5 Easy Recipes Using Sweet Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes, despite their name, are not actually potatoes. Sweet potatoes are a type of bindweed, while potatoes are a type of Nightshade. Yams are sometimes confused with sweet potatoes, but are from Africa. Anyway, here are five easy recipes involving sweet potatoes.
1. Sweet Potato Oven Fries.
The first of our easy recipes is a classic. Sweet potato fries are easy to make, dead simple, and go well with a variety of condiments. You can also spice them however you want, so there’s room for experimentation.
- Ingredients:
- 2 pounds orange fleshed sweet potatoes (about 3 large)
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons spice or spice combination of your choice: chipotle powder, smoked paprika, Chinese five-spice, pumpkin pie spice, garam masala, Cajun seasoning, etc.
- Directions:
- Preheat oven and roasting pan: Preheat oven to 450°F. Place lace a roasting pan or heavy duty baking sheet (one that can take high heat) in the oven to preheat.
- Peel and cut sweet potatoes into wedges: Peel the sweet potatoes and cut off the ends. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise and then, if they are very long, in half crosswise. Cut each piece into 1/4 to 1/2-inch thick wedges. Alternately, you can slice the peeled sweet potato into disks either with a mandoline or a sharp knife.
- Toss with oil, salt, spices: Put the sweet potatoes into a large bowl and add the oil. Mix well to combine. Sprinkle with salt and spices of your choice. Use your hands to mix well, so all pieces are coated with oil and spices.
- Spread on preheated pan.
- Bake for 15-25 minutes, rotating the fries after 10 minutes have passed.
- Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.
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2. Sweet Potato Pie.
Number two on our list of easy recipes, we have one that takes advantage of the Sweet in Sweet potatoes. This recipe makes use of premade pie crust for simplicity’s sake.
- Ingredients:
- 1 (1 pound) sweet potato, with skin
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- ½ cup milk
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
- Directions:
- Place whole sweet potato in pot and cover with water; bring to a boil. Boil until tender when pierced with a fork, 40 to 50 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Remove sweet potato from the pot and run under cold water. Remove and discard skin.
- Break sweet potato flesh apart and place in a bowl. Add butter and mix with an electric mixer until well combined.
- Add sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla; beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth
- Pour filling into unbaked pie crust.
- Bake in the preheated oven until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes
3. Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas.
Item number three on the easy recipes list is a classic dinner staple. Spicy, hearty enchiladas. The best part is that this is one of the many easy recipes that is vegetarian, but you could probably throw in some steak if you wanted.
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- Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds (2 medium to large) sweet potatoes
- 1 medium red onion (about 1 cup finely diced)
- 15-ounce can black beans (or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans)
- 8 ounces canned diced green chilies (about 1 cup)
- ½ tablespoon chili powder
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Fresh ground black pepper
- 2 cups salsa verde
- 8 ounces (2 cups) Colby jack cheese, shredded
- 10 8-inch flour tortillas
- For the topping: sour cream, chopped cilantro, guacamole, pico de gallo, cotija or feta cheese crumbles
- Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Boil the sweet potatoes: Dice the sweet potatoes into roughly 3/4-inch cubes (you can leave the skin on or peel; make sure to cut off any dark or black spots). Place them in a pot and cover with 1 inch of water; add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and cook until tender when pierced with a fork, around 7 to 12 minutes. Drain.
- Prep the filling: Finely dice the onion. Drain and rinse the black beans. In a large bowl, combine the cooked sweet potato, red onion, black beans, green chilies, cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, kosher salt, and fresh ground black pepper. Mix to combine. Taste and add a few more pinches of kosher salt if desired.
- Roll the enchiladas: Warm the tortillas for a minute in the microwave, or in a pan for a few seconds per side, so that they are flexible. In a large baking dish or rimmed baking sheet*, spread 1 cup of the salsa verde. Fill each tortilla with a ½ cup scoop of the filling, add 2 tablespoons of the cheese, and roll it up. Place each enchilada seam-side down in the baking dish (there will be some leftover filling). Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
- Top with salsa and cheese: When all enchiladas are in the dish, top with the remaining 1 cup salsa verde and the remaining cheese.
- Bake: Place in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until the cheese is melted. Serve garnished with sour cream, chopped cilantro, and other garnishes as desired.
4. Sweet Potato Curry.
The next entry on our list of easy recipes is a great choice if you want to expand your cooking knowledge. Easy recipes for curry aren’t something you find often, at least in my experience.
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- Ingredients:
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), unpeeled or peeled and diced into 1/2-inch chunks
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 15-ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
- 4 cups baby spinach or chopped spinach
- ½ tablespoon lime juice, to finish (optional)
- Crushed peanuts and torn fresh cilantro, to garnish
- Directions:
- If serving with rice, cook rice.
- Chop the onion, sweet potato, garlic, and bell pepper as noted above.
- In a large skillet, pot or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sweet potato and sauté for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent. Add the garlic and red pepper and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add the chickpeas (drained and rinsed), coconut milk, curry paste, peanut butter, 1 cup water and the kosher salt and bring to a simmer. Simmer until sweet potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the spinach and lime juice and cook until the spinach wilts, about 1 minute.
- Garnish with crushed peanuts and torn cilantro. Serve immediately with rice. Leftovers store up to 3 days refrigerated, or 2 months frozen.
5. Sweet Potato Brownies.
The last of our easy recipes is another one that takes advantage of the sweet side of sweet potatoes. Easy recipes for desserts are always a good time. This recipe also has allergy-aware options.
- Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups mashed sweet potato (about 1 pound or 2 medium potatoes)
- ½ cup creamy almond butter (substitute cashew butter or sunflower butter for allergies)
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ¾ cup sugar (granulated or coconut)
- ½ cup all purpose flour (or gluten-free flour)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips (dairy free if desired)
- Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash the sweet potatoes and slice them in half. Place them on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and rub them with olive oil, just enough to coat. Sprinkle lightly with kosher salt. Place cut side down on the baking sheet. Bake until tender and lightly browned on the edges, about 30 to 35 minutes depending on the size of the potatoes (smaller potatoes may take 25 minutes; prick with a fork to assess doneness).
- Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 pan with parchment paper (allowing it to extend out the sides to lift it out later, or just a square if you plan to cut them in the pan). Then grease the entire pan and parchment paper.
- Pull the skin off of the sweet potatoes and mash them, measuring out 1 ½ cups. Add the almond butter, cocoa powder, sugar, flour, oil, baking powder, vanilla, and kosher salt until a thick dough forms. Fold in ¼ cup of the dark chocolate chips. Place the batter in the pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup chocolate chips on top.
- Bake 30 minutes, until set but soft in the center. Cool for 1 hour. Store at room temperature for 3 days, refrigerated for 1 week, or in the freezer for 3 months.
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