If your Thanksgiving plate looked anything like mine did growing up, it was piled high with stuffing with a few veggies on the side. Now that we’re older and wiser, we know that traditional stuffing, isn’t such a healthy choice. In this recipe, you get all of the flavor of classic stuffing, but we’ve tweaked the ratio a bit… less bread, more nutrients, all stuffed into a sweet potato, another Thanksgiving favorite.
And the butter? Well, happy Thanksgiving!
Sweet Potatoes Filled with Stuffing, Leeks and Brussels Sprouts
Yield 6
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 3 cups whole wheat bread cubes, cut into 1” cubes.
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 12 small Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
- 6 sweet potatoes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Scrub the sweet potatoes and pat dry with a paper towel.
- Place each sweet potato on a piece of foil and drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Rub the potatoes to cover them with a light coating.
- Prick each sweet potato several times with a fork and wrap loosely in the foil, being sure to create a tight seal.
- Place the wrapped sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and place them in the oven to roast.
- Depending upon the size of your potatoes, it may take between 30 minutes to 1 hour for them to cook. Check them after 30 minutes by squeezing them with a protected hand. They should feel somewhat soft, but still offer a bit of resistance. Continue cooking if necessary, checking them every 10 minutes.
- Remove them from the oven when done and allow them to sit just until cool enough to handle.
- Lower the heat to 350.
- In the meantime, melt the butter in heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add leeks, Brussels sprouts and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth and thyme. Cook for about 5 minutes (the mixture will be wet). Transfer mixture to large bowl.
- Add bread cubes to the leek and Brussels sprouts mixture. Season with salt and pepper; mix in the egg.
- Cut sweet potatoes open lengthwise, creating a pocket for the stuffing.
- Squish sweet potato from the ends to open it.
- Remove a bit of the sweet potato to accommodate the stuffing.
- Add stuffing to cavity in the sweet potato, mounding up nicely.
- Return the stuffed sweet potatoes to the oven and bake uncovered until heated through, about 30 minutes.