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Best Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes – with sausage and peppers

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These healthy Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes are an easy weeknight dinner recipe or appetizer your whole family will love. Perfectly roasted sweet potatoes filled with hearty sausage, onion, and pepper filling, topped with shaved parmesan cheese, then baked until crispy and delicious.

Tray of roasted twice-baked sweet potatoes filled with cooked ground sausage and peppers with grated cheese and green onion on top of them.

These twice-baked sweet potatoes were inspired by my loaded baked potatoes that my family goes crazy for! I swapped out the white potato for more nutritious sweet potatoes, filled them with a flavorful, meaty sausage and pepper filling, and baked them in the oven rather than the air fryer.

They came out AMAZING and they are so easy to make! What’s not to love about sausage and veggies piled inside a fluffy, golden-baked sweet potato?

We also love these air fryer-baked sweet potatoes that are also so good!

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Why you’ll love this recipe

  • Simple and easy: It only requires a few ingredients and 45 minutes to make it.
  • Great meal prep recipe: stores and reheats wonderfully.
  • Healthy: Full of protein, healthy fat, and fiber.
  • Loaded with incredible flavor: The sausage + pepper + onion combo mixed in with sweet potato is amazing!
  • Delicious family meal: kid-friendly and a great weeknight recipe!
One twice baked sweet potato filled with cooked sausage and peppers topped with parmesan cheese and green onion.

Do sweet potatoes take longer to cook than regular white potatoes?

Sweet potatoes typically take less time to cook than white russet potatoes but the cooking time will depend on the size of the potato as well as what cooking method you are using. Air fryer sweet potatoes and Instant pot sweet potatoes take less time than the oven but the method is up to you! I think that oven-roasted sweet potatoes are the best!

Ingredients you will need

Two raw, whole sweet potatoes with bowls of other ingredients for sausage filling around them with labels over each ingredient.
  • Sweet potatoes – 2 medium sweet potatoes that are wide and long so they can hold a good amount of filling. I prefer organic sweet potatoes since I love to eat skin that has a lot of nutrients.
  • Sausage – any type of ground sausage will work, you could also use ground turkey, chicken, or beef in this recipe.
  • Veggies – roasted red bell peppers + onion.
  • Seasoning – chili powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Or any seasoning you like.
  • Garlic – fresh garlic works best but you can also use garlic paste or garlic powder if that is what you have. You will need about 1 teaspoon of garlic paste/garlic powder for each clove of garlic noted in the recipe ingredients.
  • Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil.
  • Parmesan cheese – fresh or grated is fine. You can omit the cheese if you need to keep this recipe dairy-free and paleo.

How To Make twice baked sweet potatoes

You can easily make this recipe in no time at all any day of the week!

  1. Prep the sweet potatoes. Scrub the sweet potatoes and carefully slice them down the center lengthwise using a large, sharp kitchen knife. Then brush them with olive oil all over and sprinkle both sides of each potato with salt and pepper. Lay the potatoes face down on a baking sheet.
  2. Bake the potatoes. Place them into an oven preheated to 375 degrees F and roast them for 30-35 minutes until tender.
  3. Make the sausage and pepper filling. Heat up a pan to medium heat, add a little olive oil and then add in the sausage and cook until slightly browned, then add in the onion, garlic, and seasoning. Season with salt and pepper and add in the diced roasted red peppers. Per the recipe card below.
  4. Scoop out the potato. When the potatoes are done, scoop out the centers of the potato, leaving a thin edge around each potato skin. Add the scooped-out potato to the sausage, onion, and pepper mixture and mix well to combine it all. I like to mash it a little bit.
  5. Combine filling and stuff the potatoes. Generously fill each potato skin with the filling. You may have some filling left over that you can use in omelets, on pizza, or as a quick healthy snack.
  6. Top and Bake. Top each potato with grated parmesan cheese and bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F until the tops and edges are nice and golden.
Slice and season the sweet potatoes
roast until tender
Cook sausage and onions
Season and add peppers
Scoop out the center of the potatoes
Add potato to sausage and pepper mixture
Fill potatoes
Bake until crispy

These twice-baked sweet potatoes are so good! With nice and crispy edges and a hearty filling with a nice light, cheesy topping. Add a scoop of sour cream or Greek yogurt and some chives and it is one of the best easy meals ever!

