Baked sweet potatoes filled with delicious chili- and cumin-spiced ground turkey taco meat and all your favorite taco toppings! 387 calories or 7 WW points. Think of these stuffed sweet potatoes as a healthy taco shell of sorts, and fill them with all of your favorite toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, chopped cilantro, sour cream, salsa, avocado…anything you want!
If you happened to come and stay at my house for a week, it wouldn’t be a stretch to assume that by Friday night, you would begin to wonder if I ever actually make anything exciting for dinner. And you would be correct. I don’t! I already told you that Daniel and I are devastatingly boring, so to keep true to who I am, I don’t make elaborate recipes all that often anymore—certainly not with an infant and certainly not when I could make something I sincerely enjoy that consists of, like, 4-5 ingredients and a half dozen spices. Also there are showers to be had! TV shows I haven’t had the chance to binge yet! Beds to crawl into!
So this, my friends, is one of the real life dinner recipes you would happen upon at our house: stuffed sweet potatoes with taco seasoned ground turkey. It’s easy, deliciously sweet-meets-savory, and yes, it’s healthy, too. That’s all any of us really need in a weeknight meal.
Healthy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Ground Turkey Taco Meat
Think of the sweet potato almost like a healthy taco shell of sorts, and fill it with all of your favorite toppings: shredded cheddar cheese, chopped cilantro, sour cream, salsa, avocado, black beans…anything you want!
The ground turkey gets its taco flavor from a homemade taco seasoning mix made with chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt, and just a touch of brown sugar (light or dark, up to you) to round out the spices. I like to use 93% lean ground turkey because it’s significantly less dry than 99% lean, but if you’re looking to save a few calories, or Weight Watchers points (since the 99% lean is 0 points), you certainly can. Consider adding a few tablespoons more water to your skillet (or even a little salsa), if you notice the turkey drying out.
You can microwave sweet potatoes to save time but I wouldn’t recommend it. Baked sweet potatoes are leaps and bounds better than microwaved ones. They’re sweeter, since the natural sugars have a chance to caramelize; the flesh is moister; and the skin of the potato crisps slightly without becoming papery and dry.
Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Taco Seasoned Ground Turkey
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar
- 1 lb ground turkey see recipe notes below
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
- Toppings: fresh cilantro finely diced red onion, salsa, sour cream, etc. (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. Prick each one several times with a fork then place on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until soft and a fork can easily be inserted into the center of the largest one, 45 to 55 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, salt, and brown sugar.
- Spray a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and set it over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up the meat into crumbles as it browns, until no longer pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Add the spice mixture, tomato paste, and water, stirring well. Bring the skillet to a simmer, lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and let cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey meat has absorbed almost all of the liquid, about 10 minutes.
- Cut the sweet potatoes open and use a fork to lightly mash the insides. Plate each potato, spoon the turkey meat evenly among them, and top each with 2 tablespoons of cheese, fresh cilantro, red onion, and/or any other toppings you like!
Notes
11 WW Freestyle points
387 calories, 40g carbs, 13g fat, 29g protein, 312mg sodium, 11g sugar 1 stuffed potato using 99% lean ground turkey:
7 WW Freestyle points
347 calories, 40g carbs, 6g fat, 35g protein, 282mg sodium, 11g sugar Notes:
I like to use 93% lean ground turkey because it’s significantly less dry than 99% lean, but if you’re looking to save a few calories, or Weight Watchers points (since the 99% lean is 0 points), you certainly can. Consider adding a few tablespoons more water to your skillet (or even a little salsa), if you notice the turkey drying out. Turkey taco meat recipe adapted from All Recipes
Nutrition
Good morning!
I make a similar recipe as well and we had it last night!! I like to add cole slaw (no dressing but add salsa to it) or shredded carrots to mine for added crunch and to bulk it up a bit. Who knew sweet potatoes would work so well in Mexican dishes?! :)
Hello Andie!
I really like this recipe and how easy it is to make.