These stuffed sweet potatoes with quinoa and spinach make a delicious and colorful entree or side dish. Sweet potatoes are roasted until soft and tender and then topped with a flavorful mixture of quinoa, spinach, cranberries, pecans and feta cheese.
I’ve been experimenting with different baked sweet potato recipes lately and this recipe for stuffed sweet potatoes with quinoa and spinach has been my favorite.
It is flavorful, healthy and colorful. A savory stuffed sweet potato packed with healthy ingredients is the perfect fall dish.
How to make this recipe
- Bake your sweet potatoes until they are tender and soft. See tips below on the easiest way to bake a sweet potato.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, sauté the spinach in a large skillet or sauté pan and then add the cooked quinoa, cranberries, feta and pecans. Stir everything together to combine.
- When the sweet potatoes are done, add the spinach and quinoa mixture to the top of the roasted sweet potatoes creating a delicious stuffed sweet potato that is ready to eat.
Complete recipe instructions and a printable recipe card can be found below.
The easiest way to cook a sweet potato
- The easiest way to roast or bake a sweet potato is to cut it in half lengthwise instead of roasting it whole in the oven. I find it much easier to tell when the sweet potatoes are done this way – no more uncooked middle of the sweet potato. Also, the sweet potato cooks a lot faster when cut in half.
- Coat the sweet potatoes with a little olive oil and place the sweet potatoes face side down while they cook.
- Try to slice the sweet potatoes evenly in half length wise – so that they cook at the same rate.
- Use a fork to test for tenderness. It should be able to go in and pull out smoothly when the baked sweet potato is ready.
- Using this baking method you’ll no longer risk having an under cooked sweet potato.
This dish is high in fiber and carbohydrates and the quinoa and pecans give it a boost of protein.
I love stuffed sweet potatoes for dinner – they are a filling, flavorful and healthy meal. Adding the quinoa spinach mixture on top of the roasted sweet potato makes it feel like a proper meal.
This dish would make a great holiday side dish – especially if you have a vegetarian family member or friend coming for dinner. The veggies, quinoa and baked sweet potato make a filling meal.
If you’re looking for additional side dishes, here are a couple of choices:
- Green beans with parmesan and lemon butter sauce.
- Roasted new potatoes with parmesan and herbs.
- An easy potato gratin.
Tips and questions about making this recipe
- How to tell when baked sweet potatoes are ready? Cut the sweet potato in half length wise before baking. This speeds up the cooking time and also makes it easier to tell when done. Just poke with a fork or toothpick to see it it’s soft and fully cooked.
- Should I roast the sweet potatoes straight in the pan or on parchment paper? I like to use parchment paper or foil in the roasting pan or baking sheet for easy clean up.
- How long does it take to bake a sweet potato? Sweet potatoes vary on how long they take to roast depending on their size. So start checking the sweet potatoes for doneness around 30 minutes. They should be soft and cooked all the way through. If they still feel firm, cook for another 5 or 10 minutes.
- Can I use already made quinoa in this recipe? Yes! I make a big batch of quinoa each week and keep a bowl of it in the fridge to add to stir fries or salads. I used it in this recipe. By having pre-cooked quinoa on hand it makes this recipe even simpler and faster to make.
- What’s the best way to heat up leftovers? If you have left overs, you can heat it up in the microwave.
- Want to up the protein in this recipe? Add some chickpeas or black beans to the pan before you sauté the spinach. Or trying adding a dollop of Greek Yogurt to the dish before serving.
- Want to make a vegan version of this recipe? Omit the feta and cranberries and add some diced avocado.
If you’re looking for additional side dishes, here are a couple of choices:
- Green beans with parmesan and lemon butter sauce.
- Roasted new potatoes with parmesan and herbs.
- An easy potato gratin.
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, come back and let me know by leaving a comment below!
The nutritional information is generated from an online nutritional calculator. This information is provided as a courtesy only and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Ingredients can vary and Green Valley Kitchen makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information or calories listed.
