Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet potatoes are a great staple to have in your pantry during the colder months. I love that they store well and don't go bad quickly; they also microwave well which makes these great for dinners that need to come together in a short time period or something not requiring much prep. Needless to say I request these from the CSA quite a bit!

On this particular evening we had eaten a bigger lunch and wanted something on the smaller side for dinner. This could also be a good "meat-less" meal option. If you're interested in that you'll have to omit the bacon. I sauteed a bit of bacon for this stuffed sweet potato and that could certainly be omitted but it was tasty.

Here's what we did

Microwave 1 large sweet potato until tender when pierced with a fork.

Meanwhile saute bacon in a medium skillet. Add in 1 diced onion after bacon begins to crisp up.

After bacon and onions are ready, add 1 can of rinsed black beans to warm through.

Slice the sweet potato in half and scoop out the inside. Add the bean mixture to a bowl and combine with the scooped out sweet potato. To the mixture add some shredded cheddar cheese.

Return the sweet potato mixture to the scooped out skins and put under a low broil setting until cheese is melted. Serve topped with sour cream. 

Since I had used a whole can of beans and chose a large sweet potato, there was a bit of filling leftover (maybe about 1/3 cup or so). I saved it and turned it into a delicious breakfast a few days later. For the breakfast I reheated the sweet potato mixture in a small skillet with a little evoo. While that was warming, I made some quick-cooking grits and fried two eggs. Served the sweet potato mixture on top of the grits and then put the egg on top! Patrick may have been a few minutes late to work this day but I think he'd say it was worth it!