Recipe: Stuffed Sweet Potatoes, Spicy Mexican

This recipe is hearty & comforting, perfect for this chilly, windy weekend!  You can be creative with the spiciness or flavor of salsa that you use, the type of sausage, or by adding in any other favorite vegetables!  The macros per serving (1/2 of a potato with stuffing) are 5g of protein, 22g carbohydrates, 5g of fat…a filling and satisfying lunch or dinner option!  Baking the potatoes is a timely process but once they are in the oven, the rest of the recipe can be cooked and mixed together.  Once the “stuffing” is put into the potatoes, you can re-bake and enjoy soon after, or store in containers in the fridge then re-baked just before eating for the freshest, melty-est cheesey meal-prep option! Top with some more salsa, guacamole, sour cream/greek yogurt, chopped chives and/or fresh cilantro!!

Ingredients

1lb Sausage (type/leanness will vary macro count.  Can be links (separate & empty after cooking) or ground)

1/2c nonfat greek yogurt (a macro-friendlier option over sour cream!)

1/4c shredded cheese (I used Lite Mexican Blend from Trader Joe’s)

1 16oz jar of salsa (I used Trader Joe’s Chunky Salsa…choose whichever spice-level you prefer!)

~10 cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)

1/4 of a red pepper (diced up small)

4 small/medium sweet potatoes (~200g each)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake sweet potatoes.  Depending on their size they will take ~40-60 minutes.  Flip halfway through cooking.  Bake them on a layer of aluminum foil to save your oven!  You can tell they’re finished by squeezing them between your fingers, if they feel super soft they’re good!
2. Cook the sausage; if in links: bake in the oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, turning over halfway through cooking. If ground: sautee in pan on the stove top over medium heat about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.
3. Remove sausage from your cooking pan and put into a medium bowl (straining away any fat from the pan…if you used links, cut open the link and remove sausage from casing).  Add the nonfat greek yogurt, salsa, sliced tomatoes and pepper, and 1/2 of the cheese to the bowl, and mix together.
4. Once the potatoes are done, slice them in half and scoop out most of the potato filling, leaving just a bit along the sides.  Mix the potato in with the other stuffing ingredients.

5. Scoop the stuffing into the potato halves and top with a sprinkle of cheese.

6. Re-bake immediately after for about 15 minutes at 350 degrees, or store for a weeknight dinner option, re-baking before enjoying or throw into the toaster oven on high for about 8 minutes for even faster enjoyment!