• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to header navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

Small book

My cookbook "Dinner" now available!

  • My RecipeTin
  • My cookbook!
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Christmas ⭐️
      • Starters
      • Mains
      • Sides: Warm & Hearty
      • Sides: Light & Fresh
      • Desserts
      • Breads
      • Christmas Leftovers
    • Iconic + cult classics
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish recipes
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Salads & veg
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice (all)
      • Fried rice recipes
      • Rice (plain)
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cakes
      • Candy
      • Cheesecakes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
      • Ice cream
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
    • Cookbook recipes
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Veg and Salad Sides Sweet Potato

Holiday Stuffed Sweet Potato – with bacon, pecans & sage

By:Nagi
Published:22 Nov '23Updated:23 Nov '23
44 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Stuffed sweet potato with holiday vibes! Baked sweet potatoes stuffed with crispy bacon, toasty pecans and swirls of browned butter, with melty cheese and a crunchy sage-panko topping. A swoon-worthy combination of flavours and texture.

Freshly baked Holiday stuffed sweet potatoes

Stuffed Baked Sweet Potato Casserole

This is a riff on my sweet potato casserole, baked in individual sweet potato boats rather than one big casserole pan. The scooped out flesh of baked sweet potatoes are mashed with all sorts of holiday-flavour-goodness (specifically browned butter, pecans and bacon, an utterly divine combination with sweet potato), stuffed back into the potato boats, baked with melty cheese then finished with a shower of crunchy sage-bacon-flavoured-panko breadcrumbs.

PHEW that’s a long sentence!!!

No, it’s not a quick Monday-night side dish slapped together in a rush. This is a starchy side that commands attention, that’s indulgent and lush and made for special occasions. The flavour combination of sweet-salty-nutty-buttery and the crunchy topping with the creamy insides is just unbelievably good.

Bonus: Assemble ahead then bake on the day!

Inside of Holiday stuffed sweet potatoes

Ingredients

Sweet potatoes

I’m using 300g/10oz sweet potatoes which, once halved, makes a nice size portion as a side dish for one person, If your potatoes are larger or smaller, that’s fine. There’s enough topping / filling for around 1.2kg / 2.4lb sweet potato, whether it’s 6 smaller ones or 3 larger ones.

This recipe will also work with regular potatoes. But the flavour combination here has been specifically designed for sweet potatoes. Try my regular Twice Baked Stuffed Potatoes instead – though there’s nothing regular about how delicious that recipe is!!

Add-ins and crunchy sage-panko topping

Here’s what you need to mix into the filling and for the crunchy topping.

  • Unsalted butter – We’re using this to make browned butter today. More intensely buttery with warm nutty flavours. The better butter!

  • Bacon – Chopped then fried up until crispy and golden, we use the fat to pan fry the panko until golden. No wasting free flavour!

  • Colby cheese – This is my all-rounder go-to cheese with good melting qualities and flavour without going greasy. Feel free to substitute with other cheese of choice – cheddar, tasty, Monterey jack, gruyere, swiss cheese. If using mozzarella, I’d mix in 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese for a flavour / salt boost.

  • Spices – Garlic, onion powder and paprika.

  • Panko breadcrumbs – For the toppings! Larger and crunchier than ordinary breadcrumbs, find it in the Asian aisle of regular grocery stores (though cheaper at Asian stores!).

  • Fresh sage – This is my herb of choice for this holiday-inspired side dish. The earthy flavour is sheer perfection with the buttery sweet potato. If you’re cooking for a special occasion, I think it’s worth getting. But if you don’t have it, you can substitute with rosemary for another herb that will work well with the other flavours in this dish. Otherwise, just use parsley so you get similar green specks (don’t worry, there is plenty of other flavour going on in this dish!).


How to make Stuffed Sweet Potato Casserole

In a nutshell, the flesh of baked potatoes are mashed up with the tasty add ins, re-stuffed back into the potato then baked with cheese and a crunchy topping.

  1. Bake – Prick the skin with a fork to allow excess juice to leak out (this prevents skin burstage). Then bake the potatoes in a 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan forced) oven for 75 minutes or until soft. Check with a butter knife, not a sharp knife (too sharp so it glides through even if not properly cooked, made this mistake!).

  2. Scoop – Let it cool for 10 minutes just so you can handle it. Then cut in half and scoop the flesh out, using a tea towel to hold the potato if needed.

  1. Filling – Mash the flesh up with all the filling add-ins (see below for steps for each) – the browned butter, crispy bacon bits, chopped pecans, spices and cheese. Reserve half the bacon, pecans and cheese for topping.

  2. Stuff the potato with the filling then top with the remaining cheese,

  1. Bake for 25 minutes until the cheese is melty and there’s golden spots.

  2. Top with the reserved bacon, pecans and golden panko mixture (see below). Bake for a further 3 to 4 minutes just to warm the crunchy topping then serve!

