Loaded Sweet Potato
Everyone has heard of a baked potato, but did you know that a baked sweet potato can be just as, if not more delicious? This is one of my favorite recipes for the fall because it gives you all of those warm and fuzzy feelings, but it is perfect for those stay-at-home rainy days, too! Or, really anytime! It also fills your home with the most amazing smell.
These Loaded Sweet Potatoes are also super customizable, and take barely any work. All you need to do is let the potatoes cook, fix your favorite toppings, and enjoy! I love to use sweet potatoes here and there over regular potatoes because of the added vitamin A and amazing sweet flavor! Although, regular potatoes are still very nutritious.
Scroll down and see just how easy these are to make!
Time needed:
Prep time: 10-15 minutes
Cook time: 40-60 minutes
Ingredients
Potato:
Sweet potato(es)
Olive oil (optional)
Toppings:
Shredded cheese
Sour cream
Green onion
Bacon
Chives
Chicken or chickpeas (to increase protein if this is your goal for this meal!)
Whatever your heart desires!
This recipe makes:
Up to you; 1 potato per person
Let’s get cookin’!
Preheat the oven. Before you start anything, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F!
Now, the fun part! In order for the sweet potato to cook fully, we need to make some holes. So, grab a fork and get any anger out on your potato! For a standard sized potato, you can stab it about 10-15 times all around the potato.
Grab your oil. This step is completely optional, but if you like to eat the potato skin, this step will make it nice and crispy! Most people don’t know that potato skin actually contains lots of great nutrients, and is also high in fiber so it will keep you full for longer. Drizzle some oil onto the potato and rub it evenly; you don’t need a ton!
Into the oven. Place your sweet potato(es) onto a baking sheet with some parchment paper and put them into your preheated oven. For 1 potato, it will take about 40 minutes to bake. For each extra potato, I usually add about 5 minutes to the clock.
Get your toppings ready! The best part of this recipe is that you can top it off with anything you would like! My favorite things to use are the classic baked potato toppings; cheese, sour cream, green onion, and crispy bacon. Like I mentioned before, you can also add some rotisserie chicken or baked chickpeas for some extra protein if this is your goal for the meal! It is also just fine as it is. I have never found that salt or butter are necessary since sweet potatoes already have such a strong flavor; but see what you think!
Are your potatoes ready? The best way to know if your potato(es) are ready is to stick them with a fork. After you get past the skin, if it is fairly easy to pierce the fork through, then it is ready! If not, let it cook for 5 more minutes and check again.
Enjoy! And… that’s it! Pile on your chosen toppings and dig in :)