Sweet potatoes are my current obsession. Not only are they incredibly healthy and packed with great vitamins, but they’re delicious too. Lately, healthy baked sweet potato recipes are popping up in all kinds of restaurants here in LA. I’ve seen them in salads, cakes, pies and pasta, fries and sandwiches. I’ve even seen a sweet potato puree soup with gruyere cheese that looked to die for.
Every time I try a new recipe that I love out in restaurants, I always come home and Google around a bit to see if I can try and create an equally yummy recipe at home. Lately, my foodie experiments seem to be based around these healthy baked sweet potato recipes, mostly because this root vegetable has exploded in popularity over the past two years and it seems to be taking over LA.
I’m constantly trying out new healthy baked sweet potato recipes and I wanted to share my three favorites with you. Try them all, I really recommend them! Don’t forget to let me know what you think in the comments.
Kristi’s Healthy Baked Sweet Potato Recipes
Baked Winter Vegetables
1 pound of carrots, peeled and julienned into thick, french fry-like slices
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and julienned into thick, french fry-like slices
2 small butternut squashes, peeled, seeded and julienned into thick, french fry-like slices
4 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp. fresh, chopped parsley
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees fahrenheit. Spread out all the vegetables in a single layer on a greased cookie sheet and drizzle on olive oil evenly. Then salt and pepper generously. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are fork tender. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley. Serves 4-6.
Baked Sweet Potato and Pecan Soup
4 lbs sweet potatoes, quartered
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
1 small red onion, chopped coarsely into large squares
5 cups chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 cup of pecans, soaked for a few hours in water
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Place sweet potatoes and onions on an oiled cookie sheet and bake for up to an hour, until the sweet potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat and let vegetables cool slightly.
Bring chicken broth to boil in a large saucepan. Add salt and pepper to taste, stirring frequently. Boil about 1 minute, then remove from heat and allow to cool.
Use a blender to blend the chicken broth, sweet potatoes, red onions, ginger, and pecans until smooth. Return to the saucepan and allow to simmer for up to 20 minutes on very low heat, stirring frequently.
Spoon soup into bowls and serve immediately. Serves 4-6.
My Favorite Baked Sweet Potato Fries
4 large sweet potatoes
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper
½ tsp. cayenne pepper
½ tsp. paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
½ tsp. cinnamon
nonstick cooking spray
Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Scrub and peel sweet potatoes. Slice lengthwise, in half, and then slice into fries. Spray cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray, and spread the fries out onto the cookie sheet in a single layer. Use a second cookie sheet if necessary.
In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil and spices. Drizzle the oil mixture onto the potatoes, and then spray very lightly with cooking spray. Bake for 15-20 minutes.
