use greek yogurt
- Avocado slices or guacamole
- Pickled sweet peppers or jalapenos
How to Make Turkey Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Here are the quick step-by-step instructions with visuals; you can find the full instructions with the exact ingredients in the recipe card below.
Pro-tip: Make some extra servings for easy go-to nutritious lunches during the week.
1. Prepare and Cook the Sweet Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 350° F. Scrub and clean the sweet potatoes then cut them in half lengthwise. Coat the sweet potatoes with olive oil and place the flesh side down on a baking dish. Bake sweet potatoes for 30-40 minutes or until the flesh is fork-tender. Note: cooking time will vary based on the size of the sweet potatoes.
2. Cook the Turkey: While the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet on medium heat. Cook the ground turkey for approximately 5 minutes or until it begins to lightly brown then add the taco seasoning mix and quartered cherry tomatoes to the ground turkey. Stir the turkey, taco seasoning, and tomatoes until completely combined. Continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the turkey is completely cooked.
3. Prepare Corn and Black Beans: In medium-size microwave-safe bowls heat corn and black beans until warm, approximately 2 minutes.
4. Assembly: Using a fork gently mash the flesh of the sweet potato without damaging the skin. Place approximately ½ cup of arugula on each plate then place half of one sweet potato on top of the arugula. Top each sweet potato with approximately ½ cup of taco turkey mixture and 1-2 tablespoons each of corn and black beans. Serve with additional toppings.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Be careful not to undercook the sweet potatoes. You want sweet potatoes that are tender, moist, and fluffy and not hard and crunchy.
- Get the sweet potatoes cooking in the oven first, then begin cooking the turkey.
- Customize with your favorite toppings. We love green onions, guacamole, sour cream, and pickled peppers.
- To make cleanup easy, cover the baking sheet with a piece of aluminum foil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sweet potatoes with cuts, gouges, bruises, or blemishes may be already on their way out. Pick sweet potatoes that have smooth, taut skin. Choice sweet potatoes in the 4-8-ounce range since they tend to be less starchy and moister than larger ones.
Cooled sweet potatoes and cooked ground turkey can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. You can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven.
Yes, however, you will not get the caramelization that occurs when cooked in the oven. To cook in the microwave, pierce your washed sweet potatoes with a fork 6 to 8 times and cook in the microwave on high for 5 minutes. They will be very hot so handle them carefully when checking for doneness. Check if they are fork-tender and if not, place them back into the microwave for an additional minute.
Let’s Connect! If you make our Turkey Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes or any other recipe on Casual Epicure, please don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It helps others who are considering making our recipes and we love hearing about your cooking experiences. And if you snapped some shots, share them on Instagram, and be sure to tag @casual.epicure so we can feature them in our stories.
Other Recipes to Try
If you enjoy this recipe, we recommend checking out some of these:
- Make-Ahead Freezer Margaritas
- Sesame Seed Crusted Tuna Steak with Mango Salsa
- Red Chile Chicken Street Tacos
Turkey Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- 1 Cookie or Baking Sheet
- 1 Large Skillet
- 2 Medium-Sized Bowl microwave safe
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes, cleaned and halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning mix
- 10-15 cherry (or grape) tomatoes, quartered
- 1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup whole kernel corn
- 2 cups arugula
Toppings
- sour cream
- pickled peppers, diced
- crumbled goat cheese
- green onion, chopped
- avocado, diced
- cilantro
Instructions
Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat the oven to 350° F.
- Scrub and clean the sweet potatoes then cut them in half lengthwise.
- Coat the sweet potatoes with olive oil and place the flesh side down on a baking dish.
- Bake for 30 to minutes or until flesh is fork-tender.
Turkey Taco Stuffing
- While sweet potatoes are cooking, heat a large skillet on medium heat.
- Cook ground turkey for approximately 5 minutes or until it begins to lightly brown.
- Add taco seasoning mix and quartered cherry tomatoes to ground turkey and stir until completely combined.
- Continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the turkey is completely cooked.
Toppings
- In a medium-size microwave-safe bowl heat corn until warmed, approximately 2 minutes.
- In a medium-size microwave-safe bowl heat black beans until warmed, approximately 2 minutes.
Assembly
- Using a fork gently mash the flesh of the sweet potato without damaging the skin.
- Place approximately ½ cup of arugula on each plate.
- On each plate place half of one sweet potato on top of the arugula.
- Top each sweet potato with approximately ½ cup of taco turkey mixture and 1-2 tablespoons each of corn and black beans.
- Serve with additional toppings.