Always on the hunt for new high protein breakfast ideas? You’re going to love these savory sweetpotato ricotta breakfast bowls! These are a bit of a spin on the viral cottage cheese bowls that were floating around social media, but with several swaps (ricotta instead of cottage cheese, adding spinach, and ground chicken instead of ground beef). It’s the kind of breakfast that feels indulgent but fuels you for hours. Perfect for active women!
These bowls do take a little bit of time, but you can easily meal prep the chicken/spinach mixture and sweetpotatoes in advance over the weekend. Then just assemble the bowls each morning!
Disclosure: This recipe was developed in a paid partnership with the North Carolina Sweetpotato Commission Inc.
Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this recipe! I use the same seasoning on the sweetpotatoes and the chicken, so it cuts down on the total number of ingredients you need. Here’s a photo of everything:
Here are some helpful ingredient notes:
- Sweetpotatoes: Sweet or savory, these are a delicious addition to any breakfast! In this case, of course, we’re going savory by roasting them with seasonings. Sweetpotatoes provide carbohydrates that help fuel your fitness goals and support energy levels. Plus, by roasting them with the skin, we add some extra fiber to the recipe.
- Ricotta: The unsung hero of the dairy world! Ricotta adds creaminess and protein and pairs so wonderfully with other flavors in this dish. I like part-skim as it retains the protein but is lighter in calories and fat. And yes, the whole dish will look a bit ugly once you swirl it all around in the ricotta, but I promise it will taste great. 😉
- Ground Chicken: Ground chicken is great for breakfast dishes! Feel free to sub ground turkey or ground beef if you prefer, though. I’ve also made this dish with fully cooked chicken sausage (skipping the seasoning and just sauteing them as-is) and that works too.
Instructions
You’ll find the full recipe amounts and instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s a helpful overview with photos and tips.
Start by preparing the sweetpotatoes, as those will take a little time to roast. Toss the chopped sweetpotatoes with the seasonings, and pop that in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile, you can cook the chicken/spinach mixture. Heat a little olive oil over medium-high heat, then add the chicken. Cook it for about 5-10 minutes, breaking it apart with a wooden spatula as it cooks. When it’s browned, add the seasonings and stir it.
Add the spinach and cook for another few minutes until it’s wilted. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to work in batches with the spinach so it’s not overflowing the pan. (I’m in love with this giant skillet I got a few years ago, as it can fit so much at once!).
Once the cooking is done, assemble your bowls! Add ricotta and avocado to each bowl (about ⅓ cup of ricotta and ¼ of an avocado per bowl), along with ¼ of the chicken/spinach mixture and ¼ of the roasted sweetpotatoes. Drizzle with a little hot honey and dig in!
Tips for Leftovers
Store the leftover sweetpotatoes, chicken, and spinach in a food storage container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store any leftover ricotta and avocado separately in the fridge. Bowls can be built in the morning by reheating the sweetpotatoes, chicken, and spinach in the microwave, then adding the ricotta, avocado, and hot honey.
Also: if you have extra sweetpotatoes, chicken, and spinach but you want to mix up your leftovers into something new, use them to top a salad. Add some croutons, a little parmesan, and your favorite dressing (mine is Caesar, yum). Or, add those leftovers to scrambled eggs in the morning. Either is a nice option for transforming the leftovers into something new (though I have a feeling you’ll want to eat these bowls as-is all week long!).
Nutrition Benefits
As a dietitian, I love this recipe for many reasons…
- Packed with protein – 29 grams to start your morning! Protein is key for muscle repair and recovery from workouts.
- Great to meal prep in advance and enjoy throughout the week.
- Provides 7 grams of fiber, key for digestive health.
- Contains a full day’s worth of your Vitamin A requirements (thanks to those sweetpotatoes!), which is key for eye and immune health.
- Excellent source of many other vitamins and minerals, including calcium, B12, folate, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, magnesium, and zinc!
More Sweetpotato Breakfast Ideas
If you’re looking for more healthy breakfast ideas with sweetpotatoes, be sure to give one of these a try:
- Sweetpotato, plantain, and brussels sprouts hash (I love adding two fried eggs on top)
- Whipped sweetpotato breakfast bowl with peanut butter and raisins
- Sweetpotato fish cakes (great for breakfast or dinner; for breakfast I like to toss ‘em on an English muffin)
I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you get a chance to try it, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Savory Sweetpotato Ricotta Breakfast Bowls
Ingredients
For the sweetpotatoes:
- 2 large sweetpotatoes, chopped into ½-inch pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
For the chicken and spinach mixture:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground chicken
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 6 oz fresh spinach
For the rest of the bowls:
- 1 ⅓ cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 1 avocado, peeled, pitted, and chopped
- 4 tsp hot honey (or more to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Toss the sweetpotatoes with the olive oil, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until sweetpotatoes are tender.
- Meanwhile, as sweetpotatoes are cooking, prepare the chicken and spinach mixture. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground chicken and cook for approximately 5-10 minutes, stirring and breaking apart with a wooden spatula frequently, until the meat is just-about-browned.
- Add the garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper to the chicken. Cook for another minute, stirring often.
- Add the spinach to the skillet. Cook for another few minutes, stirring often, until the spinach is wilted and the chicken is fully browned.
- Divide the ricotta, avocado, sweetpotatoes, and chicken/spinach mixture evenly between four bowls. Drizzle with hot honey and enjoy!
Notes
- If you’re preparing one bowl at a time (instead of prepping all the bowls at once), each bowl should have about ⅓ cup ricotta, ¼ of the avocado, 1 tsp hot honey, and then a big scoop of chicken/spinach and a big scoop of sweetpotatoes.
Nutrition
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