Baked Sweet Potatoes With Creamy Spinach Ricotta (Print Version)

Tender baked sweet potatoes filled with creamy ricotta and spinach for a satisfying vegetarian meal.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 4 medium sweet potatoes
02 - 6 cups fresh spinach, washed and trimmed
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced

→ Cheese & Dairy

04 - 9 ounces ricotta cheese
05 - 1.5 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
06 - 2 tablespoons milk
07 - 1 tablespoon olive oil

→ Seasonings

08 - Salt, to taste
09 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 - Pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)

→ Garnish

11 - Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

# How-To:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Scrub sweet potatoes thoroughly and pierce each several times with a fork to allow steam to escape during baking.
02 - Arrange sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined baking tray. Bake for 45-50 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife.
03 - While potatoes bake, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic and sauté until fragrant, approximately 30 seconds.
04 - Add spinach to the skillet and stir constantly until wilted, 2-3 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg if using. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
05 - In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, sautéed spinach, Parmesan, and milk. Stir until creamy and thoroughly blended. Adjust seasoning as needed.
06 - Once baked, let sweet potatoes cool for 5 minutes. Make a lengthwise slit down the center of each potato without cutting completely through. Gently fluff the interior flesh with a fork.
07 - Divide the spinach ricotta filling evenly among the potatoes. Return to oven for 5 minutes if desired to heat through. Garnish with chopped parsley and serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The natural sweetness of roasted potatoes plays beautifully against savory ricotta and earthy spinach
  • Everything comes together in about an hour with mostly hands-off baking time
  • These reheat incredibly well for lunch the next day, if they last that long
02 -
  • Don't skip piercing the potatoes before baking, I learned this the hard way when one exploded in my oven
  • Let the spinach cool slightly before mixing with ricotta, otherwise the cheese can separate and get grainy
  • The filling makes enough to generously stuff four potatoes, but if you prefer lighter portions you might have some left over
03 -
  • Choose sweet potatoes that are similar in size so they finish baking at the same time
  • For extra protein, stir a cup of cooked lentils or chickpeas into the ricotta mixture

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