Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Combine your leftover ham with spinach and cheese to make delicious gluten-free stuffed sweet potatoes that the whole family will love!

One of the best parts about serving a whole baked Ham at your holiday table is the guarantee that you will most definitely have leftovers!

This year at Thanksgiving, we are planning on having both maple glazed ham and my foolproof roasted turkey!

Since I know I am for sure making my Mom’s famous leftover turkey barley soup with the turkey carcass, I thought why not get creative with the ham instead of the usual soup or egg dish?

The other day, we baked way too many sweet potatoes (cook once, eat twice right!?).

I opened the fridge to see what I could throw together for dinner and it hit me – stuffed sweet potatoes with the leftover ham, some greens, and of course, melted cheese to bring it all together!

I tested this recipe with and without the spinach and I am happy to report that while it works both ways, it’s way better WITH the spinach, the kids think it’s herbs and you get a boost of baby greens.

Stuffed Sweet Potatoes Ingredients:

• Sweet Potatoes
• Olive Oil
• Baby Spinach
• Spices (Salt, Pepper, Garlic Powder)
• Leftover Ham
• Shredded Cheese

How to Make Stuffed Sweet Potatoes:

1. Bake the sweet potatoes. This can be done in advance (up to a couple of days) or right before you want to prepare the dish. If you have an electric pressure cooker, you can make Instant Pot Sweet Potatoes to save time.
2. Prepare your filling. This filling uses leftover (already cooked) ham, baby spinach, and melted cheese so it comes together very quickly once the potatoes are cooked!
3. Transfer the stuffed sweet potatoes to the oven. Bake until cheese is melted and just golden. That’s it!

Recipe Tips:

• You can bake the sweet potatoes in advance (up to 3 days) to save time.
• You can also freeze these stuffed sweet potatoes (once stuffed) prior to baking and bake from frozen for 60 to 75 minutes at 350.
• I recommend buying a bag of pre-cleaned baby spinach to save time.
• If you are a fan of swiss cheese, that is an excellent substitution for the mixed shredded cheese.

Need another idea to use up Leftover Ham? Try these Savory Waffles with Leftover Ham and Cheddar.

Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating below!

Easy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 15 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins

 

Combine your leftover ham with spinach and cheese to make delicious gluten-free stuffed sweet potatoes that the whole family will love!

Course: Lunch, Mains

Cuisine: American

Keyword: gluten free stuffed sweet potatoes recipe, how to make stuffed sweet potatoes, leftover ham recipes, stuffed sweet potato recipe, what to do with leftover ham

Servings: 4 Servings

Calories: 515 kcal

Author: Alyssa Brantley

5 from 14 votes

Print

Ingredients

• 4 medium sweet potatoes
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 8 ounces baby spinach chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 pound leftover ham cut into 1/4" cubes
• 8 ounces shredded cheese blend (mozzarella, Monterrey jack, cheddar) divided

Instructions

Sweet Potatoes:

1. Begin by preheating the oven to 350F. Clean potatoes and poke each several times with a fork.

   Place potatoes on a lined baking sheet and bake on center rack for 45 to 50 minutes until tender (they don't have to be 100% cooked at this point as you will continue baking them later but tender enough to cut and scoop out most of the insides).

   NOTE: This step can be done in advance (up to 3 days).

Stuffing:

1. While potatoes are cooking, cut the leftover ham into 1/4" cubes and chop baby spinach.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil and then chopped spinach.

3. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder and saute spinach 3 to 4 minutes, until wilted. Drain excess liquid and transfer to a mixing bowl. Add chopped ham and 4 ounces of the shredded cheese (save the other 4 ounces for the topping!). Set aside until sweet potatoes are cooked and ready to be scooped out.

4. Remove cooked sweet potatoes from oven (leave oven on) and use a paring knife to cut an oval on the top about 3/4 of the way deep into the potato, essentially making a "potato boat" or shell to be stuffed. 

5. Transfer the cooked potato insdies (scooped out of each potato) to the bowl with the ham, cheese and cooked spinach.

6. Mix filling well and stuff 1/4 of filling into each potato "shell", packing tightly.

7. Top each stuffed potato with 1 ounce of the leftover shredded cheese mixture and place back into the oven for 20 minutes or until filling is heated through and cheese is melted. If desired, broil for the last 2 to 3 minutes to brown cheese. Remove, allow to cool for 3 to 4 minutes, serve and Enjoy!

NOTES:

• You can bake the sweet potatoes in advance (up to 3 days) to save time.
• You can also freeze these stuffed sweet potatoes (once stuffed) prior to baking and bake from frozen for 60 to 75 minutes at 350.
• I recommend buying a bag of pre-cleaned baby spinach to save time.
• If you are a fan of swiss cheese, that is an excellent substitution for the mixed shredded cheese.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Amount Per Serving (1 stuffed potato)

Calories 515 Calories from Fat 207

% Daily Value*

Fat 23g35%

Saturated Fat 12g75%

Cholesterol 90mg30%

Sodium 1551mg67%

Potassium 1134mg32%

Carbohydrates 49g16%

Fiber 8g33%

Sugar 11g12%

Protein 29g58%

Vitamin A 37947IU759%

Vitamin C 21mg25%

Calcium 533mg53%

Iron 4mg22%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Did you make this recipe? Tag @EverydayMaven on Instagram with the hashtag #EveryDayMaven and please give a star rating below.

UPDATE NOTES: This stuffed sweet potatoes recipe was originally published in November 2017 and was most recently updated in October 2020.