PrintRoasted Sweet Potatoes Stuffed with Quinoa and Spinach
These stuffed sweet potatoes with quinoa and spinach make a delicious and colorful entree or side dish. Tender, healthy sweet potatoes are roasted and then topped with a flavorful mixture of quinoa, spinach, cranberries, pecans and feta cheese.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 40 mins
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Vegetarian
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 medium sized sweet potatoes
- 6 cups of baby spinach – roughly chopped
- 1 clove of garlic – minced
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa
- 1/4 cup of pecan pieces
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1 to 2 ounces of feta cheese – diced
- 6 twists of black pepper from a pepper mill
- A pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Slice sweet potatoes evenly in half length wise. Coat them with a little olive oil and place face down on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Roast sweet potatoes for 30 to 40 minutes until the sweet potatoes are tender and soft.
- I used pre-cooked quinoa that I had on hand. If you are making the quinoa, prepare 1/2 cup of dry quinoa as per the package instructions. I usually cook quinoa in vegetable broth or add a 1/2 a bouillon cube for extra flavor.
- While the sweet potatoes are roasting, add olive oil to a large sauté pan and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and half the spinach and cook until wilted and then add the rest of the spinach to the pan and cook until it’s wilted – about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir cooked quinoa, pecans, cranberries, black pepper and salt into spinach mixture.
- Gently toss feta into quinoa spinach mixture.
- When sweet potatoes are ready, remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Test for doneness – they should be soft and indent slightly when squeezed. If they are not done, put them back into the oven for an extra 5 or 10 minutes.
- Let the sweet potatoes cool slightly so they are easy to handle. With a small spoon, gently press down on the center of the sweet potatoes to create a small indentation that is the length of the sweet potato.
- Spoon quinoa and spinach mixture evenly over sweet potatoes and serve.
Notes
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, please come back and leave a message and rating for the recipe! Thank you!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 275
- Sugar: 9.1g
- Fat: 11.7g
- Saturated Fat: 2.6g
- Carbohydrates: 37.3g
- Fiber: 5.9g
- Protein: 7.5g
Rebecca
Great tip for cooking the sweet potatoes. So easy to cut them in half before you cook them. Recipe is easy to modify too! Didn’t have pecans on hand so I used sliced almonds. Didn’t have feta so I omitted the cheese altogether. My husband and girls put a bit of butter and honey on the sweet potato. Great weeknight dinner!
Geraldine
So glad you and your family enjoyed this recipe, Rebecca!
Cho
Hi. What vegan option can be used to substitute feta?
Geraldine
Hi Cho – you can omit the feta or try adding a vegan feta if you have a brand you like.
Remy
This was excellent! I also roasted a quartered onion along with my sweet potatoes, it was delicious 🙂
Geraldine
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Remy! Roasting an onion with the sweet potatoes is a great idea. Thanks for taking the time to leave a message and a star rating – I appreciate hearing from you!
Julia
I’ve been looking for different ways to start eating quinoa again (used to eat it all the time then completely went off it). So thank you, this recipe looks great 🙂
Julia // The Sunday Mode
Geraldine
Thanks, Julia – hope you enjoy it!
Jo
Geraldine! This was so easy and so delicious! Have made it several times already, and this Thanksgiving, it will be making an appearance instead of a sweet potato bake and potato casserole. This is so good as a left over! thanks for the delicious and good for us recipe!
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Jo! This will make a great addition to your Thanksgiving table. I really appreciate that you took the time to let me know you enjoyed it and left a rating! Happy Thanksgiving!!
Nat
This recipe is my favourite!! I have made it so many times and its always a winner!! Thank you so much for the recipe! I would love to try more of your collections:)
Geraldine
Thanks so much for letting me know, Nat – glad you enjoyed it!
Kate
So beautiful! Random question — can I ask where you bought the white and blue pan? I love it.
Geraldine
Hi Kate – I bought it on Amazon. I don’t remember the brand name but if you type in blue and white enamelware you should get some good options.
Jennifer
Delicious! I added half of a chopped onion, and some broccoli florets that needed to be used. I left out the feta since I took these for lunches, and it’s perfect! Very filling, but definitely healthy.
