Burrito-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Rustic Salsa

These juicy baked sweet potatoes are stuffed with a mix of spiced black beans and rice, creamy guacamole and a fresh rustic salsa made with cherry tomatoes and crisp bell peppers.

How can you tell when I really like a cookbook? I make a lot of noise when I'm flipping through it. Say I'm in a room with my husband, perusing a new volume while he messes around on the computer.

"Mmmm hmmm."

"Yeah?"

"Nothing. Just the cauliflower."

Two minutes later. "Wowee..."

"What's up?"

"Nothing to worry about. Just the sweet potatoes."

You'd think the guy would've learned by now.

Anyhow, I just got my hands on a copy of The First Mess Cookbook: Vibrant Plant-Based Recipes to Eat Well Through the Seasons, by Laura Wright of The First Mess blog. And the noises haven't stopped.

I love this kind of book because it makes healthy vegan food so incredibly appealing. Like, I can't imagine anyone, vegan, omnivore, or otherwise, not flipping through this book without getting lost in all the gorgeous and delicious as sounding dishes.

These sweet potatoes are a prime example of that, all packed with Mexican inspired fillings in every texture and color. They taste as good as they look too. Both my husband and I made lots of noises as we polished these babies off.

They were also seriously filing and messy. Whatever you do, don't serve these things on dainty little bread plates like I dished them up on for the photos! It may look cool, but once you start digging in you'll need all the plate you can get to catch stray bits of salsa.

Once me husband and I polished off our potatoes we both commented that they were just as delicious and satisfying as a big old plate of nachos from a Mexican restaurant, but with the added bonus of leaving you feeling good, instead of weighed down with grease and nacho cheese. That's pretty much the feeling I get from most of the recipes in the book: delicious, satisfying, but also clean and packed with nutrition. At this point I've also tried the Gingered Brussels Sprout and Shiitake Pot Stickers, and loved them too. Next up: Miso and Turmeric Chickpea Scramble, Butternut and Pesto Cream Lasagna, and Chipotle Pumpkin Chili with Tempeh and Beer. Mmmm.

The First Mess Cookbook comes out today, so grab a copy on Amazon.

5 from 1 vote

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Burrito-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Rustic Salsa

These juicy baked sweet potatoes are stuffed with a mix of spiced black beans and rice, creamy guacamole and a fresh rustic salsa made with cherry tomatoes and crisp bell peppers.

Course Entree

Cuisine American, Mexican

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4

Calories 414 kcal

Author Alissa Saenz

Ingredients

• 4 small sweet potatoes
• ½ cup 125 mL uncooked brown basmati rice, rinsed
• 1 cup 250 mL cooked black beans
• 1 teaspoon 5 mL ground cumin
• ½ clove garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoon 2 mL virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon 5 mL tomato paste
• pinch of salt

Rustic Salsa

• 1 yellow or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 cup 250 mL cherry tomatoes, halved
• ½ small red onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon 15 mL fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons 30 mL chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• 1½ teaspoons 7 mL virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper, to taste

Guacamole

• 1 ripe medium-sized avocado
• ½ clove garlic minced
• 1 tablespoon 15 mL fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons 30 mL chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• generous pinch of salt

For serving

• shredded cabbage OR romaine lettuce
• hot sauce, optional

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking dish with parchment paper.
2. Place the sweet potatoes in the baking dish, and prick each one a couple of times with a fork. Slide the sweet potatoes into the oven and bake until very tender, about 45 minutes.
3. In a medium saucepan, combine the basmati rice, black beans, cumin, garlic, olive oil, tomato paste, and salt. Pour 1¼ cups (300 mL) water into the pot. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 40 minutes. Keep the rice warm.
4. Make the Rustic Salsa: In a medium bowl, combine the bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, red onions, lime juice, cilantro, and olive oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, and toss to combine. Set aside.
5. Make the guacamole: Peel the avocado and extract the pit. Place the avocado flesh in a medium bowl and mash with a fork. Once you’ve broken it up a bit, add the garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Mash the avocado until the seasoning is evenly distributed and you have a chunky paste. Set aside.
6. Place each baked sweet potato in a shallow bowl. Cut along the top of the sweet potato and pull back the skin. Split the sweet potatoes a little bit to make room for the fillings.
7. Divide the rice and bean mixture among the sweet potatoes. Top each bowl with ¼ of the Rustic Salsa. Finish each plate with a dollop of the guacamole and some shredded cabbage on top. Serve with hot sauce on the side if you like.

Recipe Notes

Reprinted from The First Mess Cookbook by arrangement with Avery Books, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2017, Laura Wright

Nutrition Facts

Burrito-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Rustic Salsa

Amount Per Serving

Calories 414 Calories from Fat 121

% Daily Value*

Fat 13.4g21%

Saturated Fat 2.5g13%

Sodium 556mg23%

Potassium 594mg17%

Carbohydrates 68.2g23%

Fiber 13.3g53%

Sugar 14.4g16%

Protein 8.5g17%

Calcium 50mg5%

Iron 2.9mg16%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.