Name: Tex-Mex Sweet Potatoes
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Ingredients: 2 large sweet potatoes; 1 pound ground beef; 1/2 cup diced onion; 1/2 cup diced red pepper; 2 cups diced tomatoes; 1 tablespoon tomato paste; 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional); 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin; 1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; Shredded cheese, salsa, and guacamole (optional); 1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican oregano

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Loaded Tex-Mex sweet potatoes are a simple meal with tons of flavor. Add your favorite toppings to make it your own!

When I was a kid, there was a fast-food chain that featured a baked potato bar. Back then I thought it was really weird — I mean, who wants to eat a baked potato when there are French fries, cheeseburgers, and nuggets to be had?

Of course, these days I’ve realized that baked potatoes? Pretty awesome. And baked sweet potatoes are even better. Throw a bunch of stuff on top of them, and you have a meal that is perfect for these cold days.

sweet potato topped with meat, cheese and other toppings on a plate with a decorative napkin

Now, I’m not going to knock you if you decide to use white potatoes for this recipe, but sweet potatoes are filled with lots of good-for-you vitamins and taste great plain. (My baby agrees.)

Sweet potatoes are also usually quite large, so you only need two for this recipe to feed four people.

And don’t forget that leftover baked potatoes can be used in a lot of different recipes, from quick mashed taters to an easy hash for your breakfast eggs.

Tex-Mex Sweet Potatoes - These aren't your mama's loaded baked potatoes.

Recipe substitutions

These Tex-Mex Sweet Potatoes are filled with ground beef seasoned with cumin, chili pepper, and Mexican oregano.

If you don’t have Mexican oregano, you can swap in the Mediterranean version (jars just labeled “oregano” are this), but use a bit less.

We were lucky and had some way-early-season tomatoes from the market, but just swap in a can of diced tomatoes if tomatoes aren’t in season where you are.

This can easily be turned vegetarian with a swap of beans for the meat, or add beans to the original recipe (plus another sweet potato) to bulk up the dish and feed a larger family.

overhead of sweet potato topped with meat, cheese and other toppings on a plate with a decorative napkin

How to bake sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes are large and very thick in the middle, and some sweet potatoes weigh as much as half a pound, so they can take a long time to bake!

To bake a sweet potato, prick it all over with a knife or fork, then set on a rimmed baking sheet.

Bake it at 425°F for 45 minutes to 1 hour. You’ll know it’s done when the skin looks slightly puffed and a fork pierces the center easily.

You can also check the temperature of the sweet potato with an instant read thermometer. It should read approximately 205°F for a fully cooked sweet potato.

Let the potatoes rest until cool enough to handle, then slice in half and fluff with a fork before filling.

Top the potatoes with salsa, pickled onions, guacamole, or cheese — or all four — and you’re set to dig in!

This filling recipe for Tex-Mex Sweet Potatoes aren't your mama's boring baked potato.

Depending on the size of your appetites, you might have leftover filling. You can easily use it for a taco lunch the next day, or add it to a pot of macaroni and cheese.