BBQ Tempeh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Made with creamy baked sweet potatoes and hearty tempeh, these BBQ Tempeh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are a quick and easy weeknight dinner for two. Ready in just 35 minutes!

Stuffed sweet potatoes on a white plate.

Whenever I’m craving comfort food, I like to whip up this BBQ tempeh stuffed sweet potatoes recipe. The sticky bbq filling tastes like takeout but it also has plenty of protein and comes together quick enough that we can make it on a weeknight.

Looking over the ingredients and steps, the recipe may feel a little intimidating at first. Our popular spaghetti squash burrito bowls recipe has the same effect.

But trust me, once you start cooking you’ll see it’s easier than it looks!

Recipe ingredients arranged on a pan with labels.

Ingredient Notes

Sweet Potatoes: Red or orange sweet potatoes work best in this recipe (some stores call them yams).

Tempeh: It’s a cake of fermented soy and grains. Don’t focus too much on that previous sentence, just know it’s got a nutty flavor, toothy texture, and tastes delicious coated in BBQ sauce or tossed in a quick tempeh salad.

BBQ Sauce: Use your favorite variety. We like the Sriracha Garlic BBQ Sauce from Trader Joe’s. It’s the perfect blend of spicy, tangy, and sweet.

Guacamole or Avocado: It keeps the dish from being overly sweet. You don’t need a lot, just a quick dollop.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Get The Sweet Potatoes Baking

This recipe uses our go-to method for making quick baked sweet potatoes. To bake up your sweet potatoes faster, slice them in half lengthwise.

Baked sweet potato halves on a dark roasting pan.

Then lightly oil the halves, place them face down on a baking sheet and toss the pan in a 400°F oven or toaster oven.

About 25 to 30 minutes later (larger sweet potatoes will take a few minutes longer) you’ll have a pair of fork-tender sweet potatoes ready to be topped.

2. Make Your Filling

While the sweet potatoes bake, chop your veggies and prep the tempeh. I like to crumble the tempeh into thicker chunks.

BBQ Tempeh filling cooked in a skillet.

To make the filling, pour a little oil into a skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, peppers, and tempeh. Once the veggies soften and the tempeh is browned (that should take about 8 or 9 minutes) it’s time to add the sauce.

Pro Tip: To keep the barbeque sauce from sputtering all over your stovetop, remove the pan from the heat before stirring it in.

3. Put It All Together

Mash the sweet potato flesh down a bit with a fork and season with salt and pepper. Then, pile on the tempeh filling.

Top with lots of crisp shredded cabbage (or lettuce), a dollop of creamy guacamole, and dig in!

Tempeh stuffed sweet potatoes on white plates on a wood background.

More Yummy Sweet Potato Recipes

BBQ Tempeh Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Yield: 2 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes

Hearty, flavorful, and incredibly satisfying, these stuffed sweet potatoes are 100% comfort food. Don't skip the avocado, it keeps the dish from becoming too sweet.

Ingredients

For the Sweet Potatoes:

  • 2 Medium Sweet Potatoes, 7 ounces each
  • 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper

For the BBQ Tempeh Filling:

  • 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
  • 1/2 cup Chopped Onion
  • 5 Mini Bell Peppers, or half a large Yellow, Orange or Red Bell Pepper
  • 1 8-ounce package Tempeh
  • 6 tablespoons Barbecue Sauce

For Serving:

  • Shredded Cabbage, or Lettuce
  • Guacamole, or Avocado Slices
  • Fresh Cilantro

Instructions

Bake the Sweet Potatoes:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. If using a toaster oven, select the BAKE setting and adjust the cooking rack to the bottom placement.
  2. Slice sweet potatoes in half lengthwise and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and use your hands to rub oil onto the potatoes and pan.
  3. Bake sweet potatoes (with interiors facing the pan) until they are fork-tender, about 25 to 30 minutes.

Make the Filling:

  1. Remove tops and seeds from mini bell peppers, chop into 1/2-inch pieces.
  2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, add onion and bell pepper. Slice or crumble the tempeh into chunks and add to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally until the vegetables have softened and the tempeh is browned in spots about 8 to 9 minutes.
  3. Remove skillet from heat, add BBQ sauce. Stir well, taste, and adjust seasoning as desired.

Assembly:

  1. Mash the flesh of the sweet potatoes with a fork, season with salt and pepper.
  2. Top sweet potatoes with the tempeh mixture, red cabbage, guacamole (or avocado slices), and cilantro. Serve warm and enjoy!

Notes

Convection Toaster Oven Adjustments: Bake sweet potatoes at 400°F but begin checking for doneness after 20 minutes, adding more time as needed.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 2 Serving Size: 2 topped sweet potato halves
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 660Total Fat: 18.5gSaturated Fat: 3.1gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 967mgCarbohydrates: 101.7gFiber: 17.7gSugar: 24.9gProtein: 23.4g

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2 Comments

  1. I loved these flavors together. It was my first time using tempeh from a block and cooking it this way. I found that the tempeh soaked up all the oil very quickly then stuck to the pan not allowing it to mix easily and brown. I then added more oil and the same thing happened again…I’m wondering what I could have done differently, and have read to steam the tempeh before frying it? I got worried I didn’t cook the tempeh long enough. I also needed to cook the sweet potatoes another 10-15 mins longer than suggested, being in Colorado the altitude could have caused this. Overall, I loved the simple and nutritious recipe and will try again if I can figure out how to cook the tempeh better.

    1. Hi Thomas,

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the flavors of the dish!

      I don’t know much about high-altitude cooking (we’re at around 1,200’ elevation) but it could have played a part in the sweet potatoes taking longer or they may have just been larger than ours.

      The tempeh sticking is such a bummer and I’d like to help you get that sorted so you can have a better experience cooking it next time.

      If you’re using a packaged store-bought tempeh (like Trader Joe’s, Lightlife, Tofurky, etc.) the tempeh cake is pasteurized so you don’t have to worry about having cooked it long enough. In this recipe, we’re sauteing it in oil just to warm, brown, and lightly crisp the tempeh.

      Steaming or simmering the tempeh before sauteing it can remove some of the bitter/funky flavors and make it better absorb marinades.

      This Tempeh Guide from The Vegan Atlas has some easy directions for simmering the tempeh in water or broth plus more yummy recipes too. https://theveganatlas.com/a-guide-to-tempeh-tips-ideas-and-recipes/.

      I have noticed that tempeh does like to absorb oil but I’ve never personally had an issue with it sticking before. I’m wondering if maybe the heat was a little too high.

      Sometimes when I’m cooking tofu it does stick and I’ve found that reducing the heat and adding a tablespoon (or two if needed) of water or veggie broth helps the tofu to release without having to add more oil.

      Also, we usually make this recipe using our Green Pan skillet which does have a non-stick coating and I know one of our friends makes it using cast iron without a problem. Perhaps it’s a difference in pan material that’s causing some trouble too?

      Thanks for taking the time to comment, you asked a lot of great questions. If you give the recipe a try again, I’d love to hear how things go and what works best for you.

      Happy Cooking!
      Brie