Baked Sweet Potatoes Stuffed With Savory Filling (Vegan)
A baked sweet potato recipe similar to sweet potato jackets stuffed with a savory combination of caramelized onions, brown rice, cranberry, pecans and bell peppers – all baked and finished with a balsamic maple glaze. These are twice baked sweet potatoes adapted to be vegan friendly, gluten free and perfect to be enjoyed for brunch, lunch, dinner, and even for Thanksgiving table or other holiday gatherings. Try these baked and stuffed sweet potatoes as the recipe suggests or feel free to customize it based on your ingredient preference.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking tray with parchment paper. Use a fork to poke a couple holes in each sweet potato to prevent exploding. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on how large the sweet potatoes are).
While the sweet potatoes are roasting, boil the brown rice, let it cool. Also sauté the onions in 2 tbsp of olive oil or grape seeds oil in a large pan over medium heat for 5-8 minutes or until the onions are soft.
To the onion then add the bell peppers, chopped pecans (or walnuts), rinsed cranberries, and the cooled brown rice. Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Meanwhile prepare the glaze: to a small container add the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, minced garlic, maple syrup, salt and crushed black pepper, mix to combine.
Toss half of the glaze on top of the cooking mixture. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed and remove from heat.
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven and let them cool for 10 minutes or until you can safely handle them. Cut in half and carefully scoop out the insides (pulp) into a large bowl. Leave a thin layer of pulp to support the skin and serve as walls.
Add the pulp of the sweet potatoes into the rice mixture. (You can mash it or finely chop it). Then scoop the mixture back into the potato skins and put the tray back in the oven for 10 minutes to warm them up.
Remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, drizzle the rest of maple balsamic glaze over the top and garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley.
Notes
Savory Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes Recipe Tips
If you'd like to prepare these sweet potatoes ahead of time, you can bake the sweet potatoes, make the filling, stuff the potatoes and then refrigerate them. Just bake the sweet potatoes the second time a little bit longer than 10 minutes - to heat them all the way through.
Store the leftover stuffed sweet potatoes in an airtight container for 4 days. When you reheat them, cover to prevent them from drying out.
For more preparing suggestions and tips see the article above.