Tray of Holiday stuffed sweet potatoes

Add-ins and panko topping

Prepare the panko topping and add-ins to mix into the filling while the potatoes are baking.

  1. Browned butter – Just melt then simmer the butter until you see golden bits and it smells nutty and intensely buttery. Ideally, use a silver saucepan or small pan so you can see the golden bits. Otherwise, use a spoon to scoop up the butter to check.

  2. Toast pecans – Using a non-stick pan, toast the pecans for 3 minutes in a dry pan until it you see golden spots. Then transfer to a cutting board and chop once cool,

  1. Crispy bacon – In the same pan, fry the bacon until crispy and golden. If using streaky bacon, you won’t need extra oil because the fat in the bacon will melt. Then remove the bacon using a slotted spoon so the fat in the pan gets left behind – we’re not wasting a drop of it!

  2. Crunchy panko – Add the panko, sage and salt. Then cook for a few minutes in the bacon fat until the panko is golden.

Toppings, done! Use as per directions in the section above.

Close up photo of Holiday stuffed sweet potatoes

Serving and making ahead

We (JB and I) created this recipe with upcoming holiday gatherings in mind. As in, a starchy side dish intended to make an impact on your guests for those extra special dinners.

Does it take more effort than a regular baked potato? It sure does. Does it take more effort than making one big pan of Sweet Potato Casserole? Yes, because we’re assembling multiple ones rather than dumping everything into one big pan.

Is it worth the effort? Yes, a million times over. As someone in my team said, you feel sad when you finish the last bite because you never want the eating experience to end.

But don’t worry. Steal the last one left for yourself. Hide it. No need to share! #HolidaySpirit 😈 – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Freshly baked Holiday stuffed sweet potatoes

Holiday Stuffed Sweet Potato

Author: Nagi
Prep: 30 minutes mins
Cook: 1 hour hr 45 minutes mins
Sides
Western, Western – Holiday Sides
5 from 10 votes
Servings8 halves
Tap or hover to scale
Print
Recipe video above. Stuffed sweet potato made for holiday feasting! Twice baked sweet potatoes stuffed with crispy bacon, toasty pecans and swirls of browned butter with melty cheese, and a crunchy sage-panko topping. A swoon-worthy combination of flavours and texture, this is the individual servings version of my sweet potato casserole.
Excellent special occasion starchy-side dish with holiday flavour vibes. Get ahead by assembling then baking on the day!

Ingredients

  • 4 x 300g / 10oz sweet potatoes , skin on, washed and dried
  • 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
  • 4 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 5 tbsp pecan nuts (Note 2)
  • 200g / 7 oz streaky bacon , chopped (Note 5 to omit)
  • 1 1/2 cups colby cheese , shredded (Note 3)
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp onion powder
  • 1/4 tsp paprika

Panko topping:

  • 1/4 tsp cooking / kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp sage leaves , finely chopped (Note 4)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F (180°C fan forced).
  • Bake – Prick the skin of the potatoes 15 times with a fork. Place on a foil lined baking tray and bake for 75 minutes or until soft all the way through (check with a butter knife).
  • Scoop – Once potatoes cooked, allow to cool for 10 minutes just to handle. Cut in half lengthwise then scoop out the flesh, leaving a 0.5cm (0.2") wall (use a tea towel if hot). Place flesh in a bowl.
  • Stuffing (*see below for prepping components*)- Mash the potatoes with a fork. Then add the browned butter, 1/2 tsp salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder and paprika. The add half of each the pecans, bacon and cheese (rest reserved for toppings). Stir until combined.
  • Stuff – Place halved sweet potato back on a paper lined baking tray and stuff them equally with filling. Sprinkle with leftover cheese and bake for 25 minutes until cheese is melted.
  • Crunchy topping – Top with reserved pecans, bacon and panko mixture. Bake for another 3 to 4 minutes
  • Rest for 5 minutes then serve!

Stuffing & topping components

  • Prepare these while the potatoes are baking.
  • Browned butter – Melt the butter in a small silver pan or saucepan over medium heat. Leave to simmer on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring every now and then, until (when you push foam aside) you see little golden-brown bits and it smells nutty. Immediately pour into a small bowl (including the golden bits) and set aside.
  • Toast pecans – Heat a non-stick pan over medium high heat. Add pecans and toast for 2 to 3 minutes until they have golden spots. Transfer to cutting board, cool then finely chop.
  • Crispy bacon – Add bacon into the same pan over medium heat. When the fat starts to melt, turn the heat up to medium high and cook until golden (4 to 5 minutes). Scoop out bacon with a slotted spoon and place into a small bowl. Leave leftover fat in the pan.
  • Golden panko – Still on medium high, add the Panko topping ingredients. Stir until golden, around 2 minutes, then scrape into a bowl.

