Looking for an easy vegan dinner recipe? These bbq stuffed sweet potatoes are filled with saucy lentils for a protein-packed plant-based meal.
BBQ Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Howdy, friends! I’ve got a recipe coming at you today that’s been in my back pocket for a few weeks now, and I thought it would be perfect now as we’re finally heading into fall!
This is one of those recipes that you’ll keep in your back pocket for so many different reasons. I love baking up a batch of sweet potatoes as a meal prep staple at the beginning of the week, then you can easily make the bbq lentils for the fastest weeknight stuffed sweet potatoes. I also love this as a vegan game day recipe idea! The BBQ lentils are just like a sloppy joe, so they’re the perfect, hearty football food! It’s also a great recipe to batch prep if you’re serving a crowd! All you have to do is make a big pot of the BBQ lentils and toss a bunch of sweet potatoes in the oven. The reasons to make these bbq sweet potatoes are endless!
Ingredients for BBQ Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
I made these for the first time for my mom and step-dad (an avid meat-eater), who then proceeded to say, Emilie, those were freaking awesome. You need to put those on the blog. Uhhhh yeah, that was the plan!
If you want to make your own BBQ lentil stuffed sweet potatoes, here’s what to add to your grocery list:
- Sweet potatoes. I think piling your BBQ lentils in stuffed sweet potatoes is the best way to enjoy them honestly. The sweetness of the potato really compliments the tangy barbecue sauce, but if you prefer something like a russet potato, it will totally still work.
- Lentils. There are different varieties of lentils, but they’ll all cook the same in this recipe. I used green lentils, but use whatever variety you have on hand.
- Olive oil. A bit of olive oil goes a long way to make our bbq lentils super rich and satisfying.
- Onion. All good recipes start with a base of sauteed onion! I recommend a yellow onion for this bbq lentil recipe.
- Carrot. Carrots will add a bit more natural sweetness to balance out the barbecue sauce.
- Garlic. I recommend using fresh garlic cloves for this recipe. Since we’re keeping the ingredients pretty simple, you’ll really taste the difference that fresh garlic makes!
- BBQ sauce. I whipped up a batch of my Healthy Barbecue Sauce for this recipe, but you could also use 1 cup of your favorite store-bought barbecue sauce
How to Make BBQ Lentils
The star of the show with these stuffed sweet potatoes is definitely the bbq lentils. They’re tangy, saucy and perfect piled high into a sweet potato. Make a big batch and stash the extras in the fridge to make Lentil Sloppy Joes later on in the week!
These BBQ lentils are actually quite simple to make, so you can whip them up super quickly with minimal fuss. But here’s a tip: Before you get started on anything else, get your sweet potatoes in the oven to bake. You could even do this the day before you want to eat them and stash them in the fridge to be reheated. A word of wisdom from my momma, who got it from her grandmother: bake the sweet potatoes until caramelized goodness starts oozing out. That’s when you know they’re ready!
- Cook lentils. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add the lentils, then reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes.
- Sautee the vegetables. Cook for 5-7 minutes in oil until tender and browned, then add garlic; cook for one more minute.
- Add barbecue sauce. Either add all the ingredients for my Healthy Barbecue Sauce, or pour in your store-bought sauce and stir until all the veggies are coated. Then bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to simmer for 10-12 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked lentils. Add the cooked lentils into the barbecue sauce and add more water as needed.
How to Make Vegan Avocado Sauce
Now these stuffed sweet potatoes are delicious as is just with the BBQ lentils. But if you really want to kick things up a notch, I also made a delicious creamy avocado sauce that is so freaking delicious on top of these sweet potatoes. And the best part is it’s the easiest part of the whole recipe to make!
To make the avocado sauce, simply toss a half of an avocado into a blender with some non-dairy milk, hot sauce, salt, onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Blend it up until it’s super smooth and creamy. You’re gonna want to pour this avocado sauce on everything for now on – you’ve been warned.
Build Your Own Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
I don’t know about you, but I love to be able to put my own plate together at parties. Who doesn’t love a build-your-own baked potato bar? These BBQ sweet potatoes are so perfect for game day entertaining because you can easily just set all the ingredients out separately and let your friends put their own meal together! It makes it more fun for everyone, and means less work for you!
To set up a build your own stuffed sweet potato bar, I would put out all of your potatoes, a bowl of the BBQ lentils, your avocado sauce, and then pick a few other fun toppings for people to choose from! Here are a few ideas for toppings that go great with these stuffed sweet potatoes:
- Sauteed kale
- Coleslaw
- Vegan cheese
- Vegan sour cream
- Fresh herbs
- Sauteed bell peppers
- Extra barbecue sauce
- Hot sauce
- Jalapenos
- Sliced green onions
- Smoky tempeh bacon
- Diced red onion
More Stuffed Sweet Potato Recipes
Baked sweet potatoes don’t have to be boring! The best way to enjoy one is to stuff it full of as many delicious fillings as you can fit! Here are some of my favorite stuffed sweet potato recipes:
- Stuffed Sweet Potato Breakfast Recipes: 5 Ways
- Black Bean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes by Food with Feeling
- Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Spinach and White Beans by The Live-In Kitchen
- Mediterranean Stuffed Sweet Potatoes by Minimalist Baker
- Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Crispy Chickpeas and Tahini by The First Mess
- Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes by The Simple Veganista
BBQ Lentil Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Looking for an easy vegan dinner recipe? These bbq stuffed sweet potatoes are filled with saucy lentils for a protein-packed plant-based meal.
Ingredients
- 4–5 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 cup dry lentils
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup carrots, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
- 1 batch Healthy Barbecue Sauce (see below), or 1 cup store-bought barbecue sauce*
- Avocado sauce (optional):
- 1/2 avocado
- 1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet; bake sweet potatoes for 1 to 1.5 hours, until they are tender and oozing.
- In a large pot, add 3 cups water; bring to a boil. Add lentils; bring water back to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer, cover, and cook lentils for 15-20 minutes, until lentils are tender. Remove from pot and set aside.
- In the same pot over medium heat, warm oil. Add chopped onion and carrots; cook for 5-7 minutes, until tender and browned. Add garlic; cook for one more minute.
- Add all the ingredients for the Healthy Barbecue Sauce (or 1 cup store-bought sauce) into the pot; stir until all the veggies are coated. Bring to a boil; cover, and reduce to simmer for 10-12 minutes.
- Add the lentils to the sauce; stir to combine. Add more water if needed.
- In a blender or food processor, add avocado, milk, hot sauce, onion powder garlic powder, and pepper.
- Slice the potatoes down the middle; top with sautéed vegetables (optional). Spoon the lentil filling into each sweet potato. Top with optional avocado sauce.
Notes
*You can use 1 batch of the Healthy Barbecue Sauce or 1 cup store-bought barbecue sauce. This is a good vegan option!
