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I know that when you think of sweet potatoes, you might think of Thanksgiving, but thankfully you can buy these little guys all year round. Not only are they DELICIOUS, but they’re also one of the healthiest foods you can add to your diet. They are chucked full of so many nutrients! One medium sized sweet potato will be about 105 calories baked. These root veggies are also fat-free as long as you prepare them in a low-cal method. This is my list of 10 ways that I cook Sweet Potatoes in a Healthy way.
1. Baked
There are 2 ways to bake Sweet Potatoes. The first is to preheat the oven to 450 degrees. While it is heating scrub your sweet potato under running water. Next, place the sweet potato on the oven rack. Bake for 30-40 minutes. This will make the outside crisp but the inside will be soft.
The second way is much like the first. But instead of putting it right on the oven rack… first puncture the sweet potato with your fork and then rub a little butter on the outside. Wrap it in foil and put it in the oven. This will make the outside and the inside soft. Bake it for 30 to 40 minutes.
Add toppings as you like… I like cinnamon and a little bit of sugar.
2. Microwaved
Wash your sweet potato in running water. Then take a clean wash rag and get it moist with water. Wrap your moist rag around your sweet potato and stick it in the microwave. Cook on High for 5 minutes. Let it cool a minute before taking out the microwave because it will be super HOT! Add toppings as you like.
3. Mashed
I usually use 4 medium potatoes.
Boil a pot of water. Cut Potatoes into 1 inch squares. Drop potatoes into boiling water and cook until completely tender – About 15-20 minutes. Drain water from potatoes and add 2 or more Tablespoons of milk, 1 Tablespoon of butter, and a dash of salt. Cream together with beaters. I also love to add a little bit of cinnamon and sugar to this.
4. Grilled
Even though it is not summer… grilled sweet potatoes are my favorite! You can cut them into large circles, brush them with Olive Oil and put them directly on the grill. Wait until they are soft until you remove them.
Or you can cut the sweet potato into 1 inch cubes, brush with olive oil, wrap it in foil and place on the grill. Cook it about 20 minutes.
5. Boiled
Boiling the potatoes gives it a different texture. I boil them by boiling a pan of water and putting the whole potato (skin and all) into the pot. Boil anywhere from 30 to 40 minutes depending on how thick they are. Boiling potatoes makes the skin fall right off.
6. Hash Browns
We have a lot of breakfast for dinner and this is one of my favorites!
Ingredients:
2 T of butter or margarine
3 T of Olive Oil
1 Medium onion diced
1 T brown sugar
1 medium normal potato, peeled and shredded
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and shredded
1 tsp of salt
1/2 tsp of pepper
4 Turkey Bacon Slices, cooked and crumbled
Directions:
Melt butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion; saute 15 minutes or until golden. Add brown sugar, and cook 5 minutes, stirring often.Combine onion mixture, potatoes, salt, and pepper.Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Drop potato mixture into 3 1/2-inch rounds; cook, in batches, 5 minutes on each side or until golden, adding remaining oil as necessary. Press down with a spatula to flatten; top with bacon.
7. Sweet Potato, Apple, Cranberry Bake
4 to 6 Large Sweet Potatoes
2 to 3 Large Granny Smith apples
3/4 cup of cranberry flavored Craisins
Cut your sweet potatoes in half and boil in water until tender. After they are done boiling, peel and slice them up. Lay them in a 9X13 pan Next peel your apples and slice them up and lay them on top of the sweet potatoes. Last sprinkle the cranberries on top.
The Sauce: (optional)
1/2 cup or 1 cube of butter (completely melted)
1/2 cup maple syurp
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons of Cinnamon
Mix all sauce ingredients together and pour evenly over your sweet potatoes/apples. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. – I realize these aren’t nearly as healthy with the sauce… but you can sprinkle it with brown sugar before you put it in the oven as an alternative.
8. Crock Pot
Almost any crock pot meal that calls for potatoes can be substituted for Sweet Potatoes. I also love crock pot side dishes such as this one.
1 bag of carrots
2 Medium sweet potatoes(peeled and cubed)
1 onion chopped
1/2 packet Lipton onion soup mix
1/2 cup water
Throw all ingredients in and cook on high 4 hours or on low 6 hours
9. Cooked Sweet Potato Fries
We LOVE Sweet potato Fries at our house! This is a super simple recipe but we really like it (especially dipped in ketchup!).
Ingredients
1 teaspoon Seasoned Salt – or normal salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
3 tablespoons Olive Oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In small bowl, combine Salt, paprika, Garlic Powder and chili powder; set aside.
In large bowl, toss sweet potatoes with Olive Oil; sprinkle with seasoning mixture and toss to coat. On cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick cooking spray, arrange potatoes in single layer.
Roast, turning once, 40 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden. Serve, if desired, with additional Seasoned Salt.
10. Roasted
I love Roasting Veggies and Sweet potatoes together. Here is one of my favorites:
4 T of butter
4 large sweet potatoes (I sometimes throw in a normal potato)
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
6 T of Brown Sugar
Directions:
Heat oven to 350° F. Place the butter on a rimmed baking sheet and transfer to oven until melted. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1-inch chunks. Add with the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Roast, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 45 minutes.
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delish, too bad it adds more points in my weight watchers program than other veggies
I’ve never tried sweet potatoes. I’ve had some fries from Rumbis, but other than that, they scare me. Not sure why. But I’ve been wanting to try them because I’m giving up white potatoes. So these recipes are exciting! Thanks!
P.S. — I definitely pinned this.
Yum! I love sweet potatoes. Thanks for the different options! laura@imnotatrophywife.com
It is close to midnight but I am still enthralled with the many fabulous recipes on your site so I continue to peruse them. Made the Pumpkin Roll Cake Bars from your 25 Best Bars link. They were delish. Maybe next time I will add Cream Cheese Frosting when cooled since we love the creamy cheesy flavor that reminds us so much of fall. Thanks Sisters!
Try yams, too! I prefer them to sweet potatoes because they are actually sweeter. 😉