This is one of my favourite recipes and is packed with nutritious ingredients. It was devised by Sarah Brady, a motivational weight loss and life coach who has helped hundreds of women lose weight. Sarah passionately believes in good nutrition, particularly during the menopause, and many of the ingredients in this recipe can help with menopausal symptoms.
Sweet potatoes contain the anti-oxidant beta carotene and are an excellent source of fibre which is so important for digestive health. They also contain potassium, vitamin C, manganese, vitamin B6 and vitamin E. Protein is added with the chickpeas, sour cream, mozzarella and cream cheese. The added spinach is a great source of iron.
I tend to make extra portions when I cook this dish as they’re a great standby for lunches, and easy to heat up.
Stuffed Sweet Potato
Sweet potato stuffed with delicious, nutritious chickpeas, spring onions, spinach, soft cheese and topped with melted mozarella.
This can be eaten as it is but I love it with a big plateful of mixed salad leaves and a dollop of mayonnaise.
- 2 medium/large sweet potatoes
- 1.5 tbsp butter
- 1 spring onion, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp light sour cream
- 1 tbsp light cream cheese
- 400 grams tinned chickpeas
- 2 tbsp grated mozarella cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 bag fresh baby spinach
Bake the sweet potatoes at 180C for 45-75 minutes until fork tender.
Cut sweet potatoes in half and let cool for 5 minutes.
While sweet potatoes are cooling, saute the spring onions with the butter over a medium heat until translucent.
Add the fresh spinach and heat for 2-3 minutes until it has wilted. Set aside.
Scrape the sweet potato from the skin and keep in a bowl, leaving a thin layer so that it can stand up on its own.
Coat potato skins with a drizzle of oil and bake for around 5 minutes to crisp them up.
Mash the sweet potato with the cream cheese and sour cream.
Stir in the chickpeas, spinach, spring onion and plenty of salt and pepper.
Remove skins from the oven and fill each one with the sweet potato mixture.
Top with the grated mozzarella.
Bake again for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and the filling is heated through.
You can swap the butter for olive oil when frying the spring onions.
If you don’t have fresh spinach then frozen works really well too, just put it in a saucepan with some boiling water and heat until defrosted.
Creme fraiche works well instead of sour cream.
This can be cooked ahead of time and reheated in the microwave, and finished off in the oven. It keeps really well in the fridge for a few days.
If you fancy a sweet treat then you can get veggie-friendly sweets and candy from My Everyday Treats.
