Baked Purple Sweet Potatoes with Cheesy White Beans

These Twice-Baked Purple Sweet Potatoes are loaded with a creamy combination of white beans, Parmesan, garlic, and rosemary for an easy meat-free dish in under one hour. It’s a recipe created for a loyal reader who asked for “more vegetables.”

So read on for all the info you could want about purple sweet potatoes and detailed tips and tricks for this recipe. Or just grab some purple sweet potatoes, hit that Jump to Recipe button, and let’s eat more vegetables!

a plate with a baked purple sweet potato loaded with white beans and asparagus.
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Ingredients

cut purple sweet potato, a whole purple sweet potato, and a knife.

Purple sweet potatoes

Many people get confused by sweet potatoes and yams. Traditionally we’ve only had sweet potatoes in the United States. Those things we call yams at Thanksgiving? They’re orange-fleshed sweet potatoes.

 

However… now that ube crinkle cookies and other ube baked goods are growing in popularity, you’ll see true yams. Because ube is a purple yam, not a purple sweet potato.

You can use purple-fleshed purple sweet potatoes (called Stokes purple sweet potatoes) or Japanese white-fleshed, purple sweet potatoes (called Satsumaimo) in this recipe. Figure a half to a full sweet potato per person, depending on the size of your sweet potato, the size of your person, and what else you are serving.

Want more purple sweet potato recipes? Try mashed purple sweet potatoes with bananas, purple sweet potato latkes, or a purple sweet potato sourdough.

Beans

While I am generally an advocate for making things from scratch, canned beans definitely hold a place in my dinner planning because of their ease and convenience. Please feel free to use dried beans in this recipe if you are thinking ahead!

Want other easy recipes using canned beans? Try a garbanzo bean soup, cheesy white bean tomato bake, falafel waffles, Southwestern black bean burgers, or these white bean and quinoa balls with raisins and pine nuts.

Please see the recipe card below for complete information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations and substitutions

  • Substitute any sweet potato if you can’t find purple sweet potatoes.
  • Use any white bean or garbanzo beans.
  • Sub out rosemary for any herb like thyme or oregano.
  • Feel free to omit the cheese or use a vegan cheese.

Recipe tips and tricks

This recipe was inspired by these loaded sweet potatoes with black beans and cheddar.

Step 1: Slice the sweet potatoes in half. Put the olive oil in the bottom of baking dish and rub it over the cut halves (both cut side and skin). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and put the sweet potatoes cut side down in the dish. Bake for about 45 minutes until you can pierce the flesh easily with a fork.

two purple sweet potato halves cut side down in a glass baking pan.

Step 2: Meanwhile, rinse and drain the beans and combine them in a small bowl with the grated Parmesan, garlic, and rosemary.

white beans, Parmesan, garlic, and rosemary in a mixing bowl.

Step 3: When the sweet potatoes have softened, flip them over so they are cut side up and top with the bean mixture. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until the beans have warmed and the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

What to serve with loaded baked sweet potatoes

Recipe FAQs

How do I pick the best purple sweet potatoes?

Look for purple sweet potatoes that are firm, smooth, and free from any spots of mold or sprouting.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Partially. You can do the initial bake of the sweet potatoes and make the filling and store it in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to eat, load the filling onto the partially baked purple sweet potatoes and heat.

What should I drink with baked purple sweet potatoes?

I would probably choose a Viognier or Sancerre that could keep up with the sweetness in the baked sweet potato and beans as well as the earthiness of the garlic and the rosemary. Or a dry martini always works.

Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-heart 💜💜💜💜💜 rating in the recipe card below. Let me know how much you loved it, or any problems you had, in the comments section further down.

Recipe

Baked Purple Sweet Potatoes with Cheesy White Beans

5 from 1 vote
Category: Main Course
Cuisine: Unspecified
Diet: Vegetarian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Servings: 2
Calories: 445kcal
These Baked Purple Sweet Potatoes are loaded with a creamy combination of white beans, Parmesan, garlic, and rosemary for an easy meat-free dish in under one hour. They make an easy meat-free meal or a side for a simple roast meat.
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Ingredients

  • 1 purple sweet potato
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 can (15 ounces) white beans (e.g. Great Northern, cannellini)
  • ¼ cup (28 grams or 1 ounce) grated Parrmesan
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Slice the sweet potato in half. Put the olive oil in the bottom of baking dish and rub it over the cut halves (both cut side and skin). Sprinkle with salt and pepper and put the sweet potatoes cut side down in the dish.
    1 purple sweet potato, 2 teaspoons olive oil, salt and pepper
  • Bake for about 45 minutes until the flesh has started to soften.
  • Meanwhile, rinse and drain the beans and combine them in a small bowl with the grated Parmesan, garlic, and rosemary.
    1 can (15 ounces) white beans (e.g. Great Northern, cannellini), ¼ cup (28 grams or 1 ounce) grated Parrmesan, 1 clove garlic, minced, 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
  • When the sweet potatoes have softened, flip them over so they are cut side up and top with the bean mixture. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes, until the beans have warmed and the cheese has melted. Serve immediately.

Notes

Vary this baked purple sweet potato recipe by using different beans and cheeses.
Estimate one half to one whole sweet potato per person depending on the size of your sweet potatoes and whether you are serving this as a main course or side dish.

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 12mg | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 1409mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 16154IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 322mg | Iron: 7mg
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