Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
This recipe for Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes is an amazing way to pack in a ton of plant-based protein in a tasty, gluten-free and simple meal!
I have long been obsessed with sweet potatoes. They're one of those ingredients that I have in my pantry every single week and we never get sick of.
Part of what I love about sweet potatoes is their versatility. You can cook them a ton of different ways and they can be used in salads, bowls, as a side and more.
But sweet potatoes in our house are usually not the star of the show. They're there as a bonus or a side. Until now. Because when I whipped up these Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes…everything changed.
Why are Sweet Potatoes Healthy?
It seems that everyone in the health world raves about the nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes. But are they actually that healthy? The short answer is YES!
Sweet potatoes are packed with a ton of vitamins and minerals and are what I would consider an “everyday superfood” meaning they're cheap, they're nutrient-dense and they're just an all-around superstar.
In terms of the actual nutritional benefits of sweet potatoes, they're high in:
- Fiber
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Manganese
- Potassium
- and B vitamins
Perfectly Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Some people might be afraid to eat a lot of sweet potatoes because they're high in carbohydrates as well, but I totally disagree. Yes, they are a carbohydrate, but we need carbohydrates to sustain us. We need them for energy and live our healthiest life.
Which is why I was so excited to discover how delicious this recipe is!
It makes sweet potatoes the star of your meal by using them as your base and stuffing them with a super quick Mexican quinoa mixture. It's quick, it's easy and it's totally healthy!
Easy Mexican Quinoa
I've made quinoa stuffed sweet potatoes once before, but when I was dreaming up this recipe, my mind immediately went down the Mexican-inspired route.
So for our filling, we're making a quick saute of onions, peppers, frozen corn, black beans and quinoa. You can whip it together in about 10 minutes while the sweet potatoes are roasting and it has the most amazing flavor!
We're spicing it up with a ton of chili powder, some cumin, a touch of smoked paprika, and if you like heat like I do, some cayenne pepper. It pairs perfectly with the potatoes!
Serving up our Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
When I was serving these babies up I was thinking of them almost as an open face burrito! So we did a generous dollop of mashed avocado, a drizzle of tahini (my sour cream replacement) and hot sauce, and finishing things off with a sprinkle of cilantro.
Simple, yet delicious, and the quinoa nutrition and health benefits of the sweet potatoes are amazing!
Absolutely one of my favorite meals I've made in the last few weeks! I can't wait to see you make them and share what you think. Make sure to come back here and let us know in the comments section ????
If you are looking to try other Mexican-inspired dishes, you might try my Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers.
More Healthy Mexican Recipes
- Mexican Quinoa Breakfast Bowls
- Sweet Potato Quinoa Nachos
- Vegan Jackfruit Enchiladas Verdes
- Spicy Green Mexican Quinoa
- Healthy & Vegan Refried Bean Dip
Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup chopped red onion
- 1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/2 cup cooked quinoa
- 1 cup canned black beans drained & rinsed
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and prick with a fork. Place in the oven and bake for 40 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and pepper and saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add corn, quinoa, black beans and spices and cook 2 - 3 more minutes.
- When sweet potatoes are fork tender, remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice in half and place each half on a plate. Top with quinoa mixture, avocado and a drizzle of both tahini and hot sauce. Finish with a sprinkle of cilantro and enjoy!
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I love quinoa and am happy to have found your website. For this recipe 1/2 cooked quinoa doesn’t sound like very much. Or, is that 1/2 cup measured before cooking the quinoa?
It is 1/2 cup of cooked quinoa but feel free to add more!
My husband and II loved it! Minus the avocado for him😋
Such great news!!
Made this last night and didn’t have black beans on hand so I used pinto beans. It still turned out delicious! I do think it would be better with black beans, but in a pinch, this still worked out well. My teenage kids and my 4 year old liked it! I did however put cheese on top of the kids servings.
I’m so glad everyone liked it!! And sounds delicious with the cheese!
Thank you! This was delightful! Made just as directed. Great dinner!
I’m so glad you liked them! Thanks for the review 🙂
I’m excited to make this. It looks delicious! Maybe this was already asked or I missed it. After the sweet potatoes or baked and cut in half, do you scoop out the insides and mix them in with the quinoa mixture? Or did you keep it (the quinoa mixture) right on top?
Either works! You can just top them with the mixture or scoop and add for a more “stuffed” sweet potato 🙂
Loved this!! I made it with extra quinoa bc I left out the blavk beans (hubby not a fan) but next time I’m going to prepare some with the beans for me lol.
No tahini, added some water and chipotle sauce to the mixture, and some lime juice/salt/pepper to the avocado.
Yum!! I love it with the black beans 😉
I I WILL BE MAKING THIS RECIPE.
THANK YOU PAT.
First time cooking quinoa and we loved this tonight! I added fine diced carrot, zucchini and mushrooms to the mix to use some extra vege. It worked very well. Will be a regular here! Thankyou
YAY! So happy you enjoyed it!
We did this tonight and it was so good! Will become a regular in our house. I added diced carrot, zucchini and mushrooms to the filling
YAY! So happy you enjoyed it!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was fantastic! I loved all of the flavors and am so excited to have leftovers so I can have it again tomorrow!
Woohoo! So so good 🙂
This was really good. It’s not something I would normally make but I had a bunch of sweet potatoes that I need to find ways to eat. The only thing I didn’t have on hand was quinoa so I substituted for lentils. I will definitely make this again because my family loved it. Thanks for the great recipe.
