My Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes

Hint: They're Not Just for Sweet Potato Fries Anymore

Finally! It's a veggie evangelist's dream come true: sweet potatoes are a bona fide food trend! In honor, I hereby present my best and favorite sweet potato recipes ...

Year-Round Sweet Potato Basics + Seasonal to Special, Sides to Salads, Soups to Suppers, Savory to Sweet. Recipes Include Nutrition Information & Weight Watchers Points. Many Vegetarian, Vegan & Naturally Gluten Free Recipes.

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Finally!

Vegetable lovers, we have our very own food trend! And great news:

This vegetable is found in every grocery store in the world. It's not some obscure plant grown every third year on a certain hillside in the far reaches of Outer Mongolia reachable only to people who trek in on yaks.
This vegetable is affordable, even organic, not the price of an orthodontist visit.
Plus this vegetable is a nutritious super-food!

Drum Roll ... imagine sweet potatoes going all trendy!

You see, Epicurious recently unrolled its food trend predictions for the year. And right there, #8, were sweet potatoes. The New York Times thinks sweet potatoes are hot too, see Sweet Potatoes Step Out from Under the Marshmallows.

That's the good news.

The bad news is that much of the trend is headed toward sweet potato fries – and you know what I think about sweet potato fries, see Frozen Sweet Potato Fries: Are They Worth the Price? the Calories?.

Now in my kitchen, sweet potatoes are no trend, they're a staple. I throw a few sweet potatoes into the oven alongside whatever is slow-cooking in the oven. Chicken Cider Stew is my go-to dinner to deliver whenever a family needs a little extra care. (Our never-touch-vegetables grandson even gobbles it up.) I even use a little sweet potato to give my Mac n Chicken that characteristic "KD orange" that makes kids think Kraft Dinner.

Will this be remembered as the Year of the Sweet Potato?! If so, I've got a new campaign slogan.

Sweet Potatoes: Not Just for Fries.

Whaddaya think? In the mean time, here are my favorite sweet potato recipes. Hold the fries, please.

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My Favorite
Sweet Potato Recipes

Microwave 'Em!

Laugh if you like, but all it takes to cook a sweet potato is to throw it into the microwave. It's perfect for a last-minute vegetable for a weeknight supper. It's perfect for a healthy inexpensive lunch at work. It's perfect for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up.

• HERE'S HOW Delicious Microwave Sweet Potato
• BEST FOR One or maybe two potatoes at a time

Bake 'Em!

Baking sweet potatoes whole – well scrubbed, that's all the prep that's required – is an especially good way to cook a lot of sweet potatoes at a time. This is my favorite method for meal-prepping sweet potatoes, usually I just throw a few sweet potatoes into the oven while something else is cooking.

• HERE's HOW Baked Sweet Potatoes Especially useful for many & whole sweet potatoes.

Roast 'Em!

Roasted sweet potatoes take on a dark sweetness that's captivating. Here's a summery version of sweet potatoes, great served warm or at room temperature.

• THE RECIPE Sweet Potato Wedges with Rosemary & Lime Juice An unusual summery dish, served either warm or at room temperature.

Slow Cook 'Em!

It's easy-easy to put several sweet potatoes into a slow cooker in the morning, they'll be ready for dinner at the end of the day.

• HERE's HOW How to Cook Sweet Potatoes in a Slow Cooker
• BEST FOR times when the skins' appearance doesn't count.
• ANOTHER TAKE Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Cranberry & Orange A special dish at Thanksgiving, saving oven space & delicious too.

"Casserole 'Em"

Okay, okay, the #1 classic way to cook sweet potatoes is in the "sweet potato casserole". But there's no reason to make our teeth hurt with all that sugar! Or to use sugar at all ...

• THE RECIPE Sweet Potato Casserole Honoring the tradition while transforming it into something contemporary.
• ANOTHER TAKE Savory Sweet Potato Casserole No sugar, no marshmallows, just the natural "sweet" potato sweetness.

Mash 'Em!

