Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

4 small-medium sweet potatoes

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 cups kale or spinach, roughly chopped

1 small onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Salt

Pepper

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional, omit if you don’t like spice)

¼ teaspoon paprika

¼ cup cream cheese, softened

1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated + 2 additional tablespoons

1 cup protein of choice (we used a mix of shredded chicken & bacon!)

2 tablespoons Parmesan, grated

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.

2. Poke holes in the sweet potatoes (using a knife or fork), then lay on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

3. Transfer to the oven and roast until potatoes are soft, around 40 minutes.

4. Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and allow to cool slightly, for 10 minute or so.

5. While the potatoes cool, add canola oil to a pan over medium heat.

6. Add one piece of diced onion to the pan, and when it starts to sizzle you know the pan is hot enough!

7. Add the remaining onion and saute for 2-3 minutes, until softened slightly.

8. Add the kale, garlic, and balsamic vinegar, and cook for an additional 5 minutes or so, until kale is wilted and softened, vinegar is evaporated, and garlic is nice & fragrant. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.

9. By now the potatoes should be cool enough to touch.

10. Slice each potato in half, being careful to keep the skin intact.

11. Carefully scoop the potato out of the skin, and place in a large mixing bowl.

12. Reserve the potato skins and leave them on the baking tray.

13. Mash the sweet potato thoroughly, until smooth with just a few lumps here and there. If you prefer a very smooth texture you can blend with a hand mixer.

14. At this point you can remove about ½ cup of the potato and reserve for another use. I like to save for making soup or homemade dog treats! If you don’t remove some potato the recipe will still work, but you will likely have very full potatoes 😊

15. Add the cream cheese, and 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella to the sweet potato. Mix to combine, until cheeses are melted and evenly combined.

16. Add the kale mixture and protein and again mix to combine.

17. Season with salt and pepper and give the filling a final mix together.

18. Next transfer the sweet potato filling back into the potato skins, about 1 cup per potato.

19. Top each potato with a sprinkling of the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan cheese.

20. Transfer the stuffed potatoes back to the oven and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned.

21. If you find the cheese isn’t browning quickly enough, throw the broiler on for a minute or so at the end!

Recipe developed and photographed by Alex Chesney, RD