These flavorful stuffed sweet potatoes are packed with healthy veggies and blackbeans, infused with Mexican spices. Keep them simple or serve them over a luscious Oaxacan Mole sauce for an elevated dinner. Vegan. Video.
When things change inside you, things change around you. -Unknown
We’ve been loving baked sweet potatoes lately. They are so hearty and comforting, and can be treated so many different ways in the kitchen. This humble root is so versatile and can easily become a whole meal with very little effort.
Here we are giving them an Oaxacan spin, stuffed with blackbeans, corn, veggies, optional cheese, along with savory Mexican spices. They are delcious as is, or serve them with our delicious, quick, and easy mole sauce– which literally takes just minutes. Such a wonderful combination of flavors!
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes ViDeo
Stuffed Sweet Potato Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes - Choose similarly sized sweet potatoes so they roast evenly; their natural sweetness forms the hearty base of the dish. Yams, garnets, Japanese, any variety will work.
- Olive oil - Helps the vegetables caramelize while carrying the spices throughout.
- Onion and garlic- Adds savory sweetness and depth as it softens and cooks.
- Red Bell pepper- Brings subtle sweetness, color, and a tender bite.
- Zucchini- Adds texture and lightness, balancing the heartier vegetables.
- Corn- Adds sweetness and texture. Use fresh or frozen corn, or sub with more black beans.
- Black beans- Add heartiness and protein.
- Spices (cumin, coriander, and chipotle powder, chili powder, or smoked paprika) - Provide warm, earthy depth with a touch of smokiness and gentle heat that complement the sweet potatoes.
- Mexican cheese or vegan cheese (optional) - Adds richness and a melty, comforting finish.
- Optional Quick Mole Sauce - A rich, complex but surprising quick mole sauce that adds depth, warmth, and subtle sweetness from chocolate and spices. This is optional, but a lovely way to elevate. Recipe below. 🙂
- Optional Garnishes – Fresh cilantro or scallions, sour cream, hot sauce, and toasted pumpkin seeds.
How to make Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Step One: Bake the sweet potatoes. The recipe starts with baking the sweet potatoes. Wash and scrub, and while still wet, sprinkle all sides with sea salt. Place on a wire rack over a sheet pan, poke a hole in the top once, and bake at 425F until the interior reaches 205F. Medium sweet potatoes will take roughly 40 minutes.
Step two: Make the filling. While the sweet potatoes are baking, saute the filling ingredeints in a large skillet or saute pan. Add the black beans and seasonings.
Step three: Once the sweet potatoes are baked and tender, scoop out some of the flesh.
Step four: Mix this with the sauteed veggies.
Step five: Feel free to stir in cheese or try vegan cheese.
Step Six: Stuff the sweet potatoes. Spoon the filling back into the potatoes, mounding them up high.
Step Seven: Warm and serve. Bake until warmed through, and serve- top with hot sauce, sour cream, fresh cilantro or scallions. They are delicious just like this. You could wrap a few up for mid-week meals and reheat before serving.
Variation
Optional Step Eight: Make Quick & Easy Mole Sauce. This rich, and spicy tomato-based sauce, which hails from Oaxaca, is infused with spices, nuts, and a hint of dark chocolate. (It really only takes a few minutes, and you can make it while the potatoes are baking.) And it is heavenly paired with these Baked Sweet Potatoes.
To serve- Heat the stuffed sweet potatoes in the oven over the mole sauce in a casserole dish. Or keep the sauce separate and spoon it over the top. Up to you. 🙂 Of course, you can crumble more cheese over top. When they come out, garnish with cilantro and pumpkin seeds for added texture. Such a delicious, wholesome meal, packed full of nutrients. Another healthy vegan dinner recipe to add to your fall repertoire.
And there you have it… vegan comfort food. 🙂 Hope you enjoy these Stuffed Sweet Potatoes as much as we do. xoxo Sylvia
Please leave your feedback in the comment section below.
More Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes
- Salt Baked Sweet Potato
- Kyoto Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Miso Butter
- Sweet Potato Hash
- Thai Sweet Potato Soup
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Vegan Sweet Potato Casserole
- Sweet Potato Salad
Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Prep Time: 30
- Cook Time: 90
- Total Time: 2 hours
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: healthy dinner, Main, plant baked dinner, vegan dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mexican
- Diet: Vegan
Description
These stuffed Sweet Potatoes are loaded with healthy veggies and black beans, infused with Mexican spices, and served over optional Mole Sauce. A delcious, cozy vegan dinner that can be made ahead.
