sweet potato

Need something filling and totally delicious? This Stuffed Ranchero Sweet Potato is just for you! The ingredients are perfectly satisfying in a very healthy way.  

Sweet potatoes are a fabulous starchy vegetable. You can find the best sweet potatoes during the fall and winter.  They are jam packed with vitamin A and vitamin C to make sure you’re getting in those vital antioxidants.  Sweet potatoes also contain plenty of fiber as well to keep your system running smoothly.  You can enjoy them many, many different ways in sweet and savory recipes and we’re going to throw you just one more to add to your collection here! The black beans in this recipe add protein and fiber to help keep you satiated for hours. If using canned beans, make sure you rinse them well to remove all that extra sodium.  The sweet potato-black bean combo will keep you craving this one all the time.

Start this one off by cooking the sweet potato in microwave for 5-10 minutes, until soft Pro tip: puncture sweet potato with a fork a few times and cover with a moist paper towel to help it cook quicker.  If you would rather use an oven, preheat to 400F and cook the potato for about 45 minutes.  Chop up those tomato, onions, cilantro and garlic. Mix these all together for the salsa. To kick those beans up a notch, you can season black beans with cumin, chili powder and garlic powder to taste in a separate bowl.  Cut sweet potato in half, and gently mash the two halves with a fork.  Pour black beans into the potato, then top with the salsa mix and finish off with lime juice and chopped cilantro.

This is the ultimate version of your favorite loaded potatoes.  The microwave option also makes it a quick and easy meal that you can whip up in minutes.  What do you think about this Stuffed Ranchero Sweet Potato? Let us know what you think in the comments below!