4 sausage filled sweet potatoes on a round tray with some parmesan cheese in a bowl next to them.

Expert tips for success

  • Select nice ripe sweet potatoes. Make sure the potatoes are bright orange with little to no indentations. A few brown spots are okay as long as they are light in color. For this recipe, longer, semi-wide potatoes work best to hold all of the amazing filling.
  • Use a little bit of oil. Brush the sweet potatoes with oil and season them with salt and pepper before you bake them so that the skin also gets some good flavor.
  • Mix up the meat in the filling. You can use any type of ground meat for this recipe, like ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground sausage like I used. My kids prefer the sausage so that is why I used it.
  • Green or red bell peppers will work. I prefer the red peppers since you can buy them roasted, jarred, and ready to go! Which makes this recipe even easier. Tip: If you don’t have roasted red bell peppers but have a bell pepper, then you can roast them yourself. Just roast the pepper over a flame on a gas stove or grill turning it over as it cooks to allow all sides to get nice and charred. Immediately place it into a bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes, then slice off the end, remove the seeds and ribs of the pepper, and dice it up.
  • Make this recipe vegan or vegetarian. Use plant-based ground meat or chopped cooked black beans or mushrooms in the filling instead of the sausage. Skip the cheese or use dairy-free cheese.

Can you eat the skin of twice-baked sweet potatoes?

Yes, you can! Potato skins have loads of nutrients and fiber and they are delicious! Always make sure to scrub the potatoes well and season the outside if you are planning on eating the skin.

Why are my twice-baked sweet potatoes gummy?

Overmixing the sweet potato filling can activate the starches in the potatoes and make them taste slightly gummy. Make sure to mix the filling well but not too much. Also, sweet potatoes contain less starch than white potatoes so they are less likely to turn out gummy as long as you don’t overmix them.

Can you overcook twice-baked sweet potatoes?

Sure, you can overcook anything but luckily sweet potatoes just become more flavorful and sweet as they cook. If you follow the cooking time and temperature recommendations of this recipe then you should have no worries about overcooking them.

Roasted sweet potato filled with sausage and pepper filling with more sweet potatoes around it.

Storing and reheating suggestions

To store: you can easily store these cooked sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To reheat: they can be reheated in the microwave or the oven at 350° F until warmed through.

Can you freeze twice-baked sweet potatoes?

Yes, you can and they freeze quite well.

  • To freeze these potatoes: Follow the recipe by stuffing them but do not bake them a second time. Let them cool completely, and wrap each one tightly in plastic wrap and then in foil. Label them, and store them in a freezer-friendly airtight bag or container in the freezer for up to 3 months. How great is that?
  • To reheat from frozen: Transfer the potatoes to the refrigerator overnight to defrost. Unwrap them from the packaging, place them onto a baking sheet or baking dish, cover them with foil, and bake them at 400° F for 25-30 minutes. Top them with cheese, increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F,, and bake them for another 10-15 minutes to melt the cheese and get them nice and crispy around the edges.

Serving Suggestions

This sweet potato recipe is a complete meal all on its own but here are some other ways you can serve it that I just love!

More Sweet Potato Recipes

Other healthy sausage recipes

Questions? Leave a comment below!

Like this recipe? Leave a comment below!

Made this recipe? Leave a comment and rating below!

You can also tag me on Instagram @pinchmegoodfood so I can see your creation.

