Sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber and have excellent nutritional values.
The problem with sweet potatoes is (like most healthy foods) they take a while to prepare. If you don’t cook them right, they’re as hard as a rock.
Yes, I’m speaking from experience here. However, I’ve found an easy way to prepare sweet potatoes perfectly each and every time.
If you’re interested in learning how to cook sweet potatoes and grab a few tips for how you can enjoy them, you’ve come to the right place.
Here’s what you must know on how to cook sweet potatoes and make it a ‘no-fuss’ item on your menu every week:
How to Cook A Sweet Potato Easily
There are many ways to prepare a sweet potato. It can be prepared in the oven, on a grill, in an instant pot, in an air fryer, in a toaster oven, on the stove, or in a microwave.
However, I’m going to share the simplest method I’ve found. Preparing a sweet potato in a crock pot doesn’t get much easier, in my opinion. Here’s how you go about it:
1. Give the Potato a Bath
To begin fixing a sweet potato in a crock pot, you must wash the potato. Be sure to rinse it in cold water. Wash as many sweet potatoes as you plan on preparing for the meal.
I usually prepare four at a time, but if you’re feeding fewer people you may wish to cook less. If your crock pot can hold more than four potatoes, you may want to prepare more and store them for a meal later in the week.
When the potatoes have been rinsed, place them on a paper towel. The key with this step is to remove any dirt on the potato, but do not pat the potato dry. This will leave the moisture on the potatoes they’ll need in the crock pot.
2. Poke a Few Holes
Once the potatoes have been rinsed and placed on a paper towel, get a sharp knife. Be careful during this step to avoid cutting yourself.
Insert the knife into the sweet potato until you’ve made a small slit in it. Pull the knife out of the potato and repeat this step until you’ve made multiple slits on each longer portion of the potato.
I usually place approximately three slices on each side of the potato. It may require one more or one less depending on the size of your sweet potato.
3. Set it and Forget It
The sweet potatoes should still be damp when placed in the crock pot. It’s fine for the potatoes to touch each other if the lid of the crock pot will still fit snuggly on top.
Depending upon your time constraints and the number of potatoes cooked, if placed on high in the crock pot, they should be done within three to four hours.
If you don’t need the potatoes quite as quickly, you can place them on low, and they should finish up in approximately six hours. Times will vary depending upon the crockpot.
I usually put my sweet potatoes in the crockpot in the late morning hours on low, and they’re done right in time for supper.
4. Feel and Remove
You’ll know the potatoes are finished by poking them with a fork. If your fork struggles to slide in and out of the sweet potato, they aren’t done yet.
However, if you can gently poke the sweet potato with a fork and it easily slides in and out of the potato, you’ll know they’re ready to be served.
Use tongs to grip the sweet potatoes to gently remove them from the crockpot. Place them on a plate until they’re ready to be served.
You can either remove the skin if you want only the sweet potato. If you’re planning on enjoying the potato in its skin, slice the potato open, and gently squeeze both ends towards the middle to fluff up the inside of the potato.
Add any desired condiments, and you’re ready to enjoy a delicious sweet potato.
Two Healthy Ways to Enjoy Your Sweet Potatoes
There are two ways my family and I enjoy our sweet potatoes. Maybe the following methods will be a new favorite dish for your family as well:
1. Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato
Sweet and savory tend to go well together, and my husband is a big fan of anything buffalo. Therefore, I like to make buffalo chicken and place it inside the sweet potato.
I do this by boiling the chicken in water. When the chicken meat easily tears apart with a fork, I know it’s done.
The chicken is placed on a plate and shredded. I squirt buffalo sauce on the chicken and use tongs to mix it all.
When evenly mixed, the sweet potato is sliced on one side but not entirely from end to end. I squeeze each end of the sweet potato toward the center, which fluffs up the inside.
I’ll use a fork to fluff the sweet potato even more. From here, I add the buffalo chicken to the sweet potato until it’s full. I make homemade ranch dressing and drizzle it on top of the sweet potato.
Add a few scallions, and you have a delicious and filling meal made in less than 30 minutes.
2. Veggie Stuffed Sweet Potato
This next option is the meal I love for myself. I like meat, but I could seriously become a vegetarian because I get tired of cooking meat. I live in a family of meat eaters, and it gets old after a while.
Therefore, when I can take the easy route, I do, and I make a delicious vegetarian sweet potato.
Before I take the potatoes out of the crockpot, I find an array of fresh or frozen vegetables I like. I’m a broccoli girl, but I’ll also add peppers and onions to the mix frequently too.
When my sweet potatoes are finished cooking in the crock pot, I open them up in the middle and squeeze the ends to fluff the inside.
I’ll either boil my frozen veggies, sauté them, or steam them in the microwave. It all depends on my energy level.
As the veggies finish cooking, I drain off any excess liquid and fluff my sweet potato with a fork. I fill the sweet potato with as many scoops of fresh vegetables as I can fit inside.
I finish the dish by adding a handful of shredded cheese and sour cream to the top. Salt and pepper the mixture to taste.
When I first began fixing sweet potatoes, I didn’t like them because I struggled to get them done enough to do anything with them.
Since using my crock pot, I haven’t had this problem. I also love them because I can fill the sweet potatoes with whatever ingredients I like, and they turn out amazing every time.
Whether you fill them with the same ingredients I typically choose or get creative by adding your own ingredients, I hope you enjoy your easy, healthy, and delicious sweet potato creations with this guide on how to cook sweet potatoes.
