You guys, I had such a fun and fall filled weekend last weekend! I made us start this pumpkin picking tradition last year. Although the pumpkin patch is about an hour and a half away from our house and we don’t stay for too long, I think it is so much fun to go pick out and cut our own pumpkins! They also have delicious caramel corn and they greet you with handfuls of it as soon as you pull into the parking lot and they have roasted corn on the cob that is hard to pass up. It really doesn’t get much better!
This year it was a little windy and a little overcast, but we still had a great time and I think I just might have picked out the perfect pumpkin! We will do the pumpkin carving this weekend and I might even get energized enough to roast some pumpkin seeds. It all depends on how much Halloween candy I can get my hands on.
When we first moved to Tucson I became obsessed with Groupons. I have never lived in a place where they could be used before and my groupon obsession kind of got out of hand. I bought a bunch so we could go out to eat for cheap, I got one to take a glass blowing class that was really fun, and I even bought one to take a class to learn how to use my dslr when I first bought it (that one was totally worth it!). And then I bought one for a wine tasting at a vineyard that was surprisingly close to our house, considering we live in the desert. Next to my camera class, this was the best buy yet!
We got six wine tastings, one full glass, we got to keep the glass, and then we got 10% off of any bottles that we bought. As much as I loved the pumpkin patch, this was by far the highlight of my day. The view was beautiful and it even started sprinkling a little bit while we were there which only added to the mystic!
Not only did the pumpkin patch have pumpkins, but they also had a bunch of different kinds of produce that you could pick yourself. I kinda have a thing for peppers, so I loaded up on pablano peppers. I’m a huge wimp when it comes to spicy peppers, but I can eat the other ones like they are candy!
They also had a bunch of little sweet potatoes, so I just had to buy those too. I’m used to seeing dinosaur sized sweet potatoes at the grocery store, which I love, but for some reason I just can’t say no to a mini version of a vegetable. I once saw some mini cauliflower at the store and figured I would think of a recipe and then come back the next day to buy them. Well, they were completely out the next day and I still have dreams about how cute they were! So, I loaded up on the small sweet potatoes and that is exactly how these loaded sweet potatoes were born. You could use any size you like, but the small ones are my new favorites!
Guacamole recipe for topping š
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Tex Mex Loaded Sweet Potatoes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
Ingredients
- 6 – 8 small sweet potatoes
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 2 cups cooked black beans, or 1–15 ounce can
- 3/4 cup diced pablano peppers, about 1 large pepper
- 1/2 small red onion, diced
- 1/4 cup chunky salsa
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt, to taste
- pepper, to taste
- olive oil
- guacamole for topping, recipe above
- tortilla chips or tortilla strips, for topping
- cilantro leaves, for topping
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F. Pierce sweet potatoes a few times with a fork. Place a sheet of tin foil onto a large sheet pan. Put sweet potatoes on sheet pan and place into the oven and roast for about 45 minutes, depending on size of sweet potatoes, until you can easily pierce them with a fork.
- While sweet potatoes are roasting, cook the quinoa according to package directions.
- Heat a large pan over medium heat and coat with a small layer of olive oil. Add the diced peppers, onions, and garlic to the pan and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Let cook for a few minutes, until onions are translucent and peppers are softened. Add in the black beans, quinoa, salsa, and all of the spices. Stir until everything is mixed together and heated through.
- Cut a slit in the sweet potatoes and squeeze the sides so they open up. Spoon 1/4 – 1/2 of the quinoa mixture into each sweet potato (depending on how big your potatoes are). Then top with a spoonful of quacamole, cilantro leaves, and tortilla strips.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 45 mins
- Category: Entree, Side, Gluten Free, Vegan
I love the pumpkin patch! We went just yesterday and literally brought home more than 10 pumpkins. š Along with pumpkins, I literally have sweet potatoes coming out of my ears right now so I’m definitely gonna have to try these gorgeous ‘thangs! Love how loaded with yumminess they are!
Isn’t the pumpkin patch so much fun?!! I can’t wait to have little babies to take in a few years! I want to have sweet potatoes coming out of my ears! They are my favorite ingredient right now!
I LOVE groupon. And I am dying to go pumpkin picking. Sigh. Jealous!!
Also jealous of these tex-mex sweet potatoes. They sound all kinds of awesome.
I’m slightly addicted to groupon! And I’m really trying hard to make pumpkin picking an annual tradition, two years in a row so far š
I am officially cut off from Groupon, I keep buying them and not redeeming them š Your photos look amazing, I would love to do a wine tasting! And your sweet potatoes look amazingly delicious!
Haha! I actually let the vineyard one expire because we never made time to go, but thankfully they were so nice and they let me use it anyway! Wine tastings are so much fun and I think you would love these sweet potatoes š
These sweet potatoes look amazing, Izzy! Love the Tex-Mex filling and flavours, so good and tasty! Definitely bookmarking!
Thanks Jess! Tex Mex flavors are the best!!
What a lovely, descriptive post, Alyssa. I was totally with you there at the wine tasting and in the supermarket eyeing up all those mini veggies … lol!
Baked potatoes are our favourite go-to meal at the moment, so I think we could do with switching it up a bit – using sweet potatoes is the perfect solution. I love that you’ve used quinoa and all the other tasty little bits in these, too š
Thanks Helen! I wish that you really had been with me that day, it was so much fun and you would have loved it! I love baked potatoes because you can load them up with all kinds of great ingredients and make them a a whole meal rather than just a side dish!
Love groupon! Never thought to load up a sweet potato with a tex mex filling, looks delicious!
