Healthy Ground Turkey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Tahini

Ground turkey stuffed sweet potatoes with tahini sauce manage to wrap some incredible flavors into one tasty little package. It’s an easy recipe that makes a perfect weeknight meal and stores well to make ahead of time for meal prep. This healthy, low carb and gluten-free recipe just might become a new family favorite.

There’s something wonderful about the combination of tahini and sweet potatoes.

I find the balance of bitter and sweet tastes to be nothing but pleasure for the palate.

And when you throw a flavorful ground turkey stuffing into the mix, you’ve got yourself a tasty, healthy meal that is perfect for busy weeknights.

The process is seductively simple: roast the sweet potatoes, brown the ground turkey, whip up the tahini sauce, then stuff it all together.

Boom.

I lovingly refer to these as TNT (Turkey N’ Tahini) Sweet Potatoes…because they’re dyn-o-mite.

Ingredients and Equipment

For this recipe you’ll need:

• Sweet potatoes – you’ll need 4 large sweet potatoes. When it comes to stuffing sweet potatoes, the bigger, the better.
• Ground turkey – I recommend using 93% lean ground turkey for this recipe.
• Tahini – If you’ve never cooked with it before, tahini is just a paste made from ground sesame seeds. You can usually find it in the Mediterranean or Middle Eastern section of most grocery stores.
• Yellow onion – red onion would also work just fine.
• Garlic– you’ll need some fresh garlic cloves for both the turkey mixture and the tahini sauce. I really wouldn’t recommend garlic powder (especially for the sauce) because fresh garlic plays an important part in the flavor.
• Fresh lemon juice
• Ghee – I love the buttery flavor ghee adds to the turkey mixture, but you can also substitute with extra virgin olive oil.
• Ground Cumin
• Ground Cinnamon
• Ground Coriander
• Ground Turmeric
• Fresh Parsley
• Sesame Seeds – these are used for garnish and are totally optional.
• Sea salt or Kosher salt
• Black pepper

For equipment you’ll just need a sharp knife, a cutting board, a large skillet and an oven.

How to Make Ground Turkey Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

1. Roast the sweet potatoes

Start by rinsing and scrubbing the sweet potatoes, then dry them extremely well using a cloth or paper towels.

Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork all over and rub them down with a small amount of ghee or olive oil.

Roast the sweet potatoes in a preheated 400°F oven directly on a rack in the middle position for 50-60 minutes until they are very tender. A knife should be able to pierce them all the way through to the center with no resistance.

Hot Tip: throw a piece of aluminum foil on the rack underneath the sweet potatoes catch any drippings.

2. Cook the ground turkey mixture

While the sweet potatoes are roasting, heat a tablespoon of ghee in a large skillet over medium high heat.

Add the chopped onion and sauté until it is tender and translucent, about 7-8 minutes.´

Add one pound of ground turkey to the skillet along with some minced garlic, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, salt, and pepper.

Cook until the turkey is nicely browned and no longer pink.

Remove the skillet from heat and set it aside.

3. Make the Tahini Sauce

For the tahini sauce, whisk together 1/4 cup of tahini paste with a minced garlic clove, lemon juice, and salt in a small bowl.

Then, slowly pour in a bout 1/3 cup of warm water into the bowl while constantly whisking.

If the sauce is too thick, just add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time, until you get your desired consistency.

4. Stuff and Enjoy!

Once the potatoes are done roasting, carefully cut them open lengthwise and stuff them with the turkey mixture.

Drizzle a healthy amount of the tahini sauce on top of the now loaded sweet potatoes and garnish with some chopped fresh parsley and sesame seeds.

Serving Suggestions

• For a complete meal, serve the stuffed sweet potatoes with a big pile of fresh greens tossed in a light vinaigrette. I prefer to use baby spinach or arugula.
• Place a fried egg on top for an added protein boost.
• Some roasted broccoli or cauliflower rice would also make great sides.

Recipe Tips and Variations

Try substituting lean ground beef or ground chicken for the ground turkey.

Change up the garnish toppings — fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, or a dash of hot sauce would all work well.

You might have some leftover turkey mixture based on the size of your sweet potatoes. This is okay. I usually just throw any leftover turkey on top of some salad greens for a super quick meal.

Storage and Reheating

Store the stuffed sweet potatoes and the tahini sauce separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

To reheat, wrap the sweet potatoes in aluminum foil and warm them in a preheated 350°F oven for 20-25 minutes until heated through.

Allow the tahini sauce to come to room temperature, then drizzle on top of the warmed potatoes before serving.

More Sweet Potato Recipes

• Roasted Celery and Sweet Potato Salad
• Ground Bison and Sweet Potato Skillet
• Sweet Potato Hash with Bacon and Pineapple

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