Italian Sausage Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
If you’re searching for a hearty, flavorful, and healthy meal that’s easy to prepare, look no further than these sausage stuffed sweet potatoes! Packed with savory Italian sausage, sweet apple, and melty mozzarella cheese, this dish is an easy weeknight dinner bursting with fall flavor.
Erica’s Thoughts
This is one of those meals borne from not having a whole lot to work with. The key ingredients here are produce items that are slightly more ‘shelf-stable’- which means I almost always have them on hand because they last longer! Sweet potatoes are one of my favorite versatile ingredients- they’re a wonderful vehicle for all sorts of fillings plus they are a veritable gold mine of nutrients like beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and fiber.
My go-to meal in college was a baked sweet potato (and by baked I mean popped in the microwave for five minutes) with black beans, a fried egg and piece of pepperjack cheese. It was super good. But also kinda random. This version is a little more cohesive with lots of sweet and savory flavors. And although it does take a bit to bake the sweet potatoes, this dinner is so easy and utilizes just a handful of simple ingredients. I can’t say my whole family loved this one (ahem, picky 4-year-old) BUT my husband, 3-year-old and I thoroughly enjoyed every bite!
What You’ll Need to Make Sausage Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes: sweet potatoes are the star of this recipe, providing a naturally sweet base for the savory filling.
Seasonings: olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper are all you’ll need for baking the sweet potatoes and sautéing the filling.
Italian sausage: you can use mild or spicy Italian sausage, turkey sausage or chicken sausage. Or if you have a vegetarian sausage alternative you enjoy, use that!
Sweet onion: sweet onion adds subtle sweetness and flavor.
Apple: if you think an apple sounds weird here, think again! Apple and sweet potato is a match made in heaven.
Sage: fresh sage leaves are the perfect complement to the onion, sausage and apple. You can find it with the other fresh herbs in the produce section of the grocery store.
White wine: a splash of wine deglazes the pan and adds a wonderful depth of flavor. It’s not mandatory so don’t worry if you don’t have it.
Mozzarella cheese: mozzarella is a mild cheese that melts beautifully. I recommend the low-moisture mozzarella that you can grate.
Finishing touches: garnish with fresh parsley, parmesan cheese and a drizzle of balsamic glaze! You can find balsamic glaze in the oil and vinegar aisle at any grocery store.
How to Make Sausage Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Roast the Sweet Potatoes
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Prick the sweet potatoes with a fork, then rub them all over with olive oil. Season with a little bit of salt and pepper. Place potatoes in a large casserole dish or foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until they’re tender.
Prepare the Filling
Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the Italian sausage until browned, then transfer it to a paper towel-lined plate. In the same skillet, sauté the onion until translucent, about 1-2 minutes. Add the apple, sage, salt, and pepper, and sauté for 5-7 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Return the sausage to the skillet and deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine, scraping up the browned bits. Let the mixture simmer for a minute.
Stuff and Bake
Slice the roasted sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, keeping them in the baking dish. Divide the sausage mixture between all of the sweet potato halves and sprinkle with grated mozzarella cheese. Return the sweet potatoes to the oven for a few minutes, until the cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of balsamic glaze. Serve warm and enjoy!
Expert Tips and Variation Ideas
- You can totally eat the sweet potato skin! Make sure to wash the potatoes well before seasoning.
- Cut the onion and apple in small, uniform pieces so everything cooks evenly.
- If you like heat, use spicy sausage and/or add a pinch of red pepper flakes.
- Feel free to add more veggies to the filling- red pepper, zucchini and kale would work great here. I also think dried cranberries would be yummy!
- I went with balsamic glaze but this harissa aioli or chipotle sauce would be so good drizzled on these sweet potatoes.
FAQs
Yes! Just adjust the roasting time accordingly, as larger potatoes may take longer to become tender.
I was shook by how perfect these are for meal prep. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. When you’re ready to eat, pop a potato in the microwave or air fryer to warm it up, perfect for a quick lunch!
Chicken broth, vegetable broth, or even water will work as substitutes for deglazing the pan. But honestly, if you don’t have white wine, I’d probably just skip this step.
Use a vegetarian sausage alternative, the Beyond breakfast sausage or Impossible sausage are good options.
