Mexican inspired easy taco stuffed sweet potato boats to take your taco night to a new fun and healthy level! This simple dinner is nutritious, saucy, cheesy, gluten free, and grain free! Super easy to make and loaded with lean protein, fiber, and vitamins. Ideal for meal prepping, family dinners, and comforting meals!
Best loaded Mexican taco sweet potato boats
Tacos are the best! First, they are super customizable. Second, they are always delicious. Third, they so easy to make.
Honestly, tacos could be my favorite food! So, what better way to enjoy a zesty, juicy, and tasty saucy taco than stuffed inside a sweet potato!
This is not the first time I have stuffed a sweet potato. You know why… Because they are SO DELICIOUS! They are perfect for family dinners, date nights, meal prep for the week, and can easily be made meat free for my vegetarians out there.
If you’re a sweet potato lover like me, then you are just going to love this healthy dinner recipe! This Mexican dinner recipe has everything you need to feel satisfied and on track with your health goals. I used clean ingredients like lean turkey, fresh veggies, Mexican spices, and low sugar salsa to make these healthy tacos super flavorful.
You must try these incredible healthy and easy taco stuffed sweet potato boats.
How to make stuffed sweet potatoes lighter and healthier.
This saucy and healthy Mexican-inspired taco stuffed sweet potato recipe is loaded, delicious, and sure to be your go-to dinner.
Here are four ways that I made this taco recipe more nutritious and health friendly without taking away from the taste!
- Used sweet potatoes, which are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, and fiber. Sweet potatoes are also packed with iron and are awesome for your heart health & immune system!
- I used lean ground turkey, which is high in protein and low in fat! The perfect substitute for red meat.
- Reduced the amount of cheese, making this cheesy dinner healthier yet still filling and satisfying!
- Added fresh red bell peppers for an extra dose of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.
Ingredients in taco stuffed sweet potato boats
You’ll only need a few, simple ingredients to get this easy one pan dinner recipe going! I am all about simplicity and ease, so don’t worry, you won’t need to go to the supermarket and buy a lot of expensive ingredients and spices. Kind of crazy how flavorful this recipe is!
- Ground turkey – The perfect source of lean protein.
- Sweet potatoes – They’re deliciously fluffy with a touch of sweetness. Plus, they’re rich in fiber, vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals.
- Onion & Red bell pepper– For delicious sweetness, extra flavor, and lots of vitamins.
- Olive oil – We’ll be using olive oil to saute the veggies.
- Taco seasoning – Nessisary to get that delicious Mexican / Tex-Mex flavoring. Any brand will work! I love Siete Foods.
- Lime – Ideal for that little extra zing and flavor!
- Salsa – The perfect flavorful sauce to make this taco turkey filling saucy and tasty. You can use any brand and heat level you want! I love Whole Food’s medium heat.
- Whole kernel sweet corn – Great for extra crunch, fiber, and protein.
- Fresh cilantro – Ideal for that fresh herbaceous tangy!
- Shredded cheese – You can use a Mexican blend or cheddar to make this healthy taco filling cheesy and delicious!
- Salt & Pepper
- Toppings: sliced avocado, guacamole, fresh salsa, fresh cilantro, or sour cream
Easy ingredient substitutions for Mexican stuffed sweet potatoes
I love simple and easy recipes! If you don’t love every ingredient in this one, I am here to help you out with a list of the very best substitutions for these easy taco stuffed sweet potato boats!
Sweet Potatoes: If you run out of sweet potatoes, simply use regular hasselback potatoes!
Ground Turkey: Don’t have ground turkey on hand? No problem! Just use ground chicken or ground beef!
Cheddar or Mexican Cheese: Are you dairy free? No worries! Simply substitute for a dairy-free alternative or vegan brand.
Yellow onion: Substitute with a white or red onion.
Make this easy taco dinner vegetarian! Just swap out the lean turkey for black beans, chickpeas, cauliflower, or kidney beans.
Make this easy dinner vegan! Just leave out the turkey, add chickpeas, black bean, or kidney beans, and swap the cheese for a plant-based alternative.
Are sweet potatoes healthy?
They most certainly are!! Sweet potatoes are a great addition to your diet. They are gluten free, grain free, packed with healthy fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
They are cheap to buy, easy to prepare, and are incredible nutritious. Sweet potatoes have so many health benefits.
I am obsessed with sweet potatoes to say the least and probably consume 5 – 10 a week!
