Sweet potato skins with spinach and lentils

Summary

Prep: 20 mins
Cooking: 15 mins
Ages: Toddlers to Teens
Difficulty: Easy peasy
Makes: 6 sweet potato skins

Loaded sweet potato skins are the ultimate comfort food. Filled with creamy and delicious filling, they make for a great meal or side dish for family dinners.

You want your sweet potato skins to be nice and crispy for this recipe so after the sweet potatoes are cooked, and the flesh has been scooped out, we recommend popping the skins in the oven for a few minutes. This makes them nice and crunchy before they are loaded up with our creamy filling and sprinkled with grated cheese.

These sweet potato skins can be combined with other toppings if you would like. You could add mushrooms to the vegetables when they are being sauteed, or you could cook some pancetta lardons in a separate pan until crispy and add them to the filling. Make them your own with whatever extras you prefer.

Ingredients

• 3 sweet potatoes
• 3 tablespoons butter (40 grams)
• 6 spring onions – diced
• 3 handfuls fresh baby spinach chopped (75 grams)
• 85 grams light sour cream
• 85 grams light cream cheese
• 50 grams dried red split lentils
• 3 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese (45 grams)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius.
2. Start with the red lentils. Place in a saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until cooked, then drain and set to one side. We will add the lentils to the filling later on.
3. Take the sweet potatoes and prick each one well with a fork (at least 12 times). Coat the skins in olive oil with a pinch of salt. Place them in the microwave for 5-7 minutes until just cooked through.  If you prefer to oven bake them you can do so by preparing them in the same way and baking them for 45-60 minutes at 180 degrees Celsius.
4. When ready, remove the sweet potatoes from the microwave and let them cool for 5-10 minutes.
5. While they are cooling, add the butter to a frying pan and sautee the spring onions and spinach for a few minutes until soft. Set aside.
6. Returning to the sweet potatoes, slice them in half and scoop out the sweet potato centre. Remember not to scoop right down to the skin. Leave a thin layer of sweet potato on the skin, just enough so that it can stand upright.
7. Take the empty sweet potato skins and line them up in an oven dish. Drizzle with oil. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes to make them nice and crispy.
8. In the meantime add the sweet potato to a bowl with the cream cheese, sour cream, sauteed spinach and spring onions, and cooked lentils. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Mash together with a fork until well combined.
9. Remove the sweet potato skins from the oven.
10. Fill each sweet potato skin with the mixture and sprinkle with grated cheddar cheese.
11. Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and golden.

Sweet potato skins – our step by step guide:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Start with the red split lentils.

Place them in a saucepan with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until cooked.

Then drain and set to one side to add to the mixture later on.

While the lentils are cooking, take each sweet potato and prick with a fork at least 12 times. Cover the skins in oil with a pinch of salt.

Microwave the sweet potatoes for 5-7 minutes until just cooked through.

If you prefer to bake them you can do so in an oven at 180°C for 45-60 minutes.

Remove from the microwave when cooked and leave them to rest for a few minutes.

When they are cool enough to handle, slice them down the middle with a sharp knife.

Chop your spring onions and your spinach.

Heat the butter in a frying pan and sautee the vegetables until the spinach is soft and the spring onions are slightly golden.

Set to one side.

When the sweet potatoes have cooled, spoon out the centres and place in a bowl.

Be careful not to scoop all the flesh out right down to the skins. Leave enough sweet potato on the skins for them to be able to stand on their own.

Place the skins in an oven dish and drizzle with oil. Cook at 180 degrees for 5 minutes until crisp.

Add all your ingredients together for the filling in a bowl: your sweet potato, cream cheese, sour cream, sauteed spinach and spring onions, and cooked lentils.

Mix until well combined.

Fill your crispy sweet potato skins with the filling.

Sprinkle with cheddar cheese and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.

Remove when the cheese is melted.

Enjoy these delicious sweet potato skins!