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Southwest stuffed sweet potatoes filled with quinoa, black beans, and corn are vegetarian and so delicious, perfect for easy weeknight dinners. The avocado crema on top is basically my easy avocado dip, repurposed as a creamy topping!
If you fall in love with the flavors in these baked sweet potatoes with Southwest filling (like I know you will), also try my quinoa stuffed peppers recipe and this easy Southwest salad.
Do you ever get a craving for Tex-Mex? Because I do, at least once a week! I’ll satisfy it with chicken enchiladas, walking taco casserole, or steak fajitas. But when I’m looking for meatless meals, these Southwest stuffed sweet potatoes are the BEST. I load them up with smoky Southwest spices, quinoa, black beans, corn, and melted cheese.
Reasons to Love These Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Packed with Southwest flavors. This recipe is smoky, spicy, tangy, and sweet thanks to simple Southwest-style seasonings, roasted sweet potatoes, and fresh lime juice.
- Minimal prep. Cook the filling while your sweet potatoes roast in the oven. They’re ready to serve in about an hour!
- Vegetarian and make-ahead friendly. These stuffed sweet potatoes are a great option for meatless Mondays, and they reheat well for meal prep lunches.
- Easy to customize. Make your stuffed sweet potatoes dairy-free, or bulk them up with chicken, more veggies, and any of your favorite toppings.
Ingredients You’ll Need to Make This Recipe
My spicy stuffed sweet potatoes recipe calls for a handful of key ingredients to give it that bold Southwest flavor that I love. Scroll down to the recipe card below the post for the full, printable recipe amounts and details.
- Sweet Potatoes – Rubbed with olive oil, cumin, and paprika and baked until tender. More on this in a minute. I use large sweet potatoes. If you use medium sweet potatoes, they’ll need less time in the oven, and you’ll likely have leftover filling (just add it to a Southwest salad!).
- Red Onion – Or a small white onion, diced.
- Broccoli – I included broccoli in this recipe since I had some leftover in the fridge at the time! Feel free to substitute broccoli florets with fresh, crunchy bell peppers, diced carrots, or another vegetable of your choice.
- Garlic – Freshly minced, or substitute ¼-½ teaspoon of garlic powder per clove.
- Black Beans – If you’re using canned black beans, drain and rinse them first. Swap black beans for pinto beans if needed.
- Corn – For crunch and sweetness. You can use fresh corn on the cob, frozen, or canned corn. Like the beans, make sure to drain the corn well if you’re using canned.
- Quinoa – Cooked according to the package directions. Instead of quinoa, you could also bulk up the filling with brown rice or white rice.
- Spices – Chili powder, cumin, sweet or smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Substitute these individual spices with taco seasoning or fajita seasoning.
- Cilantro – Freshly chopped cilantro (or parsley), plus extra to sprinkle on top of the potatoes when serving.
- Shredded Cheese – I use shredded cheddar, but any freshly grated cheese will work, like a Mexican cheese blend. Leave off the cheese if you’re making this recipe dairy-free.
Homemade Avocado Crema
This easy Mexican-inspired avocado crema actually started as a dip for my Southwest egg rolls. As it turns out, it’s the perfect creamy topping for everything from baked Southwest sweet potatoes to pork flautas! The ingredients are simple:
- Avocado – Choose a ripe avocado that’s dark green and firm without bumps or bruises.
- Greek Yogurt – My lighter alternative to mayonnaise! Mayo works here, too, or you can use sour cream.
- Lime Juice – Fresh lime is a must!
- Herbs – Additional fresh cilantro and garlic.
- Olive Oil – If needed, to thin out the sauce. You could also use avocado oil or water.
Recipe Variations
- Add chicken. Shred some boiled chicken to mix in with the rest of the filling ingredients. I also love using up leftover chicken tinga!
- Add ground beef. Sauté ground beef with the onions or use cooked taco meat for a beefy version.
- Make it spicy. Give your stuffed sweet potato filling some extra kick with diced jalapeños or a drizzle of chipotle sauce or echilada sauce.
