Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

These Cheesy Italian Chicken and Spinach Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are fast and delicious. The fresh basil, melty gooey cheese and steaming hot chicken and marinara filling is comforting and cozy and at the same time innovative and gourmet tasting!

I have been a sweet potato lover for as long I can remember, and I have shared dozens of recipes here on the blog over the years. From Sweet Potato Breakfast Hash to Slow Cooker Vegetarian Chili with Sweet Potatoes plus our Sweet Potato Casserole and Sweet Potato Chipotle Soup and even desserts like my Sweet Potato Blondies. I’ve covered a lot of ground about this amazing root veggie! {Pun only slightly intended.} We recently also delved into them in the Ultimate Guide to Sweet Potatoes.

It wasn’t until a month ago that I realized that I had never shared a great stuffed sweet potatoes recipe with you! I am about to change that today with these cheesy Italian Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with spinach, basil and marinara sauce.

They are made with microwaved potatoes and jarred marinara sauce to speed up the process, making this recipe ready in only 25 minutes! This recipe is a perfect weeknight meal and will be the next recipe to add to your regular rotation.

Ingredients For This Recipe

Sweet Potatoes

Try to choose four sweet potatoes that are about the same size and length so that they cook at an even rate.

Olive Oil

To cook the filling you’ll need olive oil. Since you are using the oil for cooking, you do not need to use your best quality olive oil.

Shallot, Oregano and Salt

For seasonings, I used shallot, oregano and salt in the filling. If you do not have shallot, you can use 1/4 cup minced red onion or yellow onion instead.

Ground Chicken or Turkey

I have tested this with chicken and turkey and both are equally great. If it works for your budget, I recommend trying to purchase organic chicken. Health claims on poultry packaging can be deceptive, especially regarding those about antibiotics. You can read more about antibiotics in poultry here.

Baby Spinach

To make this a complete meal I added spinach into the filling increase the veggie servings. Look for prewashed baby spinach that’s free from signs of wilting. It is always best to wash it again before using.

Soak it in cold tap water, then spin it dry in your lettuce spinner.

Purchased Marinara Sauce

To make this as easy as possible, I used purchased marinara sauce for the filling. It is already seasoned well and makes the filling come together super fast!

Part Skim Mozzarella

For the cheese I used pre-shredded part-skim mozzarella. It melts into the filling really well and is only 80 calories per ounce (which is about 30 calories less than full fat cheese.) It makes the texture of the filling so good!

Fresh Chopped Basil

The filling is made with fresh chopped basil. This is really key to the gourmet taste of this recipe. It adds so much fresh Italian flavor to the filling.

Of course if you don’t have any you can skip it altogether. I do not recommend using dried basil in this recipe as the flavor is very different from fresh.

How To Make This Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato Recipe

Microwave the Sweet Potatoes

Before you start making the filling, you’ll want to get the sweet potatoes going. My favorite way to cook them is in the microwave because it is so much faster than the oven method.

To allow the steam to escape as they cook in the microwave, poke them all over with a fork.

• Microwave them for 8 minutes. Then carefully turn them over and microwave them for another 8 to 10 minutes.
• To check if they are done, use a fork to press into the center of them. If there is any resistance, you can keep microwaving them at 1 to 2 minute intervals.
• If you do not have a microwave you can bake the sweet potatoes at 350 degrees for 50 minutes to 1 hour. I recommend lining a sheet pan with aluminum foil to bake them on because they tend to weep as they bake. You can follow the instructions here for How To Bake Sweet Potatoes.

Make the Filling

Brown the ground chicken breast (or ground turkey) with the shallot (or onion), oregano and salt in a non-stick skillet.

Add the marinara and spinach and stir it until the spinach is wilted.

Add the basil and 3/4 cup of the cheese and stir it until the cheese is completely melted.

Open The Sweet Potatoes

Slice a slit along the length of the sweet potatoes.

Squeeze the sweet potato skins and pinch the sides of the potatoes (it will be hot so you can use oven mitts if you want.) This will open up the split.

Fluff up the filling with a fork. This will help the filling settle into the potatoes and as you eat the potato will blend with the filling better.

Add Filling

All that’s left is dividing the filling evenly among the sweet potatoes.

Top them with the reserved cheese and if you like a little more basil too.

FAQs and Expert Tips For Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

More Healthy Dinner Ideas and Stuffed Vegetable Recipes

• If you love Italian flavors, then you may like these Italian Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers.
• These Italian Beef and Marinara Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms are a hidden jem!
• This Low Carb Mexican Stuffed Peppers is one of my most popular recipes.
• These Stuffed Chard Leaves with Beef and Pine nuts are like an Italian inspired cabbage roll.
• These Grilled Stuffed Spaghetti Squash are one of those easy dinners perfect for the summer time.
• These Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Acorn Squash has gooey cheesy filling with a peppy quinoa filling.
• For breakfast try these Stuffed Portobello Breakfast Mushrooms with quinoa and egg.

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