Cheesy Kale Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Havarti and Garlic

These easy Cheesy Kale Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are a tasty way to pile on the veggies!

It’s no secret that I’ve been on a sweet potato stuffing spree.

Some days I’ll keep things super simple with fresh arugula and crumbled feta, while other days I’ll go all out with a DIY taco-bar of toppings. More often than not, I simply scrounge for last night’s leftovers and stuff them into a sweet potato. Can’t go wrong there!

My recent creation involves the leftover chopped kale from this recipe with the creamy havarti cheese from my bacon broccoli spaghetti squash recipe. A quick scan of my fridge revealed a small carton of heavy cream, which I couldn’t resist turning into a luscious creamed kale. Add a little bacon and garlic for good measure and voila! Lunch!

Cheesy Kale Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Havarti and Garlic

Though I made mine a meal, you can absolutely serve these kale spiked sweet potatoes as a side dish to pair with your favorite protein. A little swap of the bacon will also make these vegetarian to boot!

Ready to cream some kale?

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Cheesy Kale Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Havarti and Garlic

These easy Cheesy Kale Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are a tasty way to pile on the veggies!

5 from 6 votes

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Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Cheesy Kale Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 3 servings

Author: Jenn Laughlin - Peas and Crayons

Ingredients

• 3 small-medium sweet potatoes
• olive oil and sea salt for crispy potato prep (optional)
• 2.5 oz kale
• 2 cloves garlic (smashed and minced)
• drizzle of your favorite healthy oil or butter for sautéing
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup havarti cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 slices crispy cooked bacon for topping

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Instructions

• Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F
• Pierce your potatoes a few times with a fork and place on a foil lined baking sheet.
• For extra crispy skins, rub with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.
• Bake 45-60 minutes until tender.
• Once your potatoes are done baking, allow to cool slightly and slice vertically.
• Now let's cream some kale!
• Remove the middle stem from each leaf and wash thoroughly. Chop into small pieces.
• For bright green and super tender kale, we're going to blanch it before creaming. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and add your kale until bright green and tender, approx. 5-10 minutes.
• Rince with cold water in a colander and set aside.
• Return the same pot to your burner over medium-high heat with a drizzle of oil or butter.
• Add your garlic and sauté until fragrant, approx. 1-2 min.
• Add cream and 90% of the kale and keep heat at a simmer.
• Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Cook until cream begins to reduce and thicken.
• Stir in your cheese and add any additional seasoning to taste, if desired.
• Garnish with crumbled cooked bacon and extra chopped kale.
• For a kick, add a sprinkle of crushed red pepper flakes!

Notes

Short on time? Skip baking in favor of microwaving. Pierce with a fork and cook on high for 7-8 minutes. Depending on size, yours may be done quicker or require an extra minute or two.

To make these potatoes extra cheesy, use havarti or any other creamy, melty cheese of your choosing. Gouda or a Mozzarella-Parmesan combo, for example. For a more traditional creamed kale, feel free to use parmesan cheese instead! It won't look like the photos but will still be super tasty!

Nutrition Facts below are estimated using an online recipe nutrition calculator. Adjust as needed and enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 341kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Cholesterol: 68mg, Sodium: 230mg, Potassium: 613mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 21448IU, Vitamin C: 32mg, Calcium: 132mg, Iron: 1mg

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substitutions and such

brontosaurus chefs: Bacon bits or tempeh bacon make a fanastic sub for the bacon I topped my sweet potatoes with, though you can also skip it entirely! Sautéed mushrooms and/or onion would also make a tasty addition to these stuffed spuds.

vegansaurus chefs: Fret not! You can easily veganize the creamed kale portion of this recipe. Whole Foods Market has a pretty tasty looking vegan creamed kale recipe on their website if you want to check it out! As for the bacon, skip entirely or use your favorite vegan-friendly swap. I’m a huge fan of making wild mushroom “bacon” for salads lately – so good!

t-rex chefs: Pair these sassy spuds with your favorite protein dish if you’d like or even add some shredded chicken to the potatoes themselves!

spin it!

You can absolutely, positively sub spinach for the kale here or use your favorite creamed spinach recipe. As a crazy awesome love your leftovers swap you could even use leftover spinach dip here – HOLY YUM!

hungry for more?

• Cheesy Garlic Parmesan Spinach Spaghetti Squash
• Easy Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
• Cranberry Kale Quinoa Salad with Candied Pecans and Feta
• Chopped Greek Kale Salad
• Slow Cooker Carrot Butternut Soup