Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Black Bean Salsa

A great weeknight dinner in my book, is one that’s healthy and delicious. It comes together in less than an hour, with as few pots and pans as possible. It’s a big bonus for me when that meal creates leftovers that serve as a great weekday lunch. This meal checks all of those boxes.

I love that it can easily be made entirely plant based (by subbing out the sour cream for something like non-diary Greek yogurt) and yet it feels hearty and rich. These loaded sweet potatoes are packed with flavor and are just fun to eat.  

Serves 4.

·      2 large sweet potatoes

·      1 tablespoon olive oil

·      ½ cup frozen corn

·      ½ cup black beans

·      ½ cup diced green chilies

·      ½ cup diced red onion

·      1 lime

·      1 tablespoon cilantro—finely chopped

·      ½ cup sour cream

·      2 tablespoons taco seasoning

·      2 teaspoons sea salt

Optional

·      ½ pound barbeque pulled pork, chicken, or jack fruit 

1.     Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2.     Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Cut sweet potatoes length wise into ½ inch slabs. Lay the sweet potato in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Poke the sweet potato slabs with the tip of a knife, then brush with olive and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, until browned and fork tender.

3.     While the sweet potato bakes, make the bean salsa. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the red onion, black beans, corn, green chilies, and cilantro. Add the juice of one lime and ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix to combine and taste for seasoning.

4.     In a separate bowl, combine the sour cream and taco seasoning. Stir until smooth to create the spicy crema.

5.     Once the sweet potato has cooked, assemble the toppings. Spread 1 tablespoon of the spicy crema atop each sweet potato slab. Add 2 tablespoons of the black bean salsa on top of the crema, as well as any pulled pork, chicken, or jackfruit. Garnish with cilantro. Serve warm.