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes, similar in size ( 3-4 inches in diameter, 5-6 inches long)
- sea salt to taste
- 1/2 an onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced small
- 1 small zucchini, diced small
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, more to taste
- 1/2 cup corn (or sub black beans)
- 1/2 cup black beans ( or sub corn)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder ( or sub chili powder or smoked paprika)
- 1/2 cup -1 cup Mexican cheese or vegan cheese ( both optional)
- 2 cups quick Mole Sauce (optional, see below)
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro or scallions for garnish
- 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (optional)
- 15-ounce can tomato sauce or puree, or diced tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1/2 an onion- rough diced
- 1/2 cup water or broth
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or GF liquid aminos
- 1-2 chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, plus 1 Tablespoon adobo sauce (or sub 1/2 teaspoon ground chipotle, or 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika)
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp salt and Pepper, more to taste
- 4 tablespoons sesame tahini paste or peanut butter
- 2 ounces dark chocolate squares
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425F
- Bake the Sweet Potatoes: Scrub and wash the sweet potatoes, and while wet, sprinkle liberally with salt on all sides. Place on a wire rack over a sheet pan (or parchment-lined sheet pan) and bake on the middle rack until tender in the center (and the internal temp reaches 205F).
- Make the filling: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, saute the onion in 1-2 tablespoons olive oil for 2-3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the bell pepper, zucchini, and garlic, and salt, and saute until everything is tender- about 7-8 minutes. Add the corn, blackbeans and spices. Set aside.
- (Optional) Quick Mole Sauce: Place all the ingredients (except the chocolate and tahini paste) in a blender. Blend until smooth. Pour this sauce into a medium pot, bring it to a simmer over medium-low heat, cover it (it will splatter), and cook for 7-8 minutes. Stir in tahini sauce and chocolate until melted and combined. Taste, adjust the salt and sweetness, adding a teaspoon of maple syrup if necessary (some chocolates are sweeter than others), or add more chipotle for heat. Turn the heat off and set aside.
- Complete Filling: When the sweet potatoes are tender using a knife, split lengthwise, careful to not go all the way through. Push the two pointy ends together like you would a coin purse, revealing the fleshy insides. Using a spoon, scoop out a generous portion of the sweet potato flesh and place it in a medium bowl. Add the sauteed veggies and mix with the optional cheese.
- Taste and adjust the salt and seasoning to your liking. Make it flavorful! Add more heat if you like.
- Stuff the sweet potatoes: Spoon the filling back into the sweet potatoes, mounding them up a bit.
- Place these right on the same wire rack or parchment-lined sheet pan you just used and feel free to sprinkle with more cheese. Alternatively, place them in a baking dish over the Mole Sauce– up to you.
- Bake at 400F until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes. ( If reheating directly from the fridge, they will need longer.)
- Garnish with pumpkin seeds, cilantro, avocado, sour cream, or scallions.
Notes
Feel free to cut sweet potatoes in half if very large or to cut down baking time. Bake, skin-side up on parchment-lined sheet pan.
This recipe is very adaptable. Feel free to add cooked chicken or other protien, Just make sure the filling is flavorful- so if adding more ingredients, you may need more salt and spices. 😉 Feel free to sub other veggies for the ones listed.
Refrigerate them for later, then pull them out and reheat as you need them. They should last 3-4 days in the fridge.
The Mole Sauce is not traditional– this is my quick “cheater” version, but with really good flavor.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: One large sweet potato-with the Mole Sauce and No cheese.
- Calories: 553
- Sugar: 24.3 g
- Sodium: 797.2 mg
- Fat: 21.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.6 g
- Carbohydrates: 83.3 g
- Fiber: 13.9 g
- Protein: 11.9 g
- Cholesterol: 0.9 mg
Delicious! OMG I made it for dinner tonight and it was terrific. I left out the vegan cheese but made it with the mole and tahini. Amazing. Thank you!
So great to hear Michal!
Would the flavours work with a baked potato? Some of my family do not like sweet potatoes. 😬
I think so??
This is another excellent recipe! Thank you. Enjoyed every bite.
Great to hear Sienna!
This was delicious and so filling! The easy mole was the perfect topping.
Thanks Lisa, glad you enjoyed!
This was absolutely DELICIOUS!!! The leftovers make the perfect work lunch!
Yay Dawn! Glad you enjoyed this!
So good! A few squeezes of lime juice add some nice acid and great flavor to the filling. I had a bit more than would fit back into the potato skins (because I used all veggies plus a whole can of black beans) and it made for some wicked quesadillas the next day.
The mole was terrific. I used 84 percent dark chocolate but I think I’ll go full 100 percent next time and balance with maple for a darker sauce. I did heat the stuffed potatoes in a pool of mole, but it got thick like chocolate pudding in the oven and it didn’t add to the potatoes so I suggest keeping it in the saucepan and pouring evenly onto a plate for a smoother presentation.
Served it all with pumpkin seeds, sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges, and diced avocado. Very healthy, indulgent, and delicious.