Serving Suggestions
I could eat one of these Southwest sweet potatoes as a meal on its own! But if it’s dinner with the family, I’ll serve these stuffed sweet potatoes with Mexican-style fiesta rice and a fresh green salad or roasted vegetable salad on the side. Try this coconut lime cauliflower rice as a low-carb option.
As an easy appetizer, you can’t go wrong with a big bowl of homemade salsa or guacamole with tortilla chips for sharing.
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Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
For the sweet potatoes
- 4 large sweet potatoes, *see note
- 1½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika
For the filling
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small red onion, diced
- 1 cup broccoli, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn, fresh, frozen, or canned
- 1½ cups cooked quinoa
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste (if desired)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus extra for garnish
- 1¼ cups shredded cheddar cheese
For the Avocado Crema
- 1 ripe avocado
- ½ cup Greek yogurt
- juice of 1 lime
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- 2 garlic cloves
- olive oil, or water, if needed to thin out the dressing
Instructions
- Preheat. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Prep the sweet potatoes. Pierce the sweet potatoes a few times with a fork and rub with olive oil, cumin, and smoked paprika.
- Roast. Arrange the sweet potatoes on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 50 minutes or until they are fork-tender.
- Make the filling. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and broccoli and sauté for 2–3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 20 seconds or until fragrant. Stir in the black beans, corn, and quinoa.
- Season. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Set aside.
- Prepare the avocado crema. In a blender or food processor, combine the avocado, Greek yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, and garlic. Blend until smooth, adding a drizzle of olive oil if needed to thin the crema to your desired consistency. Water will also do the trick. Set aside.
- Open the sweet potatoes. Once the sweet potatoes are done roasting, let them cool slightly, then cut a slit down the center of each potato. Gently pinch the ends to open them up, then fluff the flesh with a fork.
- Stuff. Spoon the prepared filling mixture into each sweet potato and top each with cheddar cheese.
- Broil. Broil for 1 minute or until the cheese is nice and melted.
- Serve. Serve the stuffed sweet potatoes warm, topped with cilantro and a generous dollop of avocado crema.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Southwest Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
These are the steps to bake the sweet potatoes, prepare the zesty quinoa filling, and stuff them. All in an hour or less!
- Prepare for baking. First, you’ll pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork and rub them all over with olive oil, cumin, and paprika.
- Roast. Arrange the seasoned sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and roast at 400ºF for 50 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender. The exact baking time depends on the size of your sweet potatoes.
- Make the Southwest filling. While the potatoes are roasting, sauté onions and broccoli in a large skillet with oil, then add the garlic, black beans, corn, and cooked quinoa.
- Season to taste. Once heated through, add the chili powder, cumin, and paprika, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cook for another few minutes while stirring so that it’s well mixed. Take the skillet off the heat and stir in some fresh cilantro.
Assemble With Toppings
- Prepare the avocado crema. Combine the avocado with Greek yogurt, lime juice, cilantro, and garlic in the food processor, and blend to make your crema. Stream in a bit of oil or water if you need to thin it out. Set the sauce aside while you stuff your potatoes.
- Open up the sweet potatoes. Cool the sweet potatoes for a few minutes, then cut a slit lengthwise down the center of each potato to open them up. Lightly mash and fluff the inside with a fork.
- Stuff the potatoes. Spoon the filling into each sweet potato. After they’re filled, sprinkle the tops of the sweet potatoes with shredded cheese.
- Broil and serve. Place your stuffed sweet potatoes under the broiler for a minute to melt the cheese, and serve them warm with a big dollop of avocado crema!
Meal-Prep and Storage Tips
- Refrigerate. Store leftover stuffed sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. These stuffed Southwest sweet potatoes reheat easily for quick meal prep lunches! Warm them in the microwave, oven, or toaster oven until heated through. Add the crema after reheating.
- Freeze. Freeze the baked sweet potatoes without any filling or toppings. I recommend preparing the filling fresh when it’s time to reheat and stuff them!