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Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes – with sausage and peppers

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5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Amy Estes
  • Total Time: 55 minutes
  • Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

Delicious, hearty, and filling twice-baked sweet potatoes that are made with flavor-packed sausage and peppers. They come together easily and make the best healthy weeknight meal that the whole family will love! Gluten-free and Paleo-friendly. 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 medium size oblong sweet potatoes – that are wider to hold the filling
  • 1–2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Black pepper
  • 16 oz ground sausage – any type will work
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2–3 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning 
  • ½ cup roasted red bell peppers – diced
  • ¼ – ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Sour cream – optional for topping
  • Chives – optional for topping

Instructions

Cook the sweet potatoes

  1. Preheat the oven to 375° F and spray a baking sheet with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Set aside. 
  2. Carefully scrub and slice the sweet potatoes lengthwise down the center of each potato.  This should give you 4 halves of sweet potatoes. You can also use 3 smaller sweet potatoes since you should have enough filling which depends on the size of the potatoes you use. 
  3. Generously brush each potato all over with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Lay the potatoes face-down onto a baking sheet and place them into the oven to bake for 30-35 minutes until nice and tender.  Remove and let them cool for a few minutes. Note: this may take longer depending on the size of the potatoes you are using. 

Make the sausage and pepper filling

  1. While the potatoes are baking, you can make the insane filling.  Heat a pan to medium heat on the stovetop with a little bit of olive oil.  Add the ground sausage and cook it for 3-4 minutes, breaking it up in the pan as it cooks.  Once it is mostly cooked and browned, add in the diced onion, minced garlic, chili powder, Italian seasoning, and a pinch of salt and pepper.  Stir and let that all cook for 2-3 minutes to wake up the spices and get the veggies nice and soft. 
  2. Then stir in the diced roasted red bell peppers.  Turn off the heat and let the mixture sit in the pan for a few minutes, then transfer it to a mixing bowl. 
  3. Run a spoon around the edge of each potato half and scoop out the center leaving a rim around the potato skins.  Place the scooped-out potato into the bowl with the sausage mixture. Combine the potato and sausage mixture, mashing up the potato a little bit while you mix it. Be sure not to overmix it or you will get a gummy potato filling. 

Fill and bake the potatoes

  1. Use a spoon to carefully fill each potato skin generously with the sausage filling. 
  2. Place the filled potatoes back onto the baking sheet you cooked the potatoes on, increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F, top each potato with some grated parmesan cheese and bake them for another 20 minutes until the edges are nice and golden and the cheese is fully melted. 

Garnish and Serve

  1. To serve, top each potato with some sour cream or plain Greek yogurt and a sprinkle of fresh chives and enjoy!

Equipment

Notes

  • Select nice ripe sweet potatoes and make sure they are bright orange in color with little to no indentations. A few brown spots are okay as long as they are light in color. For this recipe, longer, semi-wide potatoes work best to hold all of the amazing filling.
  • Brush the sweet potatoes with oil and season them with salt and pepper before you bake them so that the skin also gets some good flavor.
  • To make this recipe vegan or vegetarian use plant-based ground meat or chopped cooked black beans or mushrooms in the filling instead of the sausage. Skip the cheese or use dairy-free cheese.
  • Make these twice-baked sweet potatoes ahead of time: Roast and scoop out the potatoes, make the filling and fill the potatoes. Place them on a baking sheet or plate, cover them with plastic wrap and store them refrigerated for up to 2 days. Then remove the plastic wrap, top with the cheese, and bake for 30-35 minutes at 400 degrees F when ready to eat.
  • Storing: you can store these filled and baked sweet potatoes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. 
  • Reheating: you can reheat them in the microwave or in the oven at 350 degrees F until warmed through. 
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 45
  • Category: Healthy Dinner Ideas
  • Method: oven
  • Cuisine: American
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Maggie cale

    This turned out delicious. I live in Mexico so getting the sausage exactly right took some work. I used lots of spices in my sausage. It turned out to be delightful, thank you.

    Reply

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