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White Bean and Pesto Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time19 minutes
23 minutes
Servings: 4
Calories: 506kcal
Author: Nisha Vora

Ingredients

  • 4 baked sweet potatoes

Walnut Pesto*

  • 2 cups (50g) tightly packed soft herbs, such as parsley, cilantro, and/or mint (can also use carrot tops, baby spinach, arugula, etc.)
  • 1/2 cup (56g) walnuts, raw or toasted
  • 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • 1 small lemon, zested, then juiced
  • 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
  • 2-3 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
  • 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (can substitute up to half with water)

Crispy White Beans

  • 1 (15-ounce) (440g) can of cannellini beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly**
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 tablespoon of roughly chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 medium lemon, juiced

Optional Toppings

  • Chopped tomatoes
  • Diced avocado
  • Tahini

Instructions

  • Make the Walnut Pesto. Place all of the ingredients except the olive oil and water to a food processor. Blend until a paste starts to come together. With the motor running, stream in the olive oil, scraping down the sides as you go, until you have a thick, relatively smooth consistency. Taste for salt and acidity, adding more salt or lemon juice as needed.
  • Make the Crispy White Beans. Heat a large 12-inch skillet with the 2 teaspoons olive oil, and ensure the entire pan is coated with the oil (I use a paper towel to evenly distribute the oil). Add the rinsed and dried beans in small handfuls and spread them out in a single layer. Let the beans cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Then use a flat spatula to flip the beans and cook for another 3-5 minutes, or until the beans are browned and blistered. Add the thyme, sesame seeds, salt, lemon juice. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 2-3 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.
  • Assemble the Sweet Potatoes: Stuff each baked sweet potato with the 2 tablespoons of pesto and 1/4 of the White Beans. If desired, add chopped tomatoes and diced avocado to each potato, and drizzle with a bit of tahini.

Notes

* This recipe makes about 1 cup of pesto, so you will have leftovers, which is great because pesto is delicious! Store in an airtight jar in the fridge for 5 days. Or, you can just cut the recipe in half - that will give you 8 tablespoons, or 2 tablespoons per stuffed potato.
** Be sure to thoroughly dry off your rinsed beans. I dab them gently with paper towels to remove the moisture. Removing the moisture ensures they crisp up in the pan. If you can't find cannellini beans, you can substitute navy beans or even chickpeas.