Thanks for the feedback Lily! You can always thin out the mole sauce too before baking. 🙂
Good idea. I may have been too generous in measuring the tahini, which made it thicker. No doubt user error. 😉 The recipe is perfect. New website looks wonderful—congrats!
Thanks Lily! There are just so many variations in products too. 😉
Made these today, absolutely delish – I had different veg on hand so used a combination of canned corn, Bok Choy, carrots and onions for the filling.
Then topped with a cheese sauce and fried shallots
So happy you enjoyed these!
Outstanding recipe! I looked at to Diana Kennedy Mexican cook books to compare the mole recipes, and the mole negro very authentic. I added 1/4 cup peanut, tahini, and almond butter and used an Iberico Mexican drinking hot chocolate tablet for the chocolate. Next time I will make a bigger batch of mole to freeze to have some on hand.
Perfect Jean!
I’ll start off by saying I am not a vegetarian and definitely like my meat. I am hosting a vegetarian exchange student from Chile for three months and was at a loss on what to prepare for dinner. I saw this recipe which looked and sounded delicious. It turned out FANTASTIC. The mole sauce had just the right amount of kick without being too spicy. I cut them in half because they seemed too big for each person to eat a whole one. I served it with a salad. Everyone in the family gave it two thumbs up! Will definitely make again.
Great to hear Jane!
This was fantastic! I made some roasted cauliflower to go with it and the mole sauce went great with the cauliflower. Leftovers tomorrow, yay!
AWesome Amy! Great to hear!
First of all, I made the mole sauce and was hesitant whether we’d like it. Well, it was incredible with the sweet potato, as the flavour deepened even more upon baking. This recipe was so good, it was hard to stop eating it. I put corn, poblanos, orange pepper and black beans for the filling. It was so satisfying and delicious with this mix. 🤤
I’ve gone vegan and I can say that these are the types of recipes that make me think why would I even want meat. Thanks for such a fabulous recipe. Can’t wait to have it again!
Thanks Daria! Glad you enjoyed this, and trusted enough to give it a go!
This recipe is something I would never have come up with on my own. A wonderful concept and execution. My family and I loved every bite. The mole was incredibly good too. What a delicious way to break the monotony of eating at home all the time.
Glad you enjoyed!
unique and delish! I love the mole!
Massive hit with the family. The mole sauce is a revelation and not to be missed. Thank you!
This was wonderful! I only had fingerling sweet potatoes, so I diced them up, roasted them, and then mixed with all the other ingredients, drizzling the mole sauce on top. Leftovers are packed up with a bed of quinoa for lunch at work.
(the mole sauce is going into rotation here for other dishes, too!)
Just found your blog. I was looking for spices that went well with cooked okra! OMG!!! What a find. I am drooling! Such delicious and different dishes just what I like to do, create recipes. You are a true artist! Okay not I have to go rattle some pots and pans! Thank you so much.
thanks Hariet- glad you are here!
Only amendment: The recipe says the mole sauce is optional- it is not optional.
Make this if you want to impress people.
Made this tonight, was very very tasty!!! Skipped the beans, used roasted cauliflower and butternut squash instead. Did not have queso fresco, so I subbed farmer’s cheese and a little grated white cheddar.
For the sauce: I used 80% dark chocolate. I omitted the adobo chilis in a can, used only a pinch of chipotle and chili pepper (since we can’t tolerate too much heat), added mild smoked paprika and a good handful of dried oregano. It turned out really delicious!
I served it w/ sour cream mixed w/ lime juice & zest, this added a little brightness to counterbalance the rich flavors.
Thanks Sylvia for another great recipe!
Made this last night, and it was fabulous! It’s healthy but tastes so decadent! I never knew sweet potatoes could be so good!
So glad you enjoyed this Maria!
I tried this recipe last night and it was a hit! Love the taste of warm sweet potato mixed with corn and the mole sauce was to die for! I didn’t have zucchini and bell peppers on hand so I switched it out and used both corn and beans and it still tasted great. Going to make this again for Thanksgiving!
Very yummy! I made without the sauce and will definitely make again.
Delicious! It’s worth making the mole!
A wonderful explosion of flavors! You are right – dont skimp on the spices. I sautéed all of the mole veggies and spices b4 blending. Added a smidge of cinn and cloves too….just a smidge. Used beans and corn in the veg filling. Served the stuffed sweet potatoes on the mole which OMG was amazing! Thank you once again, Sylvia. Best comfort food
Delicious! I toasted the spices before adding them to the mix because I like to Taste them! I kept the corn and added beans as well. A little mixed greens salad on the side with avocado dressing, and the meal was complete. I do love my veggies.
Thank you for posting this at just the right time I needed it. I’m making it now for tonight!