I love using sweet potatoes as a blank canvas for toppings galore and this one checks off all the marks! Luscious, creamy, baked sweet potatoes are stuffed with a flavor-packed spicy black bean and spinach mixture and topped with a fried egg, punchy pickled onions, a fresh squeeze of lime and some hot sauce if you’re into that. Don’t skimp on those pickled onions, they add both flavor and much needed crunch!
Ingredient highlight
Sweet potatoes (yams)! These dense, sweet, luscious potatoes are my complex carb of choice and one of my favorite veggies to always have prepped and roasted in the fridge. They’re loaded with fiber and potassium and high in vitamin B1, B6, A and C. Runner’s can’t get enough of these because they are great for replenishing glycogen stores and contain trace minerals important for recovery. I like mashing them up with salt and keeping them in a baggy as my long-run fuel.
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 5 minutes 
Cook Time 10 minutes 
bake sweet potatoes 1 hour Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes Ingredients
- 2 large or 4 small/medium sweet potatoes (yams)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ yellow or red onion, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tsp chili powder or ground cumin
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes, optional
- 1 5 oz container spinach, roughly chopped (about 4 cups chopped)
- 2 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 4 eggs
- 4 lime wedges
- Hot sauce, optional
For the pickled onion (double this recipe for extra!):
- ½ red onion, thinly sliced
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- To make the pickled onions, pack the red onions in a large mason jar. Pour the water, vinegar and salt on top and shake. If it needs more liquid, just add equal parts water and vinegar. Press onions down so they are all covered. Let it sit overnight or for at least 1 hour. (See How-To Video!).
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or tin foil. Wash your sweet potatoes, then prick them all over with a fork or knife. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a knife inserts easily without resistance. Let cool.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion, and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the tomato paste, garlic, chili powder or cumin, and red pepper flakes (if using). Cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds. Add the spinach and ½ teaspoon salt and cook for 2 more minutes, or until the spinach has wilted, stirring often. Stir in the black beans and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and cook for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste and add more salt or lime, if needed.
- Transfer to a bowl or container, wipe out the skillet, and fry your eggs.
- Cut an “X” into your warm baked sweet potatoes (see photos) and pry the potato open. If using 2 large potatoes, just cut in half lengthwise. Use a fork to cut/mash up the flesh and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. Top each sweet potato with the warm bean mixture, fried egg, and pickled red onions (I like them chopped up for this recipe, but you can leave them whole). Sprinkle the egg with salt and top everything with a squeeze of lime and hot sauce (if using).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Bake the whole sweet potatoes (can take over an hour with bigger potatoes)
- Make spicy beans n’ greens filling
- Pickle red onion
Substitutions:
- Add any finely chopped veggies to the mix instead of spinach.
- Substitute kale for spinach
- Substitute 1 cup shredded chicken or cooked ground meat for 1 can of beans in the filling.
- Substitute the beans entirely with meat by using 2 cups shredded chicken or 1 lb ground meat.
- You can use any bean here – pinto or kidney would work great.
- Substitute any grain as your base instead of baked sweet potato or just turn it into a taco and put it in a tortilla.
Storage:
- Store baked potatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Store black bean filling in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- Store pickled red onions in an airtight jar or container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- The bean filling is great as a bowl with some rice and avocado OR as a taco.
- Warm up your baked sweet potatoes and bean filling in the microwave before adding the toppings.
- Scoop out the sweet potato flesh and freeze it for smoothies.
- Put pickled red onions on everything!