It's so easy to mash sweet potatoes, you don't even need a potato masher since they'll cook down so soft, they can be mashed with a fork. Simple plain Mashed Sweet Potatoes are lovely (or go ahead, stir in a little maple syrup) but do know, sweet potatoes play well with other vegetables, carrots and butternut squash are my favorite.

• WITH CARROTS Rustic Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Carrots A happy marriage of sweet potatoes and carrots.
• WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH Mashed Butternut Squash & Sweet Potatoes

Stir Fry 'Em!

Who thinks to stir-fry sweet potatoes? Me, that's who! So much goodness here ...

• HERE'S HOW Savory Stir-Fried Sweet Potatoes An unusual, easy weeknight vegetable.

Stew 'Em!

Sweet potatoes add color, nutrition and texture to one-pot dinners. We have a grandson who won't touch sweet potatoes but gobbles up this wonderful stew.

• THE RECIPE Chicken Cider Stew Another Quick Supper, one skillet perfect for fall.
• ANOTHER TAKE Slow Cooker Curried Vegetable Stew A spiced stew with many vegetables!

Soup 'Em!

• THE RECIPE Sweet Potato Soup with Quinoa & Coconut Milk Rave reviews!
• ANOTHER TAKE “Soul Food” Sweet Potato Soup with Chicken, Kale & Coconut Milk
• ANOTHER TAKE Turkey Sweet Potato Soup A healthy, colorful soup.

Spice 'Em!

Sweet potatoes taste so good all on their own but oh! what a few spices won't add.

• THE RECIPE Sweet Potato & Butternut Squash Tagine Colorful vegetables married with Moroccan spices.

Salad 'Em!

Sweet potato salads take people by surprise. There's all the familiar texture but entirely new taste ranges that are possible when you switch from potatoes to sweet potatoes.

• THE RECIPE Simple Sweet Potato "Potato" Salad with Hardly Any Mayonnaise Great crunch with a touch of cranberry sweetness.
• ANOTHER TAKE Sweet Potato Salad with Roasted Poblano, Roasted Corn & Chipotle A sweet potato salad for summer, a colorful and mouth-watering blend.

Chili 'Em!

Beans are optional but when it comes to a vegetable chili, you'll learn to rely on sweet potatoes.

• THE RECIPE Vegetable Chili with Sweet Potatoes & Chipotle

Burrito 'Em!

It's easy to wrap a few roasted or grilled vegetables in a tortilla and call it a (burrito) day but whoah, we love sweet potatoes so much here that it's become the one vegetable I always use.

• THE RECIPE Veggie-Lentil Burritos with Cilantro Sauce

Curry 'Em

More spices! Lots of rave reviews from readers for this recipe ...

• THE RECIPE Sweet Potato Curry with Red Lentils, Roasted Peppers & Spinach Stovetop or slow cooker vegan supper or side.

Cornbread 'Em!

Good cornbread = a welcome addition to dinner. Sweet potato cornbread = unforgettable.

• THE RECIPE Sweet Potato Cornbread Golden color + naturally gluten-free = a total winner.

Grits 'Em!

Home cooks often "sneak" vegetables into dishes, feeling proud when they "disappear". Me? I flaunt 'em! Sweet potatoes add color, nutrition and natural sweetness.

• THE RECIPE Slow Cooker Sweet Potato (or Pumpkin or Butternut Squash) Grits My healthy substitute for mac 'n' cheese.

Pie 'Em!

A sweet potato pie is a classic, especially in the American South. But let's dream big! Just swirl in a chocolate mixture that's similar in texture and contrasts beautifully with the earthy sweet potatoes.

• THE RECIPE Sweet Potato-Chocolate Swirl Pie A spectacular sweet potato pie, an earthy mix of roasted sweet potatoes and chocolate.

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Calling All Sweet Potato Lovers ...

So that's it, people. If you're crazy for sweet potatoes, you'll definitely want to check out all my sweet potato recipes. Your personal favorite is right there, hiding in plain sight ...

• ALL THE RECIPES Sweet Potato Recipes Soups to salads to suppers and still more, the whole collection.
• JUST THE FAVORITES My Best & Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes A shortlist of favorites! You're here!

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