So happy to hear that!
This turned out wonderful. I made it for breakfast and will continue throughout the week!
Thrilled you liked them!
Sounds delicious! Do these refrigerate and re-heat up well over the week for lunch meal prepping?
Definitely!
Where is the actual recipe? I think you may be having a loading problem on your site.
We were having some web issues the last few days, but it should be all set now 🙂 thank you for your understanding!
Made this tonight and it was soo good! Definitely going to make again. Just threw in the ingredients without measuring everything as I didn’t have the time, my husband definitely really enjoyed it as well, although he isn’t the biggest fan of vegan meals.
I also cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise which sped up the cooking time and let them caramelize in the oven which was delicious!
I’m so glad you both enjoyed them!
Super yum! Made these for hubby and me. He was happy and satisfied. Not heavy, but sure filling!
Woohoo! Glad you both enjoyed it!!
This is so yummy! I’ve made it twice so far! I do add just a few tablespoons of chicken stock with the spices to help them spread more evenly since it is a dry mix. Also, wow is it spicy! Even without hot sauce. I think I’m going to cut the spices down a bit next time I make it, but it is quickly becoming one of my favorite dishes. 🙂
Yay! So happy you’ve been enjoying it 🙂
Awesome recipe. Just made it today. A few modifications (added zucchini) and used 3 sweet potatoes instead of 2, but I love it and will continue to make it! I’m vegetarian so I’m always trying to find something filling without sugar and bad carbs.
So glad you enjoyed it!! xo
I made this tonight and my husband asked for it to be added to our regular rotation! It was sooo good and filling! Love!
YAY! Best types of reviews 🙂 I’m so happy!
Yummy ! Will definitely fix again !
Woohoo! Keep me posted 🙂 xx
First off I never leave a comment on anything but this is the holy grail. My husband and I just started trying to eat healthier dinners and trying to eat vegan. This is the first vegan dish I made and is now going to be regular meal in our house. My extremely picky husband loved it! I left a few things out like the cilantro and Tahini .thank you so much for this receipe!
I am SOOOO happy to hear that! I’m thrilled you found the site and that both you (and your husband!), enjoyed the recipe. Keep me posted if you end up making any other variations! xo
Turned out really great! Mine toilet longer than expected because I got two huge seeet potatoes that needed extra time, but other than that, this was a super easy recipe.
I’m so glad it was easy and enjoyable 🙂
I made it this weekend and everyone loved it! Thanks for the recipe 😀 I have a question for you: what programme do you use to make that Nutrition Facts information/frame?
I’m so glad you all liked it!! I use a recipe plugin to display my recipes and nutrition facts, but if you’re looking for one, this one is good! https://www.caloriecount.com/cc/recipe_analysis.php
Absolutely delicious, topped off with a sprinkle of raw pumpkin seeds. Yum
Sounds absolutely perfect!
This recipe is great! The quinoa mixture is the perfect combination of Mexican flavors! The baking time for the sweet potatoes was actually about 30 minutes for my oven, so check on them while they are baking. I added some chopped tomatoes to my smashed avocado, which added some acidity to the dish.
Thanks so much!! Thrilled you enjoyed them 🙂 The tomatoes sound awesome!
Do these freeze well?
I haven’t tested them, so I’m not totally sure! I think they could though 🙂
I pinned this a while ago and finallly made it last night. What was I waiting for? This was so delicious! I can’t stop thinking about it today, so im having it again for lunch! Definitely a new favorite for my husband and me!
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Cindi 🙂 xx
Delicious recipe! Great mid-week dinner, just shared around to my newly vegan family member to try too! Definitely adding to our new year dinner rotation. Thank you 🙂
Yay! Makes me so happy to hear that. Thanks, Ellie! xx
This is quite possibly the best recipe ever! I make it as a casserole and have taken it to two potlucks recently and received rave reviews. And I love that it’s quick and easy.
WOW! What an amazing review 🙂 Thank you, thank you!
I absolutely love this recipe. I replaced the sweet potatoes with medium sized butternut halves, and it was amazing.
Such a great idea!! So glad you enjoyed them 🙂
This is yummy! I have made it a couple times and the prep time is a lot more than five minutes unless you have someone else chopping the veg and cookiing the quinoa. I live in Mexico and sweet potatoes are hard to find so I used camote the second time which was a perfectly good substitute. I added garlic and jalapeño and used poblano pepper and since I’m not vegan, feta cheese on the top! Super adaptable recipe, thanks!
Sounds amazing! Thanks, Diane 🙂
I made this tonight and served with cashew sour cream. It was so DELICIOUS! I actually put the uncooked quinoa in the saucepan at step 3 with some vegetable stock and simmered until cooked. (meant only one pan to wash up and the flavour was absorbed by the quinoa!). Will definitely make this meal again, thank you Alyssa! xx
Oh yum!!! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂 xo
Really good flavor but lacked moisture so I added a can of rotel and it did the trick. Yummy
Glad you enjoyed it!
[…] stuffed sweet potatoes Prep Time 5 minutesCook Time 40 minutesTotal Time 45 minutesServings 4Calories 268 […]
Cooking this as I type! Sooooo excited to eat it! I added some zucchini that needed to be eaten! My house smells so good right now!
Awesome!
How much smoked paprika?
1/2 teaspoon should do the trick 🙂