Dinner Plans: Sweet Potatoes

Prep 3 Delicious Meals From 1 Batch of Sweet Potatoes

By Spruce Eats Staff
Updated on 07/29/21
Baked Sweet Potato With Cinnamon Sugar
Diana Rattray

Sweet potatoes are a nutritional powerhouse and keep well, so they're great for meal prep. Get ready to bake a bunch of sweet potatoes all at once, and then use them as a time-saving base for a host of weeknight dinners like veggie burgers, shepherd’s pie, and creamy soup.

Game Plan

Prep Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

  1. Bake 10 sweet potatoes, but skip the butter and seasonings in step 6 of the recipe.
  2. Wash and chop the vegetables for the shepherd's pie. Stash in the fridge.
  3. Organize and prep the ingredients for the other meals.
  4. Use three potatoes to make veggie burgers on prep day. Reserve and refrigerate the remaining five potatoes for the next two recipes.

Prep Day Sweet Potato Veggie Burgers

Combine mashed, roasted sweet potatoes with steamed quinoa, kale, pecans, and seasonings to form flavorful veggie burger patties. We love these vegan burgers served in hamburger buns with an easy vegetable side dish, like cucumber salad.

Vegetarian sweet potato burgers
The Picture Pantry / Getty Images

Getting Dinner on the Table

  • Use 3 sweet potatoes for this recipe and mash with a fork. The puree does not have to be very fine.
  • Make the quinoa while the potatoes cook.
  • Toast the pecans in a small saucepan over medium-low heat before chopping.
  • Make the cucumber salad while the burgers cook and refrigerate until ready to serve.
  • Top each burger with crunchy lettuce or radishes in addition to the sautéed onions.

Shepherd's Pie Night

Time: 40 minutes

Swap mashed sweet potatoes for the usual white potatoes in this tasty vegetarian twist on shepherd’s pie, one of the most beloved comfort foods of all time. Serve with a simple green salad or store-bought crusty bread.

Vegetarian shepherd's pie. Potatoes, lentils and seasonal garden vegetables casserole. Autumn vegetarian lunch
OksanaKiian / Getty Images

Getting Dinner on the Table

  • Use 3 of the roasted sweet potatoes in place of the potatoes in the recipe. Remove the peels and skip boiling them. Mash them with the margarine, yogurt, and parmesan.
  • Swap out the veggies to your liking, or use browned ground beef for a meat version. 
  • Simply spread the mash into an even layer over the filling. If you want to get fancy, make a decorative topping by piping the sweet potato mixture through a pastry bag fitted with a star tip.
  • Get ahead on prep day: Make the shepherd’s pie ahead of time. Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate up to 12 hours, then add 15 to 20 minutes to the baking time.

Mexican Cream of Sweet Potato Soup Night

Time: 20 minutes

Double this creamy Mexican soup recipe to feed four, using the rest of the cooked sweet potatoes. Skip the boiling step and simply scoop the flesh out of the peel and add it to the blender. While your blended soup heats on the stove, make crispy, cheesy quesadillas to serve with it.

Mexican Cream of Sweet Potato Soup
The Spruce / Ulyana Verbytska​

Getting Dinner on the Table

  • Use the remaining 4 sweet potatoes for this recipe.
  • Skip steps 2 and 3 and simply add peeled, cooked sweet potato along with the broth and milk to the blender. Heat on the stovetop after blending.
  • Use your choice of fillings to make quesadillas. Some options include mushrooms, peppers and onions, cooked and shredded chicken, and refried beans. Just be sure to use a melty cheese.
  • Get ahead on prep day: Make this soup on prep day and store in the fridge. Reheat and serve.

Essential Info

Here's some helpful information about sweet potatoes:

About Dinner Plans

Making quick weeknight dinners is easier when you start with a few building blocks. Dinner Plans is a realistic roadmap to help you achieve that goal, by putting in a few hours of work (planning, shopping, and prepping) at the outset. Preparing a big batch of one ingredient (protein, vegetables, or grains) gives you the flexibility to plan a variety of meals. And who knows? You just might discover your new favorite weeknight recipe in the process!

Show everyone how together you are: Instagram your meal prep photos and tag them #thespruceeats.