Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Kale Pesto Recipe

Make these easy vegan stuffed sweet potatoes for a delicious and healthy meal! Ready in under an hour, they are loaded with fresh veggies and edamame for protein. The quick and easy kale and hemp seed pesto takes this simple meal to delicious heights and aged balsamic vinegar and pomegranate seeds add a tart and sweet depth of flavor.

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes – Earthy and deliciously sweet, vibrant orange sweet potatoes are a wonderful base for many vegan dishes. In this recipe they are simply baked and stuffed with delicious and healthy fillings and can be eaten as a main course or appetizer. Substitutions: Swap orange sweet potatoes with other varieties such as purple sweet potatoes, Japanese sweet potatoes, batata, or white sweet potatoes. Not a fam of sweet potatoes? Use regular starchy potatoes such as russet potatoes.

Edamame – Steamed frozen edamame add protein to this vegan meal. I love having frozen shelled edamame on hand in my freezer to add to dishes like my sweet corn succotash recipe. Cook the frozen edamame according to the package instructions or use fresh pre-cooked edamame usually found the produce section f grocery stores. Substitutions: Swap edamame with other legumes like frozen green peas or cooked or canned beans such as black beans, kidney beans or chickpeas.

Tomatoes – Fresh tomatoes add an acidic flavor element to this dish that balances the sweetness of the sweet potatoes well. Use cherry tomatoes or cocktail tomatoes for the best flavored tomatoes when they are out of season. Substitutions: Feel free to leave them out if you;re not a fan of tomatoes or swap them with chopped sweet peppers as an alternative.

Avocado – Ripe creamy avocado adds delicious healthy fat to this recipe. Avocado and sweet potatoes go together so well so I always add them. Substitutions: Try adding some toasted nuts like walnuts or pine nuts to add in some healthy fats.

Kale – This hearty green is the base for the kale hemp seed pesto. Stuffed sweet potatoes need a delicious sauce to make them extra special and this savory kale pesto pairs perfectly with the sweet potatoes and other fillings. Substitutions: Swap kale with more tender winter greens like spinach or arugula and skip the steaming process in the recipe card.

Hemp Seeds – Raw hulled hemp seeds are loaded with protein making them a great source of protein for vegan meals. They have a mild nutty flavor and add a creamy texture to the pesto sauce. Substitutions: Swap hemp seeds with pumpkin seeds, pine nuts or other nuts such as walnuts or pistachios.

Pomegranate – Fresh pomegranate arils add a crunchy tangy tart and sweet note to these healthy stuffed sweet potatoes. Substitutions: Leave them out or swap them with sweetened dried cranberries (use apple juice sweetened cranberries if you’re avoiding refined sugar).

Balsamic Vinegar – Aged balsamic vinegar adds a sweet and sour flavor that rounds out the whole meal. The more aged the balsamic vinegar, the better flavor it will have Substitutions: Levae it out or use fresh lemon juice or lime juice, pomegranate molasses, or fig balsamic vinegar.

See the full ingredient list and amounts in the recipe card below.

How to Make Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes

Step 1: Bake the sweet ptoatoes

Start by roasting the sweet potatoes whole in a preheated oven until the are cooked through and fork tender.

Step 2: Make the kale pesto

First wash the kale leaves and remove the center vein of each stalk. You’ll need about 2 large kale leaves or enough to pack into a 1-cup measuring cup.

Roughly chop the leaves and lightly steam them to reduce any bitter flavor they may have. If you’re using baby kale leave you can skip this step as they have a milder flavor.

Pulse the steamed kale, parsley, hemp seeds, lemon zest and lemon juice, salt and and pepper together in a food processor to finely mince everything.

Slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil while the food processor is running until the pesto is smooth and creamy.

Step 3: Prep the fillings

Cook the edamame according to the package instructions. Chop the tomatoes and avocado. Remove pomegranate arils from the fruit or purchase them already removed.

Step 4: Assemble the filled sweet potato

Split the baked sweet potatoes with a knife and load them with the prepped fillings.

Sprinkle flaky salt over the fillings and drizzle pesto over the stuffed sweet potatoes.

Garnish them with more hemp seeds and fresh herbs or watercress and enjoy them right away.

Storage

The baked sweet potatoes and fillings can be made ahead and stored separately for meal prepping. Store the whole roasted sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and reheat them before serving. Store the edamame in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days and add them as a cold topping or reheat them first.

Store the kale pesto in an airtight container in and refrigerate it for up to 3-4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Tomatoes and avocado are best eaten fresh so cut them up when you are ready to eat.

More Easy Healthy Dinner Recipes

• Vegan Thai Noodle Bowls
• Easy Baked Miso Teriyaki Salmon Recipe
• Vegan Sweet-Chili Tofu
• Vegan Bao Buns with Hoisin Mushrooms and Quick-Pickled Vegetables
• Roasted Vegetable Pasta
• Black Bean Enchiladas with Green Chile Sauce

More Delicious Sweet Potato Recipes

• 3-Ingredient Vegan Sweet Potato Gnocchi
• Loaded Tex-Mex Sweet Potato Fries
• Vegan Sweet Potato Nachos
• Pecan Streusel Spiced Sweet Potato Muffins – Vegan

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