Sweet Potato Turkey Bean Bake (Printable)
Hearty baked casserole with sweet potatoes, ground turkey, black beans, and melty cheese for a wholesome family dinner.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Meats
01 - 1 lb lean ground turkey
→ Vegetables
02 - 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced (about 1.5 lbs)
03 - 1 large red bell pepper, diced
04 - 1 medium red onion, diced
05 - 2 garlic cloves, minced
→ Beans
06 - 1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
→ Pantry Staples and Seasonings
07 - 1 can (14 oz) diced tomatoes
08 - 1 tsp ground cumin
09 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
10 - ½ tsp chili powder
11 - ¼ tsp ground black pepper
12 - 1 tsp salt
13 - 1 cup shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
14 - 2 tbsp olive oil
15 - Fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish (optional)
# How-To Steps:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon until fully browned and no pink remains.
03 - Add the diced red onion, red bell pepper, and minced garlic to the skillet. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until the vegetables are softened and fragrant.
04 - Stir in the diced sweet potatoes and cook for an additional 3 minutes, allowing them to begin softening and picking up flavor from the spices.
05 - Add the drained black beans, diced tomatoes with their juice, ground cumin, smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and black pepper. Stir thoroughly to combine all ingredients evenly.
06 - Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the skillet, and simmer for 10 minutes. This allows the spices to meld and the sweet potatoes to begin tenderizing.
07 - Pour the entire mixture into the prepared 9x13-inch baking dish, spreading it out into an even layer.
08 - Cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes to continue cooking the sweet potatoes through.
09 - Remove the foil and sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly across the top. Return to the oven uncovered and bake for another 10 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are fork-tender and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
10 - Remove from the oven and garnish with chopped fresh cilantro or parsley if desired. Serve hot.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- It is the rare weeknight casserole that actually tastes better than it looks, and it looks pretty incredible bubbling under a layer of melted cheese.
- Everything cooks in one skillet before it goes into the oven, which means you get all the layered flavor with minimal cleanup.
- The sweet potatoes soak up the spices and tomato juices until they become something completely different from what you expect, soft and savory and almost irresistible.
02 -
- Cutting the sweet potatoes too large is the most common mistake, and they will still be crunchy after baking, so aim for uniform small cubes no bigger than 1 cm.
- Do not skip the covered baking step, because that trapped steam is what tenderizes the sweet potatoes before the cheese goes on.
03 -
- Taste the filling before it goes into the baking dish and adjust the salt and spices, because once the cheese goes on, it is too late to fix an under seasoned base.
- Letting the bake rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving helps it set up so it scoops neatly instead of spilling everywhere.