You can, but sausage has a lot more flavor, so I’d probably add a few cloves garlic, a teaspoon of Italian seasoning, fennel seeds and another glug of olive oil to make up for the missing flavor.
She GORG right!? Can’t wait for y’all to make this one!
If you try and like this recipe please don’t forget to leave a comment and star rating down below! If you love more lifestyle, behind the scenes and ‘eating in real life’ type of content come find me over on Instagram, @itsaflavorfullife, I love connecting with you all there!
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Italian Sausage Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Recipe
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 5 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Roast + Sauté
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
Wholesome, fall-inspired sausage stuffed sweet potatoes are great for an easy dinner or meal prep lunch!
Ingredients
- 5–6 small sweet potatoes
- olive oil, salt, pepper
- 1 lb Italian sausage (chicken, pork or turkey)
- 1 sweet onion, diced
- 1 small apple, diced
- 6 sage leaves, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- splash of white wine
- 2–3oz mozzarella cheese, grated
- balsamic glaze, fresh parsley
Instructions
- Sweet potatoes part one: Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Prick sweet potatoes with a fork and rub all over with olive oil, salt and pepper and place in a 13×9 baking dish or lined sheet pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes until tender.
- Sauté the filling mixture: Add a swish of olive oil to a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the Italian sausage until browned, remove to a paper towel-lined plate, leaving just a little grease behind. If there isn’t much grease, add a bit of olive oil. Add the onion and sauté two minutes, until translucent. Add the apple, sage, salt and pepper and continue sautéing until everything is softened and fragrant, about 5-7 minutes. Return sausage to the mixture and deglaze the pan with a big splash of white wine, scraping up all the flavorful browned bits. If you don’t have wine on hand you could use chicken broth or water, or simply skip this step.
- Sweet potatoes part two: Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, cutting almost all the way through but leaving peel connected. Use a butter knife or fork to slightly mash or break up the sweet potato flesh. Add a big scoop of filling to each potato and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Return to the oven for a few minutes until the cheese is melted.
- You’re done! Garnish with fresh parsley and/or balsamic glaze!
Notes
Refer to above blog post for answers to frequently asked questions and process photos.
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Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 sweet potato
- Calories: 417
- Sugar: 10.2 g
- Sodium: 333.4 mg
- Fat: 22.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 33.1 g
- Fiber: 5.2 g
- Protein: 21.3 g
- Cholesterol: 67.5 mg
I loved the flavors in this! Added kale and subbed rubbed sage I had in my pantry for the fresh! I found myself a little hungry later though – would there be a good way to add more protein?
Hmmm maybe just extra filling per potato? I feel like a dollop of plain Greek yogurt would be yummy too.
These turned out good! I prepped the sweet potatoes in a crockpot while I was at work to speed up dinner prep time. I enjoyed the sweetness of the apples that complemented the savory sausage and onions. Thanks for what you do. I often look to you for dinner inspiration!
I made these on a cold spring day and they were the perfect comfort food for rain and a chill in the air. The sweet potato gets such good flavor in the slow roasting and helps absorb the heaviness of the sausage. These will come back around in October for sure!
Woohoo! Love to hear it Shanea!
This was SO flavorful! I used chorizo since that’s the only thing available at my store today. The apples and onions together.. genius!! This was a hit and will be in the fall rotation for sure.
Woot woot! Glad you loved it Melissa!
These were SO good! I used Jennie-O sweet Italian turkey sausage (take it out of its casing and then cook it just like ground sausage), and TJ’s Unexpected Cheddar on top. I also cut the cooking time of the sweet potatoes down by cutting them in half lengthwise and cooking them flesh side down with a touch of olive oil for about 30 minutes at 425. They get a nice bit of caramelization to them that way too. We all felt it needed a side dish or something else a little hearty to go with it if it’s going to be the main dish, so I’ll probably add a salad and some bread next time around. And there will be a next time!
Love the idea of pairing this with a green salad and bread! also great tip on cutting in half for that yummy caramelization!
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a huge hit! A perfect dish for fall, and so easy to make. The only change I did was that I used turkey sausage, and it came out great. Will definitely be making this again. I’m already looking forward to the leftovers for tomorrow. Thanks for the great recipe Erica!