How to make stuffed sweet potato boats
Guys, this simple and easy one pan dinner recipe is so easy they are to make! This recipe is the absolute perfect healthy family dinner or meal prep recipe; here is how I made healthy taco stuffed sweet potato boats:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
- Wash, dry, and pierce your sweet potatoes
- Place sweet potatoes on the lined baking tray and bake for 40-50 minutes, until fork-tender.
- Then prepare your turkey filling by adding olive oil, onion, bell peppers, and ground turkey in a skillet over medium high heat. After that, add all the spices, salsa, and lime. Cook for about 15 minutes and you are ready to go!
- Next, carefully cut the warm sweet potatoes in half and fluff the insides with a fork to make “boats.” Make sure to leave a 1/2 inch of flesh so they don’t become too fragile and difficult to handle.
- Finally, stuff with ground turkey taco stuffing and salsa. Place sweet potato boats face up on a baking sheet and fill with the taco filling.
- Finally, top with cheese and place them back in the oven for 2 – 3 minutes, until cheese is melted.
Top with fresh cilantro and serve immediately with some salsa, sliced avocado, guacamole, or sour cream! Enjoy your deliciously healthy stuffed taco sweet potato boats! The perfect healthy dinner.
Can I cook sweet potatoes in the microwave?
YES!!!! If you are short on time, you can simply pierce your sweet potatoes with a fork 5 to 8 times and cook in the microwave on HIGH for 5 minutes. Once done, handle carefully because they will be very hot, and check if they are fork tender. If not, place them back into the microwave for an extra minute. Then simply follow the same steps on how to prepare your taco boats!
I recommend baking sweet potatoes because they turn our much softer, creamier, and fluffy. However, microwaving sweet potatoes is a great hack if you do not have a ton of time.
How to store and meal prep stuffed sweet potatoes
One of my favorite things about this comforting dinner is that you can save extras for meal prep! This recipe makes four filling, hearty, and tasty servings that you can store for meal prep.
Looking for other healthy dinner recipes? Check these out!
Need some more tasty and healthy dinner, lunch, or meal prep ideas? Here are some of my favorite Healthful Blondie dinner recipes to try out….
- Crispy Salmon with Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower and Broccoli
- Healthy Chicken Parmesan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Healthy Vegetable Fried Rice
Did you make this recipe?
If you make this recipe, be sure to comment and rate it down below. Also, don’t forget to tag me @healthfulblondie on Instagram and use the hashtag #healthfulblondie so I can see your delicious creation and share it with my followers!
Easy Taco Stuffed Sweet Potato Boats
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning, more to taste
- 1 tsp salt, more to taste
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 lime, juiced
- ⅔ cup salsa, medium or spicy
- 1 can whole kernel sweet corn, 12 oz, drained
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- ¼ cup shredded cheese, cheddar or Mexican blend
- Toppings: sliced avocado, guacamole, fresh salsa, fresh cilantro, or sour cream
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 F.
- Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Using your hands, coat each potato with a thin layer of olive oil and then pierce each 5 times with a fork. Place on a lined baking tray and bake for 40-50 minutes, until fork-tender.
- When sweet potatoes have about 20 minutes left: In a large saute pan, heat olive oil to medium. Add in finely diced yellow onion and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
- Push onion and peppers to the sides of the pan and add the lean ground turkey to the middle. Cook for 3 – 4 minutes, breaking turkey up with a stirring utensil as it cooks and mixing in the onions and peppers.
- Add in taco seasoning, salt, pepper, lime juice, salsa, corn, and fresh cilantro. Cook for additional 3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Carefully cut the warm sweet potatoes in half and fluff the insides with a fork to make “boats.” Leave a 1/2 inch of flesh so they don’t become too fragile and difficult to handle.
- Place sweet potato boats face up on a baking sheet and fill with the taco filling. Top with cheese and place them back in the oven for 2 - 3 minutes, until cheese is melted.
- Top with fresh cilantro and serve immediately with some salsa, sliced avocado, guacamole, or sour cream, and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by Tati Chermayeff / Healthful Blondie + Photos by Crumb Top Baking
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Annie H says
Wow!! Im so impressed how delicious this was. As a newbie cook, this recipe was easy to follow. I liked how simple the ingredients were too.
Tati Chermayeff says
Annie, so awesome to hear!! I love love love these stuffed sweet potatoes too.
Alexandra Kate says
Wow this recipe was so good. It was really easy to make and lasted me the whole week. Great meal prep option for single ladies and gents!
Tati Chermayeff says
The best!!! So happy you enjoyed this recipe – it is one of my absolute favorites too.
Rachel Lee says
Tacos + sweet potato = best meal ever. This recipe is perfect if you just need food for 1 person… cook it for myself all the time! Easy and delish!