Easy, healthy, Paleo and Whole30 friendly Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes! These make a GREAT weeknight dinner -bake the sweet potatoes ahead of time – the chili is done in 20 minutes!
Happy 2017! As I mentioned a few days ago in my 30 Days of Whole30 meal plan post, a Whole30 is ON this month for Adam and I. I originally had zero plans to complete a Whole30 myself, in truth.
Adam originally wanted to do the Whole30 in February and I hadn’t really even considered whether I’d join in. But, after traveling and going way off the healthy eating rails, he decided to move his Whole30 up to January. Since I, too, have been a bit off the rails the past few months – working a ton, snacking on lots of treats and not prioritizing my own meals and health as much as I’d like to – I decided it was the right time to jump on board.
Although it might not be nearly the shock to my brain and body that it was over 3 years ago when I completed my first one, it’s STILL a project in meal planning, remembering that treats aren’t the be-all-end-all and focusing on nourishing, filling, and BIG meals.
Even though I eat 90% paleo, the Whole30 makes me slow down and consider HOW I eat in addition to WHAT I eat. As I’m writing this post the night before the big 30 days begins, I’m sort of excited, and sort of nervous to see just how I’ll handle the meal planning, cooking, and, of course, the lack of chocolate, muffins, and cookies in my life!
What you can expect to see here on the blog this month are simple Whole30 recipes that I’ll be making for myself, Adam, and (sometimes) the kids!
Even though they’re not always on board with all things Paleo (which is fine by me) they do happen to love many of the easy Whole30 friendly dinner recipes I’ve made, including these chili stuffed sweet potatoes. You can easily adjust the spice level, so I make sure to go very mild for them, while spicing it up just a bit for the grownups (yes, I do actually separate out the portions to accomplish this!)
The key to making these stuffed sweet potatoes an easy and FAST weeknight dinner is baking them ahead of time, in my case, that usually means either the night before, or during the day while I’m working/cooking for the blog.
You can even do this a couple of days before while you’re meal prepping, refrigerate them, and them reheat them in the oven (I use 400 degrees F) while you make the chili. The chili comes together in just 15-20 minutes, so getting dinner on the table fast is completely possible. 
With these chili stuffed sweet potatoes, you can a healthy, filling and flavor-packed meal that’s fun to eat and easy to double if you want leftovers for the next day.
I absolutely love eating these over some fresh spinach and topped with scallions and my homemade ranch sauce! The ranch is one of my favorite dips/dressings while doing a Whole30 since it’s crazy delicious and very versatile. Anyway you decide to serve these will be a success, no doubt!
Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes {Paleo & Whole30}
Easy Paleo Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes {Whole30}
Ingredients
- 4 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 Tbsp cooking fat of choice
- 1/2 small onion diced
- 1 lb 80-85 % lean ground beef
- 3/4 cup diced tomatoes from a can, no salt added
- 1/2 tsp fine grain sea salt
- 1/2 - 1 tsp chipotle chili powder I used 3/4 tsp
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- Optional toppings - Paleo & Whole30 compliant ranch dressing plus thinly sliced scallions
Instructions
- First, bake your sweet potatoes* - preheat your oven to 400 degrees and wrap each potato in aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until completely soft in the center. The size/shape of your potato will affect the baking time!
- While you bake (or reheat) your sweet potatoes, make the chili. Heat a med/large skillet (I used this cast iron one) over medium heat. Add your cooking fat, then diced onions and stir to coat. Once softened, add the ground beef, breaking up lumps to evenly brown.
- Add the salt and spices and stir, cooking the beef until browned - about 3-4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5-10 more minutes, lowering the heat to avoid burning.
- Cut open your sweet potatoes, stuff, top with ranch dressing and scallions if desired, and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
*You can do this ahead of time and then simply reheat the potatoes in the oven while you make the chili.
Nutrition
What I Used to Make My Chili Stuffed Sweet Potatoes:
Want more easy Paleo and Whole30 ready lunch and dinner ideas? Try one of these!
