Taco sweet potatoes are a fun alternative to your typical taco night, and they come together in 30 minutes from start to finish. Instead of a shell or a tortilla, tender cooked sweet potatoes are used as your base, making this a lot heartier and more filling than a couple of tacos. Then you get to load it up with your favorite taco toppings for a satisfying meal that’s easy to get onto your table.
I’m always looking for 30 minute dinner recipes to make on busy days that are filling, tasty, and fun. I’ve been cooking sweet potatoes in the microwave since college (we’re talking close to 20 years now…), and once you can get a sweet potato tender in under 10 minutes, you start looking at it as a base for dinner rather than just a side. My husband and I originally started making these back when I was still a vegetarian, and the original version was black beans only, warmed up with taco seasoning to give them some flavor. That version is still great and I’ve included it down in the variations but after adding meat back into my diet, we landed on the turkey and black bean filling combination written out below, mostly because it makes for a really filling meal packed with lean protein.
The other thing I love here is the flexibility. You can cook 1-2 sweet potatoes in the microwave at a time, which makes this work whether you are feeding a couple of people or just making dinner for yourself. The taco filling makes enough for 4 to 6 loaded potatoes, so you either feed a family in one go or stash the extra filling in the fridge and have most of dinner already done later in the week.
Why You’ll Love These Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
30-Minute Meal. The sweet potatoes cook in the microwave while the filling comes together on the stove, getting dinner on the table in 30-minutes.
Fun twist on taco night. Build your own adventure with your favorite toppings to give this meal the same flavors you already love on taco night! This is an easy way to shake up a weeknight meal without making things too complicated.
Hearty and filling. A loaded sweet potato can be a full meal in itself, making for a great dinner. Sweet potatoes are also a good source of fiber, both soluble and insoluble.
Cook one or cook six. Make a single potato for yourself, two if you are feeding you and a partner, or a whole batch for the family (with just a couple rounds in the microwave). The filling scales right along with it. It’s also a great option for meal prep.
Ingredients for Loaded Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes. Your base. Look for ones that are firm with smooth skin and no soft spots. For best results, select potatoes that are of similar shape and are small to medium in size.
- Lean ground turkey. Browns up quickly and takes on the taco seasoning well. Ground beef or ground chicken work here too.
- Black beans. Stretch the filling, add texture, and bring fiber and plant-based protein along with them. For easy, we’re using canned black beans that are drained and rinsed before they go in the skillet.
- Taco seasoning. Does all the flavor work. Use your favorite store-bought packet or a homemade blend, whatever you keep on hand.
- Water. Simmers down with the seasoning to coat the turkey and beans for a delicious filling.
- Your favorite taco toppings. Diced tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, shredded cheese, salsa, jalapeno slices, cilantro…. whatever you would normally reach for!
All ingredient measurements and full recipe details can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
How to Make Taco Sweet Potatoes
Start the sweet potatoes. Wash and scrub the potatoes, poke holes all over with a fork, then wrap each one in a damp paper towel and set it on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave 1 or 2 potatoes at a time, on high, flipping halfway through with tongs or a pot holder. Our full microwave sweet potato post walks through cook times by size.
Brown the turkey. While the potatoes cook, brown the ground turkey in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking the meat into small pieces, until it is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain off the fat and return the skillet to the stove.
Build the filling. Reduce the heat to low and add the black beans, taco seasoning, and water. Stir to combine and let it simmer until the water has been absorbed.
One the taco filling is done, set aside until you’re ready to load your sweet potato(es).
Check the potatoes. They are ready when a fork slides easily into the center without much resistance. If they still feel firm, keep going in 30 second increments.
Split and fluff. Slice each potato in half lengthwise and fluff the inside with a fork. This makes a difference in how the filling settles in.
Load them up. Scoop a generous amount of the cooked taco meat onto the halved sweet potatoes.
Then add the rest of your toppings and dig in.
Sweet Potato Toppings and Serving Ideas
Toppings are where this gets fun, and there is no wrong answer. Shredded cheddar cheese or cotija, sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, diced tomatoes, avocado or guacamole, salsa, pickled jalapenos, chopped green onions, fresh cilantro, and a squeeze of lime are all fair game. If you like some heat, add a drizzle of hot sauce too. This meal is also a great gluten-free and dairy-free option (the potatoes + taco meat meet this criteria), just be sure to select toppings that meet your dietary needs.
These are filling enough to stand on their own, but if you want to round out the plate, try adding one or two of the following to your meal:
- A simple green salad.
- Tortilla chips (chips are especially good for scooping up whatever filling falls off the potato, which is going to happen!).
- Mexican street corn salad.
- Steamed or roasted veggies like green beans, broccoli, or corn.
Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potato Variations
- Use a different meat taco filling. Swap the turkey and black bean filling for our crockpot carnitas (a personal fave!), a simple seasoned ground beef mixture, or even our shredded salsa chicken.
- Keep it vegetarian. This is how we made these originally. Skip the turkey entirely and use two cans of black beans instead, warming them in the skillet with the taco seasoning and just a little water until everything is heated through and coated. Simple, and still really satisfying.
- Cook the potatoes in the oven. If you have the time, you’re wanting to cook 6 potatoes at a time, or your have large-sized sweet potatoes, skipping our microwave shortcut and using the oven is a great option. Just note that this won’t be a 30-minute meal anymore; you’re looking at roughly 45 to 60 minutes at 425°F depending on the size of your potatoes.
- If I’m doing this, I like to line a large sheet pan with parchment paper then give each clean potato a drizzle of olive oil, rubbing it over the skin with clean hands, then adding few pinches of salt and cracks of pepper prior to baking.
Expert Tips for Taco Stuffed Potatoes
Use tongs or pot holders to flip the potatoes. They will be hot, and so is the steam trapped in that paper towel. Do not grab them barehanded halfway through cooking (it will not feel great).
Start the potatoes first. They take the longest, especially if you’re cooking more than 2, so get them going before you start the turkey. The filling only needs about 12-15 minutes, so it will be ready right around when the potatoes are.
Fluff the potato before you fill it. Running a fork through the flesh gives the filling somewhere to settle instead of sliding right off the top.
Let the filling simmer until the water is absorbed. If you pull it too early, the filling will be runny/water and it won’t sit nicely on the potato.
How to Store Loaded Sweet Potatoes
The filling makes enough for about 4 to 6 loaded potatoes, so you may have some left over if you’re only making 1 or 2 potatoes. Store fully cooled filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and reheat it on the stove or in the microwave when you are ready for round two.
For the sweet potatoes, you have two options. Cook extras and store them (our microwave sweet potato post covers how), or just cook them fresh whenever you want them. Since they only take a few minutes, we usually go the fresh route and keep the filling on hand instead.
Leftover filling is good for more than just another potato, too. Spoon it over rice, use it in a taco salad, or wrap it in a tortilla for lunch the next day.
Taco Sweet Potato Recipe FAQs
Yes, and this is a great way to get ahead on a busy week. Make the filling, cool it completely, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. When you are ready to eat, microwave a sweet potato and reheat the filling while it cooks. Dinner in about 10 minutes.
Absolutely. Baking gives you a slightly different texture and a more concentrated flavor, so if you have the time it is a great option. You are looking at roughly 45 to 60 minutes at 425°F depending on the size of your potatoes. The microwave is what keeps this a 30 minute meal, but the oven works if you are not in a rush.
Enough for about 4 to 6 loaded sweet potatoes, depending on how generous you are when loading your potatoes. If you are only cooking one or two potatoes, plan on having filling left over, which is honestly part of the appeal.
Larger potatoes need more time, and microwaves vary quite a bit in power. Just keep going in 30 second increments and check with a fork until it slides in easily. Small to medium potatoes work best for this method, since really large ones can finish soft on the outside and firm in the center.
Love This Recipe? Try One of These 30 Minute Dinner Recipes Next!
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Turkey and Black Bean Taco Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 medium sweet potatoes (or cook just 1 or 2 and save the extra filling for later)
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 , 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 3 Tablespoons taco seasoning
- ¾ Cup water
- taco toppings of choice, such as diced tomatoes, avocado slices, sour cream, shredded cheese, jalapeños slices, salsa, etc.
Instructions
- Start the sweet potatoes. Wash and scrub the potatoes, poke holes all over with a fork, then wrap each one in a damp paper towel and set it on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave up to two potatoes at a time on high, flipping halfway through with tongs or a pot holder. *Our full microwave sweet potato post walks through cook times based on the size of your potato(es).
- Brown the turkey. While the potatoes cook, brown the ground turkey in a large skillet over medium heat until it is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Drain off the fat and return the skillet to the stove.
- Add the beans and seasoning to the filling. Reduce the heat to low and add the black beans, taco seasoning, and water. Stir to combine and let it simmer until the water has been absorbed.
- Check the potatoes. They are ready when a fork slides easily into the center without much resistance. If they still feel firm, keep cooking in 30 second increments.
- Split and fluff. Slice each potato in half lengthwise and fluff the inside with a fork (this makes a difference in how the filling and toppings sit, helps prevent everything from sliding off).
- Load them up. Scoop a generous amount of filling onto each potato, then add your toppings and dig in.
Meredith says
One of my favorite dinners! Love that it’s ready in 30-minutes or less.