Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (Paleo)

When I meal prep, there is always some sort of southwestern inspired meal in the weekly food plan. You can never go wrong with anything that requires chili powder, cilantro, avocado, and sour cream (non-dairy if that’s your thing, like me).

Did you know that most potatoes labeled as yams are really sweet potatoes? A yam is actually a white, starchier potato with brown, bark-like skin. Probably not what you’re used to seeing!

Most sweet potatoes have orange skin and bright orange or red/orange flesh (what you’re probably used to seeing labeled as a yam). Most commonly they are orange, but they can also be purple or white.

I’ll spare you the boring details, but essentially eons ago there was an attempt to clarify the difference between root vegetables, and sweet potatoes were labeled as yams… failed attempt! So, what you are probably used to buying labeled as a yam is actually a sweet potato. Fun fact for the day… you’re welcome!

I have read there are upwards of 25 varieties of sweet potatoes; most of which you’ll probably never come across in your life. At most grocery stores you will find garnet, jewel, purple, and Hannah (white).

I recommend jewel yams/sweet potatoes for baking. These are typically shorter and fatter, which is perfect for a whole, baked sweet potato. Plus these are the ones you typically find at common grocery stores. However, any sweet potato works as long as they are a good shape for a baked potato (the more round the better).

These are such an easy weeknight meal! Making these are so simple.

Told you they were simple!

Sweet Potatoes – high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, and many other vitamins and minerals. They get their orange color from beta-carotene, which is an antioxidant. 

Sweet potatoes are typically grown with less pesticides than regular white potatoes, so conventional are okay to buy. I recommend organic if you can, but no need to be too concerned if you are buying non-organic sweet potatoes.

Ground beef – the “stuffing” is made up of mostly ground beef. In order to buy the cleanest/healthiest ground beef, look for 100% grass-fed or grass-finished ground beef. Luckily, this can be found at most grocery stores and is only marginally more expensive than conventional ground beef.

Yellow onion – onions are typically on the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) clean fifteen, so go ahead and buy conventional!

Canned tomatoes – when buying canned tomatoes, make sure you are reading the ingredient list. Most canned tomatoes contain unnatural preservatives, like calcium chloride, and could also contain added sugars. My go-to for canned tomatoes is Organico Bello. Their canned tomatoes contain JUST tomatoes! Plus they are organic and come in BPA-free cans.

You can find Organico Bello canned tomatoes at Whole Foods. But there are others that only contain tomatoes-just read the lable. And if you aren’t able to find any that only contain tomatoes, don’t sweat it!

Spices – simple, southwestern inspired spices are used to give the chili a well-rounded flavor!

To ensure you are getting the highest quality, best flavor, and purest form of the spices, I recommend organic. In addition, like most produce, herbs and spices are contaminated with chemicals, so best to keep those out of your kitchen as much as possible.

Go ahead and top these beauties with anything you’d like! My go-to toppings for these are:

-Cilantro

Vegan? No problem, replace the ground beef with some cooked quinoa and black beans.

Not paleo? Add some black beans to your ground beef.

Leftovers can easily be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store any leftover toppings separately so you can re-heat the potatoes and chili separate from the toppings.

To make it easier, you can store the potatoes and chili stuffing together and re-heat all together. They can be re-heated in the microwave or oven at 350 until heated (recommend slicing up potato prior to reheating to allow for even heating).

Easy Baked Chicken Fajita Bowls

Did you make this chili stuffed sweet potato recipe? Please let me know what you think! Leave a comment below, give me a star rating, and/or share a photo on Instagram or Facebook and mention @CleanPlateMama.

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