Easy One Pan Bacon Wrapped Chicken
Lamb Burgers with Dairy Free Tzatziki Sauce
Tell Me!
Favorite way to stuff a potato?
Any favorite quick and easy Whole30 dinner ideas?
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I think that’s cool that you and Adam both do it together; these sweet potatoes look absolutely amazingly delicious.
Meal 1 down, lol! Thanks!
I’m working on various chili recipes. This is simple, but looks pretty darn tasty, so I will give it a go!
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! My husband and kids loved it. I’ve never baked sweet potatoes in foil before but will from now on, they were nice and moist. I also put salt on the skins before baking which was yummy. This was super easy and fast. I’ll be adding this to my regular rotation! Thank you for the recipe!
Yay! I’ll have to take your tip with salt on the skin – why haven’t I done this?! So glad you guys liked it!
I just made this for lunch and it was great! Thank you!
Great! that makes me so happy – thrilled you liked it 🙂
Whoa! These look crazy good! These would be a huge hit with my family.
These look amazing! My kids have said they officially don’t want chili anymore, but I think if I put it in a sweet potato and put the toppings on they’d change their mind! And since I want chili, I’m going to make this!
I wish I could get my kids to eat baked sweet potatoes, they are spoiled with baked fries! At least this chili works with those too 🙂
These stuffed sweet potatoes look absolutely amazing ! It’s sweet and it’s savory. You are making me super hungry lady. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe.
Love sweet and savory! Thanks 🙂
This looks good and it’s nice to have a whole 30 option.
These look so delicious, Michele! I love how quick and easy they are! A common complaint with people doing a Whole30 is the time it takes to cook- so this is perfect! Yum!
My complaint too, lol! I love finding ways to cook things fast 🙂
Stuffed sweet potatoes are a easy dinner favorite! But I had never thought to stuff them with chili! Yum! What a great way to feed a crowd!
There’s a cold front headed to Hawaii tonight, these are perfect for it, yum!
These look so delicious, especially with that sauce on top! I’m starting my Whole30 after a little trip I’m taking MLK day weekend and can’t wait to try these then.
Thanks Becky 🙂 Definitely a Whole30 treat!
Can you saaaaay super bowl food? Or really any night of the week food…these look SO good!!
Thanks! Totally an anytime food especially in the winter 🙂
I noticed my daughter-in-law had pinned this recipe on her Whole 30 Pinterest board. It looked so colorful and delicious I just had to try it. OH MY WORD…this has been the best thing I’ve eaten since starting Whole 30. It was amazing and it’s already on my menu plan for next week too.
That’s awesome! So happy to hear you liked it – anything to make the Whole30 easy 🙂
These are amazing! I just made them for dinner tonight and I am already daydreaming about eating the leftovers tomorrow. I made a minor tweak and used a whole can of tomatoes instead of a half cup. Thank you for sharing this recipe! I cannot wait to share it with friends.
Ooh I’m thrilled you liked it! Love it when I know I have leftovers waiting 🙂
can i use ground turkey? also don’t have smoked paprika on hand. or chipotle. i made this last week as written minus those two ingredients and used regular paprika, but it was org beef so it was yummy. i have 93/7 turkey so maybe i should add a little more fat?
Yes turkey is fine, but add more fat for sure so it isn’t too dry.
Oh man another amazing recipe!! I mad this tonight for dinner with my in laws and my FIL actually went back for more meat and actually ate the sweet potato!!! (He is the pickiest eater and doesn’t like a lot of things) and I was told I could make it again lol. I call that a win!! So happy I found your stuff can’t wait to try the next recipe.
That’s so awesome! So thrilled you all liked it!
Do you think it would still be good if I substituted ground turkey?
Amazing! We have it often and have hooked several guests on it 🙂
I love this recipe! It was delicious. I didn’t add the ranch dressing because I don’t like ranch. I wonder what I could substitute for ranch though….