Recipe Notes:

1. Sweet potato – If your potatoes are larger or smaller, that’s fine. There’s enough topping / filling for around 1.2kg / 2.4lb sweet potato.
2. Nuts – sub almonds, walnuts, macadamia or other of choice.
3. Cheese alternatives – sub cheddar, tasty, gruyere, Monterey jack, gruyere, swiss cheese. If using mozzarella, I’d mix in 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese for a flavour / salt boost.
4. Sage works so well with the flavours in this dish (fresh, not dried). Rosemary is my back up herb here. Fallback – just use parsley for the green specks in the topping!
5. To leave out bacon – it will still be great without because there’s so many other flavours going on here. If you really want to compensate, then add 1/4 cup parmesan into the filling and 2 tbsp into the Panko mixture. It will take the place of the flavour and salt punch you get from bacon! 
6. Assemble ahead – The potatoes can be cooked and stuffed, then baked the next day. Leftovers will keep for 4 days though there’s nothing like freshly baked!
Nutrition per serving.
Keywords: baked sweet potato, holiday sweet potato side, stuffed sweet potato, sweet potato recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

More statement starchy sides

Potatoes au gratin (Dauphinoise Potatoes) fresh out of the oven
Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)
Overhead photo of Sweet Potato Bake( side dish)
Spiral Sweet Potato Bake
Tray of Stuffed Baked Potatoes (Twice Baked Potatoes) fresh out of the oven
Twice Baked Potatoes (Stuffed Jacket Potatoes)
Close up photo of Mini Potato Dauphinoise - Gratin Stacks
Cheesy Mini Potato Gratin Stacks (Muffin Tin)
These Roasted Sweet Potato Stacks have crispy edges, are buttery, salty and sweet with a hint of rosemary. Terrific Sweet Potato side dish! recipetineats.com
Roasted Sweet Potato Stacks
Making Fondant potatoes
Fondant potatoes
Hot Mashed Potato in a bowl, ready to be served
Potato Recipes

Life of Dozer

A duck must’ve pooped there.

Previous Post
Thai Turmeric Chicken
Next Post
2023 Holiday Gift Guide

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Roasted sweet potato steaks on a plate with whipped tahini yogurt sauce

Sweet potato steaks

Devour Maple Sweet Potato Salad with Tamarind Dressing from RecipeTin Eats "Dinner" cookbook by Nagi Maehashi

Devour – Maple Sweet Potato Salad With Tamarind Dressing

Overhead photo of Sweet Potato Bake( side dish)

Spiral Sweet Potato Bake

More Sweet Potato

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




44 Comments

  1. Joyce says

    November 22, 2023 at 5:10 pm

    Wonder about making these for a vegetarian? Will have 5 fine with bacon — and 1 who is not.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 22, 2023 at 8:42 pm

      Hi Joyce! Just leave out the bacon, it will still be great without. If you really want to compensate, then add 1/4 cup parmesan into the filling and 2 tbsp into the Panko mixture. It will take the place of the flavour and salt punch you get from bacon! N x

      Reply
      • Susanna says

        November 23, 2023 at 3:17 am

        5 stars
        Hi Nagi,
        First of all, I have to say that I love your recipes, cookbook, Dozer and your personality!
        I can’t wait to make this. I recently made your Roasted Pumpkin Maple Chile dish with yams, and it was over the top YUM! My thought was maybe your reply to this comment about omitting the bacon and adding the Parm would be helpful if it was added to the note section. Just a suggestion. Happy Holidays to you and yours!!!

        Reply
        • Nagi says

          November 23, 2023 at 3:44 pm

          Ah yes! Thanks Susanna, let me pop it in now. So glad you enjoyed the maple pumpkin!! N x

          Reply
  2. Deborah says

    November 22, 2023 at 4:44 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my gosh these look so good! Going to make these for Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving, Nagi!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 22, 2023 at 8:43 pm

      Hope you do Deborah! We created this especially for Thanksgiving 🙂 N x

      Reply
  3. universa ruggiero says

    November 22, 2023 at 4:34 pm

    just wondering how many carbs per serve.

    Reply
    • Chrissie L Smith says

      November 26, 2023 at 4:26 pm

      5 stars
      Any suggestions for sides to go with this dish?

      Reply
Newer Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On
  • Goodfood
  • Food Network
  • Better Homes Gardens
  • Taste
  • Nine
  • Network 10
  • BuzzFeed
  • Daily Telegraph
  • Women's Day

Never miss a recipe!

Subscribe to my newsletter and receive 3 FREE ebooks!

Subscribe
Recipes
  • All Recipes
  • By Category
  • Collections
About
  • About Nagi
  • About Dozer
  • RecipeTin Meals
Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Central
Help
  • Contact
  • Image Use Policy
© RecipeTin Eats 2023
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits
Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
All Rights Reserved

Subscribe to my newsletter

Sign up and receive 3 FREE EBOOKS!