Sweet potatoes and black beans are one of my favorite combinations so it only seemed right to load the potatoes with a Mexican filling! I’m so glad you like it too!
Sounds like a perfect weekend. And these loaded sweet potatoes are pretty awesome too.
Thank you Kathy! It really was so much fun š
I love going to pumpkin patches! My husband and I also started the tradition last year. Such a fun time! And these loaded sweet potatoes look incredible, Izzy! I am in awe of the mouthwatering flavors that are stuffed in here. Such a great dish!
Isn’t it so much fun?! I can’t wait till we have little babies that we can take with us! Aww, thank you Gayle! I just can’t stop using sweet potatoes in all my recipes lately! I’m so glad you love them too š
Your weekend sounds absolutely wonderful. Pumpkin patches, caramel corn, corn on the cob, and mist-ical wine tasting!? Where can I sign up for this itinerary? I love how you incorporate fresh produce into your recipes, and this tex-mex tater looks tasty as ever. Sweet potatoes with savory toppings are always a good thing:-)
It really was the perfect fall weekend! Haha, come on down to Tucson and we can arrange for a fun filled day like that!! I agree, sweet potatoes go so well with savory flavors and I’m slightly obsessed with them these days! I guess there are much worse things I could be obsessed with š
Aww, pumpkin picking sounds so fun!! I love sweet potatoes as a meal… such a great healthy vehicle for delicious toppings!!
It really was so much fun! I’m excited the carve them too! Thank you, Jess!
I love making them into meals too! They don’t have to just be a side dish anymore! Pumpkin picking was so much fun and now I can’t wait to carve them š
Lucky you! I’m sure you know that living in Arkansas there’s not much in the way of groupon opportunities haha. But it looks like you had a great time and pumpkin picking sounds so fun!
I love Mexican dishes and these look delicious! Stuffing potatoes with things just makes them that much better š
Haha, I can only imagine the Arkansas groupons! I don’t always love living in a big city, but I love all the groupon opportunities! Totally agree about stuffing potatoes, Danielle š
Oh, Groupon is so dangerous. I live by San Francisco, so you can’t imagine how many great deals there are out there tempting me. But, it’s a fun way to try new restaurants or adventures for cheap. These sweet potatoes sound SO good!
So dangerous!! Oh wow, I bet there is so many near you! I haven’t let myself go on the site for a while because I just want to buy everything! Thanks Natalie š
Hope you’re not Groupon shopping with a glass of wine!! hehe!! You know, that’s the good thing about Groupon; it offers fresh ideas on things to do! What a wonderful weekend you two had! Rob and I went to the pumpkin patch too! LOL! Wouldn’t it have been fun to go together.. then on to the wine tasting, which we did not do (would have loved to though). Pablanos are the best. I long for them when they are out of season! So this stuffed potato is just in time to sooth my pablano craving (paired with smoky paprika, ummmm, so good). Thank you, Izzy! Have fun at your photography class! I’m sure Cheeto will be thrilled to be photographed even more! š
Hi Traci!! Haha, my best shopping happens when I have a glass of wine in my hand š My husband would probably disagree though! You are so right, it gives such good ideas! Last year I got a glass making groupon and made a really neat glass vase that I would have never made before! That is awesome that you guys went pumpkin picking too! That really would have been so fun to go together, it would have been a perfect double date! Smoky paprika makes everything better and so do pablanos! Haha, I’m guessing that Cheeto is wishing my camera would break these days š
What a fun day! We have a winery really close and I love visiting on the weekends!
They are so much fun! I’m already planning our next visit š
Great minds think alike! I have a very similar recipe scheduled for a couple of weeks time. It’s one of my favourites š
I can’t wait to see your sweet potato recipe! I’ve been eating so many sweet potatoes lately, they are my favorites too š
What a fun outing! I like that you didn’t top the sweet potatoes with the usual sweet. I need to try these with your savory twist!
I’m all about the savory food these days! I keep telling myself I need to make some pumpkin sweets, but them I turn around and make a savory sweet potato dish š
These tex mex sweet potatoes look so good! Great photos! I’m totally with you on the small veggies, I often see small sweet potatoes and I buy them all when I do! They are just too perfect for a grab-n-go!
Thank you so much, Karen! There is something so cute about small veggies that makes me want to eat all of them up š
There’s only one restaurant nearby that participates with Groupon. Luckily, it’s one of the BEST in the area, but I’m sure I’d be totally addicted if I had more options! These potatoes sound amazing. It’s hard to pass up a sweet potato and definitely impossible for me to pass up texmex anything!
I think, for the sake of my pocketbook, I need to move somewhere that doesn’t have many groupons, I’m kinda obsessed! At least the one that they do offer is the best! It is so impossible for me to pass up anything texmex also! I think I might start making all of my recipes texmex themed š
What a fun weekend you had. And this is one amazing looking loaded sweet potato. It’s like an upside down Mexican quinoa bowl. The flavors in this are definitely for me and I want to make this soon!
Thank you, Katie! I knew you would like these, because I’m pretty sure we have a very similar palette!
Okay. I totally understand your obsession with groupon. I honestly could spend hours shopping their website and buying random things and excursions! And it looks like you got some great groupons! Honestly, pumpkin picking and wine tasting? Two of my fav. things!
And these stuffed sweet potatoes. OMG. I wish I could come over for dinner. You honestly make the most yummy looking savory dishes out there!! Pinned š
Groupon is so awesome and yet so dangerous at the same time! I find myself buying things I never even knew I needed, like waffle makers that imprint your favorite football team logo onto the waffle! They are two of my favorite things too, especially the latter š That would be awesome if you came over for dinner, we would definitely feast! Thanks so much, Ceara! š