Helpful Tip: Bake Up Some Sweet Potatoes!

If you’re like me, you’re always looking for a quick but filling and nutritious meal on a busy day. One thing I’ve learned to do is to tuck a few sweet potatoes into the oven whenever I’m baking something. That way, I have a head start on a delicious, nutritious meal, ready to go whenever I’m hungry but pressed for time. Read on for several suggestions for how to use a baked sweet potato.

Whenever your oven is already in use and at about 350 degrees, tuck a few foil-wrapped sweet potatoes in here and there between pans or on another rack, wherever they’ll fit. (I wrap them in foil because sometimes they ooze a little when baked whole.) Once the sweet potatoes are soft and can be easily pierced with a knife, remove them from the oven and let cool. Then pop them into a resealable plastic bag, or into a glass storage container (leave them whole; they will be a little fragile) and store them in the refrigerator.

If you have a microwave (I don’t), you can quickly reheat your sweet potato. You can also cut it in half and put it into a toaster oven to reheat if a microwave isn’t an option. From there the sky’s the limit! Sweet potatoes are excellent for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and as a snack. Here are some excellent uses for sweet potatoes from our archives (be sure to check the comments for more great ideas):

• How to Turn a Baked Sweet Potato Into a Complete Meal
• Replace the pumpkin with Sweet Potatoes in Faith’s Baked Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal
• More than a Side Dish: 4 Meals Featuring Sweet Potatoes
• Recipe: Sweet Morning Potato
• Interesting Recipe Twists on the Common Sweet Potato