Geraldine
Hi Jennifer – thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed this recipe! Broccoli is a great addition!
Joanna
Love it! Easy to make and taste great!
Geraldine
Thanks so much for letting me know and leaving a rating, Joanna – So glad you enjoyed it!
Amanda
I love this recipe! I’ve made this a few times now for work lunches. It is good hot or cold. I like using jalapeño feta cheese, which provides a nice balance of heat and sweet.
Geraldine
Hi Amanda – thanks so much for letting me know. I really appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment! I haven’t heard of jalapeno feta – and I love feta – so I will definitely be on the look out for that at the market!
em
I used acorn squash instead of sweet potato and added some sautéd onion before the garlic and spinach. Not only was it delicious but also super easy to make and it looked beautiful! I would definitely make this again, especially for company!
Geraldine
So glad you enjoyed it, Em! Acorn squash sounds like a great idea – I’m going to have to remember that when I come up with recipes for next thanksgiving!
Lu Ann
LOVE LOVE LOVE this recipe.
Geraldine
YAY! Thanks so much, Lu Ann!
Sheila
This is a wonderful recipe, looks great, really easy to make, and is delicious.
Geraldine
This is a reader favorite – so glad you enjoyed it! And thanks for leaving a rating!
Regan
Is this refined sugar free? I am trying cut out refined sugar and this looks delicious
Geraldine
Hi Regan – I have not added any sugar to this dish. But please note that sweet potatoes have sugar in them – not refined sugar though. Hope you enjoy it if you make the recipe.
elise anderson
Are you using yams or sweet potatoes? The color in the photos would indicate that you are using yams.
Thanks.
Geraldine
Hi Elise – it’s funny but different parts of the country call sweet potatoes yams and yams sweet potatoes. In Los Angeles, the orange colored root vegetable I used in this recipe is sold as a sweet potato. Here’s a link about the difference between sweet potatoes and yams – http://www.ncsweetpotatoes.com/sweet-potatoes-101/difference-between-yam-and-sweet-potato/ Hope this is helpful.
Meredith
I made this recipe and it’s fantastic! I was curious about a calorie count if you happened to know per serving. Also I saw a taco stuffed sweet potato recipe on another site – would love to see a vegetarian take on this idea!
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Meredith – I’m glad you enjoyed it! I don’t currently have calorie/nutrition info on my site – it’s something that I am thinking of adding this year. The taco stuffed sweet potato sounds like a great idea – I’ll add it to my recipe testing list. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
Meredith
I don’t count calories – it was more out of curiosity. I ate a whole one as my dinner but it’s real food so I’m not too worried about it! Going to have to look thru your site for more recipes since this one was such a winner!
GiGi Eats
I really cant stop and WONT STOP eating sweet potatoes. I am so insanely obsessed, I might have a sickness! LOL! However…. Sweet Potatoes are filled with vitamins and minerals so… They should CURE this sickness?
Geraldine
Thanks, Gigi!
Emily
I have to say, roasted potatoes dish has never been on my list of foods to try to make (or eat, because I always think that it is too simple and has no taste special!). But, after reading your recipe, at least I can say that I want to try cook and eat it once, thank you for introducing!
Geraldine
Thanks, Emily – hope you try it – it was really good and filling.
Darci
These look delicious. I am curious if the cranberries referenced in the recipe are actually Craisins, or dried cranberries. It doesn’t appear from the pictures or time allotted for cooking that they are in fact cranberries.
Geraldine
Good question! I’ve updated the recipe to reflect dried cranberries. Thanks, Darci – hope you enjoy it.
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
I absolutely adore sweet potatoes, and I seriously can’t get enough of them during the fall. These look just heavenly, Geraldine! You packed these with ALLLL the yum! Love how healthy these are, but still BIG on flavor!! Fall dinner heaven going on here! Cheers!
Geraldine
Right, Cheyanne – sweet potatoes are the best. This has been one of my favorite recipes so far this fall – I’ve been making extra and bringing them to work – and ate one for breakfast too!