5 tips to make bomb twice-baked sweet potatoes

Twice-baked potatoes were one of my favorite dinners when I was growing up. I’d wait impatiently for them to bake and snag a top—a little piece of potato skin with melted cheese—as soon as they were out of the oven, inevitably burning my mouth. But it was so worth it! Now that I’m a little older (and more into easy, healthy dinners), twice-baked sweet potatoes are my go-to.

If you haven’t worked twice-baked sweet potatoes into your weeknight menu, here are 5 tips to make them delicious, every time. Twice-baked sweet potatoes are a phenomenal vegetarian dinner any day of the week!

Why I love twice-baked sweet potatoes

When figuring out what meal to bring another new mama friend (something was in the water about 9 months ago—I have so many friends who just had babies!), I thought back to how comforting twice-baked potatoes were and decided to make a batch—but with sweet potatoes. I love their flavor and all the extra vitamins and antioxidants that accompany their orange flesh.

Because I’m so bad at feeding myself, I made extras for my family, of course.

I love twice-baked sweet potatoes because you can throw in whatever you have on hand. I added onion, broccoli, peppers, tofu and cheese—not a bad combo, if you ask me. I considered whipping up a recipe to post here but the beauty of twice-baked sweet potatoes is that you don’t need a recipe. Just bake the potatoes, scoop and mash the insides, saute a combo of veggies-meat-whatever you need to use in the fridge, and bake ’em all again until heated through—usually around 20 minutes. That said, who couldn’t use a few tips to make even better twice-baked sweet potatoes?

A yummy and nutrient-dense meal for new parents

To accompany the sweet potatoes, I chopped up veggies for a salad (remember, brand-new parents of a newborn have no time to slice cucumbers!) and made these no-bake peanut butter oat bites. After all, old fashioned oats are one of the top foods recommended to help increase and support your milk supply. I added some coconut flakes and used agave instead of honey (we were out and there’s no way I’m paying out the nose for grocery store honey when I can wait to get it at the farmer’s market!), and they turned out delicious. We now have a bag of ’em in the freezer because I had to make enough for myself, too, didn’t I?

If you’re making a meal for new parents (and seriously, just do it!), check out my last post about what to do—and not do—to make eating a little easier for those sleep-deprived, love-drunk mamas and papas.

Without further ado, then, here are my top 5 tips for making out of this world twice-baked sweet potatoes.

Top 5 tips for delicious twice-baked sweet potatoes

1. Bake the sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet layered with aluminum foil or parchment paper. Otherwise they ooze deliciousness as they cook that will drip onto your oven and cause a smoking, burny mess.
2. Don’t wrap the sweet potatoes in foil as they bake. This steams the skins, making them really soft—and not very good for scooping and stuffing. Just poke a few holes in ’em and leave ’em unwrapped.
3. Don’t go overboard with the twice-baked ingredients. If you add too much to the sweet potato mash, you’ll end up with giant mounds when you put the filling back in the shells, and it becomes too unmanageable. Practice a little restraint, people!
4. Adding tofu—especially silken tofu—makes the filling creamy without a ton of high-fat dairy (and it makes the twice-baked potatoes vegan). I used half a package for 5 sweet potatoes. (You can use the remaining silken tofu in smoothies or pasta sauce.) That said, grated sharp cheddar is a go-to ingredient, too!
5. Add an egg to make the sweet potato a main dish. When you go to bake the sweet potatoes a second time, make an indentation in the mound and crack and egg into the “nest.” You’ll bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, or until the yolk is set. Seriously yum.

What are your twice-baked sweet potato secrets?