Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

Topped with a sweet and savory rosemary cashew cream and a lemony broccoli salad, these twice baked sweet potatoes are totally irresistible.

fall / gluten free / vegan-option

These twice baked sweet potatoes are a complete departure from the sweet potatoes I ate growing up. Then, I only had them once a year at Thanksgiving, where they were layered into a casserole loaded with mini marshmallows. For years, I thought I didn’t like sweet potatoes. It turns out, that casserole was just too sweet for me! I actually love sweet potatoes, but not when they’re loaded with brown sugar and marshmallows.

These twice baked sweet potatoes are a perfect balance of sweet and savory. They take the potatoes’ natural sweetness and offset it with cozy, bright, and tangy flavors. Stuffed with a zesty broccoli salad and a luscious cashew cream, they’re super fresh, healthy, and delicious. I think you’re going to love them.

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Ingredients

These twice baked sweet potatoes are at least twice as healthy as any twice baked potatoes I’ve eaten before. Instead of using regular baked potatoes, I opt for the nutrient-dense sweet potato. Then, instead of adding the usual sour cream or cream cheese, I fill the potatoes with all sorts of nourishing ingredients:

A steamed broccoli salad – Dressed with garlic, olive oil, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, and scallions, it’s bright, tangy, and fresh.
Sweet potato-rosemary cashew cream – This. Sauce! I make it by blending some of the baked mashed sweet potatoes with cashews, rosemary, and lemon. It’s sweet, savory, cozy, and rich. You’ll love it in this recipe, but you might find yourself drizzling it over everything else, too!
Hemp seeds – They add a nice crunch.
Fresh parsley – A fresh finishing touch.
And a sprinkle of cheddar cheese – This is one of those recipes where the cheese is optional or not optional, depending on your preference. The creamy cashew filling is so delicious that the cheese isn’t necessary for flavor. But if you ask my husband Jack if he wants cheese on anything, his answer will always be “yes, please more cheese!”

These components are healthy, but that doesn’t mean they’re not delicious. Together, they create an irresistible balance of rich, fresh, bright, and zesty flavors.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

If you’ve never made twice baked sweet potatoes before, they’re not tricky, but they do take some time to prepare. They’re “twice-baked” because the first step is always baking the sweet potatoes. Then, you slice them open, scoop out some of the flesh, stuff them with fillings, and bake them again! In this recipe, this process goes something like this:

Bake the sweet potatoes until they’re tender, about 45 minutes.
When they’re cool enough to handle, slice them in half, and scoop out a tablespoon of the flesh from each half to make room for the filling.
Blend the potato flesh with cashews, rosemary, lemon, garlic, and water to make the luscious cashew cream.
Toss together your broccoli filling!
Next, it’s time for your second bake. Layer the sweet potato shells with the cashew sauce, broccoli filling, and other toppings.
Finally, bake until the cheese is melted, and serve with extra sauce on the side!

Serving Suggestions

These healthy twice baked sweet potatoes would be a great side dish for any holiday meal, along with classic recipes like roasted beets, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and stuffing, or any of these holiday side dishes.

Special occasions aside, these twice baked sweet potatoes make a great everyday main course. They’re excellent paired with a hearty salad or soup. Try serving them with any of these recipes:

Rainbow Kale Salad
Farmhouse Farro Salad
Roasted Beet Salad
Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad with Cranberries
Caesar Salad
Roasted Cauliflower Soup
Carrot Ginger Soup
Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup

Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes

PrintPrep time 10 minsCook time 55 minsTotal time 1 hour 5 mins These delicious twice baked sweet potatoes are a wonderful cozy side dish, but they’re also hearty enough to make a full meal on their own.Author: Jeanine DonofrioRecipe type: Main dish, side dishServes: 8 as a side, 4 as a mainIngredients

4 medium sweet potatoes
4 cups small broccoli florets
1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
⅓ cup chopped scallions
1 cup cheddar cheese, optional
¼ cup hemp seeds
½ cup chopped parsley and/or microgreens
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Sweet Potato Cashew Cream (this makes extra)

½ cup water
½ cup sweet potato mash
½ cup raw cashews, soaked 4+ hours & drained
1½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Pierce the sweet potatoes several times with a fork and place them on the baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes, or until tender. Slice in half and scoop out a tablespoon of mash from each half to make room for the filling, ½ cup total. (Use this for the Sweet Potato Cashew Cream.)
Make the Sweet Potato Cashew Cream: In a high-speed blender, combine the water, sweet potato mash, cashews, lemon juice, garlic, rosemary, and salt and pepper and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Steam the broccoli in a steamer for 5 minutes or until just tender but still bright green.
In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, minced garlic, Dijon mustard, lemon juice and scallions and stir. Add the steamed broccoli and a few pinches of salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
Fill each potato half with a scoop of the cashew cream, some of the cheddar cheese (if using), the broccoli mixture, more cheese, scallions and sprinkle with the hemp seeds. Bake for 10 more minutes or until the cheese is melted. Garnish with the parsley and/or microgreens and serve with the remaining cashew sauce for drizzling. (tip: if your cashew sauce is too thick to drizzle, stir in a little bit of water until it’s a thinner consistency).