Whether you’re looking for an appetizer for a holiday party or a delicious side dish to serve with dinner, these savory twice-baked sweet potatoes are the perfect choice! Sweet potatoes are roasted then twice baked with a filling that has spinach, cheese, and mashed sweet potato. These savory spuds will be the hit of any meal, and pack in quite a bit of nutrition!
Ingredient Notes
Here’s a photo of all the ingredients you’ll need, along with selected ingredient notes:
- Sweet potatoes – Try to grab sweet potatoes that are the same size so that they all cook evenly. I like to use 7 medium ones, but you can also use 5 or 6 larger ones if that’s what you have on hand.
- Neufchatel – Also called “light cream cheese”. You can substitute softened regular cream cheese if that’s what you’ve got on hand; I just prefer using the lighter cream cheese – both from a nutrition standpoint and also because it’s easier to mix with the other ingredients.
- Plain Greek yogurt – This adds a creaminess and tang to the filling – plus some extra protein!
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 with your sweet potatoes. Poke a few holds in each with a fork, then rub them with olive oil.
Toss ‘em on a baking sheet and bake for about 45-60 minutes, or until cooked through and tender inside.
The exact time will vary based on the size of the sweet potato; larger potatoes will require longer cooking times while smaller potatoes require shorter times. If you can poke a butter knife through without much resistance, the potato is cooked through.
After the sweet potatoes are done baking, let them cool for a few minutes but leave the oven on.
Meanwhile, make the filling. If you haven’t yet thawed your frozen spinach, now’s the time to do so. You can put it in the microwave for a little less time than the package calls for. Let it cool, then squeeze it out through a few layers of paper towel to get rid of excess moisture.
Combine the Neufchatel, Greek yogurt, light mayo, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl.
Add the spinach, mozzarella, parmesan, and green onions.
At this point, hopefully the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle. Cut each in half and scrape out some of the sweet potato (leaving a layer of potato in each skin), placing the potato you remove into a bowl.
Take the bowl of sweet potato flesh and mash it up, then fold it into the other filling ingredients. Stir well and set aside for now.
Rub the sweet potato skins with a little olive oil and pop ‘em back in the oven for 5 minutes.
Remove the pan again, and now load up each sweet potato with the filling mixture. Place them back in the oven for another 10-15 minutes, until the filling is warm and the cheese is melty.
Dig in and enjoy!
Recipe FAQ
Here are some common questions that may come up as you’re preparing this recipe:
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven until warm.
Yes. Wait for the twice-baked sweet potatoes to cool, then place in an airtight container. Bake directly from frozen. You’ll need to add about 15-20 minutes of extra baking time to account for them being frozen.
Sure! If you’d like, feel free to add some cooked chicken or white fish to the filling. This can help increase the protein content if you’d like to eat these for a meal, rather than a side dish or app.
If you want to speed up the recipe, you can microwave the sweet potatoes for the initial cooking, instead of baking them. The remainder of the recipe should be completed in the oven though.
Nutrition Benefits
As a dietitian, I love these savory twice-baked sweet potatoes for active folks. It packs in healthy carbs to fuel your fitness, and contains a variety of vitamins and minerals including…
- Vitamin A – One serving has 97% of your daily Vitamin A needs, key for eye health.
- Vitamin C – This vitamin is essential for tissue health and supporting your immune system, and a serving provides 18% of your daily needs.
- Calcium – Key for bone health, you’ll get 10% of your daily needs in this side dish.
- Potassium – This electrolyte is involved in muscle contractions as well as blood pressure regulation. One serving provides 10% of your daily needs.
- Magnesium – From energy production to muscle contractions to exercise recovery, magnesium is key for runners and other active folks. You’ll get 9% of your daily needs in this side dish.
More Sweet Potato Recipes
If you love sweet potatoes, you’ll love one of these other tasty recipes:
- Sweet potato breakfast bowl with peanut butter and raisins
- BBQ ground beef stuffed sweet potatoes
- Sweet potato, brussels sprouts, and plantain hash
I hope you enjoy these spinach stuffed sweet potatoes! And while I usually serve these as an app or a side, you could also totally just eat a few as a meal. 😉 If you get a chance to try them, feel free to leave a recipe rating or comment below.
Savory Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 7 medium sweet potatoes (or 5-6 large)
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 4 oz Neufchatel (light cream cheese), softened
- ⅓ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
- 2 tbsp light mayonnaise
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp salt
- 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- ½ cup part-skim mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup fresh shredded parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup thinly sliced green onions
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Poke a few holes in the sweet potatoes, rub the outside with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place on a baking sheet and bake the sweet potatoes at 350 degrees F for 45-60 min, or until cooked through and tender on the inside. Remove from the oven, but leave the oven on.
- Meanwhile, as sweet potatoes are cooling, in a large bowl combine the softened cream cheese, Greek yogurt, light mayo, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Fold in the spinach, mozzarella, parmesan, and green onions.
- When cool enough to handle, cut each sweet potato in half. Scrape out some of the sweet potato (leaving a layer of potato in each skin) and place the flesh in a bowl, leaving the skins on the baking sheet.
- Mash the sweet potato in the bowl, then fold into the creamy spinach mixture. Stir well and set aside for now.
- Rub the sweet potato skins with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add the spinach-sweet potato filling to each skin. Bake for another 10 to 15 minutes, or until the filling is warm throughout and the cheese is melted. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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