Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Kale

It’s pretty rare, but every so often I get tired of the same, basic russet potato recipes. Fret no more! These vegan stuffed sweet potatoes are bursting with wholesome flavors! For maximum flavor-to-potato ratio, top it off with my super easy carrot + potato queso sauce recipe!

Cure “Cooker’s Block” with These Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

You may be asking; “What’s cooker’s block!?”

(Hint: it’s not the latest mosquito-carried disease.)

Cooker’s block is a condition I have recently begun to suffer from..

There I was, sitting in my favorite coffee shop, searching through recipes for hours. While I am generally brimming with ideas, nothing recently sounded appealing!

Then it hit me: sweet potatoes.
(No, really, drive-by sweet potato-ing is becoming a real problem here)

Upgrade Your Potatoes for Superior Nutrition and Flavor!

Growing up, the only sweet potatoes (or yams (surprise! They’re the same thing!)) we ate were smothered in marshmallow for thanksgiving. And, to be honest, I was in the habit of eating the marshmallow and leaving the rest to waste.

What a shame!

After moving out, going vegan, and exploring the culinary world with a newfound sense of excitement, I have developed a new love for root veggies.

What Makes Sweet Potatoes So Great!?

First, all potatoes are starchy vegetables. This means they’re all going to have plentiful carbs and calories. Nutrient-density is where things start to get really interesting!

• Sweet Potatoes contain 700% RDV of Vitamin A, compared to none whatsoever from other varieties
• Sweet Potatoes contain 2x the amount of Vitamin C than the Russet variety!
• Double the amount of Potassium than a banana! (Actually… this is all potatoes, but yay!)

To expand on the plant-based nutrition being delivered, I added Kale to the mix! Although some may shy away from it, Kale kicks ass in this recipe! It adds delicious texture, subtle flavor combinations, and a beautiful green color.

Wondering about the health benefits of kale? Look no further!

I did, however, make sure to gently “massage” the kale before adding. This breaks down the “sharpness” of the leaves, the number-one complaint I hear about it.

I did this after chopping and measuring, simply squeezing the chopped veggie together, flipping, pressing down some more, and repeating until they were softer. (Imagine the kale is a mini loaf of dough that you’re “kneading”)

It takes 15 seconds and seriously helps with Kale’s texture problem that keeps people away.

Healthy Mexican-Inspired Stuffed Sweet Potato Recipe

So far I knew I wanted sweet potatoes and kale. This didn’t get me very far, but it’s a start!

I don’t know how or why, but the flavors ended up being mexican-inspired (like 75% of my blog!!)

(Well, the why is because it’s always delicious, soooooo…)

The recipe starts with baking sweet potatoes! EASY!

While they’re cooking, I went ahead and cut and measured the rest of my ingredients. This included some red onion, black beans, corn, and lots of spices.

After that was all nice and prepped, I whipped up a batch of my creamy, delicious (and easy!) Carrot + Potato Queso Sauce Recipe from my nacho post.

Words cannot explain how great this sauce goes on these vegan stuffed sweet potatoes. Jalapenos spice up the recipe to an “11/10” (feel free to cut back, ya’ wimp!) and the “cheese” pairs everything together better than.. well, better than real cheese!

Print Recipe

Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Kale

Prep Time35 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr 35 minutes mins

Course: Tex-Mex

Author: Nick @ ServingRealness.com

Ingredients

For the Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/2 red onion finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup kale chopped and loosely packed
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves chopped and loosely packed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1 cup corn fresh or frozen
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the Queso Sauce

• 2-3 medium yukon gold potatoes cubed
• 1 large carrot sliced into "coins"
• 3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 cup water saved from boiling veggies
• 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 jalapenos depending on heat preference
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/8 teaspoon chili powder

Instructions

Start with the Sweet Potatoes

• Preheat oven to 350ºF
• Bake the sweet potatoes, unwrapped, on a baking sheet for 55-65 minutes until pierced easily with fork
• While those are baking, go ahead and cut and measure the onion, garlic, kale, and cilantro. To help with the texture, I also gently massaged the kale so it wasn't super crunchy
  

Around the 30-minute mark, start the Queso sauce!

• (For detailed pictures/videos of the Queso instructions, click here!)
• Boil the carrot and potatoes until they are pierced easily with fork
• Add the rest of the ingredients (including 1/4 cup of reserved veggie-boiling-water) into a Vitamix (or other high-speed blender) and blend until smooth!

During the last 10 minutes of baking

• Heat the oil in a nonstick pan
• Sauté the garlic and onion until fragrant and translucent
• Next, add the kale, beans, corn, cilantro, and spices and cook until soft
  
• Remove Potatoes from oven when they are done, and let cool for at least 10 minutes
• Cut a slit down the top, being careful not to cut all the way through
• Spread the potato open and scoop in the bean+kale mixture. Stuff it to the MAX!
• Top with queso sauce, and any other garnishes you may have (cilantro, avocado, sour cream, lemon/lime juice, etc.)
• Enjoy!

Notes

Store everything in the refrigerator. I didn't add the queso sauce until meal time, so that's sealed in a separate bowl.
Consume within a week (mine didn't last NEARLY that long!)