This recipe for twice-baked potatoes is easy to make and tastes fantastic! I used sweet potatoes instead of regular white potatoes, which makes them paleo and gluten-free. They also taste great with any type of filling, but I prefer homemade paleo BBQ and ground turkey stuffing. Yum!
Homemade BBQ Turkey Twice-Baked Potatoes
The best thing about twice-baked potatoes is how fluffy they are. Every bite just melts in your mouth. I took this classic recipe and not only made it healthy but added protein and the best homemade BBQ sauce.
What you have here is a complete meal that tastes like you have a personal chef!
One of my favorite ways to make twice-baked potatoes is by swapping out the white potatoes for sweet potatoes. Not only does it taste sweeter, but it just looks more appetizing, too! All that fluffy sweet potato goodness is mixed with fiber-rich vegetables and lean ground turkey.
Just one of these will fill you up. It tastes so good - and good for you too!
Ingredients In This Twice Baked Potato Recipe
The ingredients list might look long, but every single ingredient will nourish your body and fortify you with the vitamins you need. Here's what I used:
- Sweet Potatoes: You will need 3 sweet potatoes and cut them in half long ways.
- Ground Turkey: It takes about a pound of ground turkey to fill in each potato half.
- Olive Oil: You only need about 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Use just enough to saute the vegetables.
- Onion: Dice up 1 small yellow onion.
- Carrots: Use as many carrots as you want. I found that dicing 2 large carrots was plenty.
- Garlic: Use 3 cloves of minced garlic. This adds the right amount of powerful flavor.
- Spices: My favorite spices to season sweet potatoes are a teaspoon of chili powder, a teaspoon of paprika, a teaspoon of onion powder, a teaspoon of salt, and a teaspoon of pepper.
- BBQ Sauce: Use ½ cup of your favorite paleo BBQ Sauce. Either buy some from the store or follow my healthy BBQ recipe.
- Green Onion: I garnished the potatoes with some green onions for a pop of color and nice crunchy bite. Use as much as you want.
Kitchen Tools Required
You probably have all the kitchen tools you need to make these sweet potatoes. Here's what I used.
- Baking Sheet
- Parchment Paper
- Large Skillet
- Cutting Board
- Knife
For measuring, you will need ½ cup, 1 tablespoon, 1 teaspoon.
How To Make Loaded Twice-Baked Sweet Potatoes
Before you do anything else, preheat your oven to 400F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
After the oven reaches 400F, place the sweet potato halves face-side down and bake for 40-45 minutes or until they are soft to the touch.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat some olive oil. Add in the onions and carrots and cook until the onions are translucent. This takes about 5 minutes.
Next, add in ground turkey and cook until it is no longer pink. Then, add in garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
Stir in barbecue sauce.
Once potatoes are cool, scoop out centers with a fork and add all the insides to the turkey mixture. Stir it together until it is well combined.
Add the turkey sweet potato mixture back into the sweet potatoes and make sure to pile it up high! Once all the turkey mixture is evenly distributed, bake for an additional 10 minutes.
Finally, top with green onions and serve.
Recipe Tips
Below are some commonly asked questions about twice-baked potatoes. Don’t see the answer you’re looking for? Leave a comment at the bottom of this post!
Can you make this ahead of time?
Yes, you can make this ahead of time and save yourself time in the kitchen. The easiest way to do this is to bake the sweet potatoes and scoop out the soft middle. Then, cook and prepare the rest of the ingredients and mix them with the sweet potato filling.
Store the ground turkey and sweet potato mixture in a separate container from the empty sweet potato skins. Keep everything in airtight containers. When you are ready to reheat them, place the filling in the sweet potato skins and bake them until they are piping hot!
Are baked sweet potatoes good for you?
Yes, these twice-baked sweet potatoes are really good for you. They are high in fiber and full of vitamins. Plus, sweet potatoes have more beta carotene than white or red potatoes.
How do you reheat twice-baked potatoes?
The best way to reheat twice-baked potatoes is in the oven. If you try to reheat them in the microwave, the skins will become really soft. The oven keeps them nice and crispy.
Can you freeze twice-baked potatoes?
Yes, you can freeze twice-baked potatoes!
Here's how to do it:
- First, follow the entire recipe in the printable recipe card.
- Then, let the loaded twice-baked potatoes cool off completely.
- Place them on a baking sheet that is lined with parchment paper.
- Then, place the baking sheet in the freezer.
- Keep it in the freezer just long enough for the sweet potatoes to freeze solid.
- When they are frozen, wrap them up individually in food-grade plastic wrap.
Store them in a freezer-safe resealable plastic food storage bag. Then you can grab one at a time, let it thaw overnight in the refrigerator, and reheat it in the oven.
Substitution Tip
Wondering if you can use different ingredients? There are a few ways you can.
I used ground turkey because it is very lean meat, but you can use shredded rotisserie chicken instead.
If you aren't a fan of BBQ sauce with sweet potatoes, try different sauces instead. This creamy vegan buffalo sauce will give it a nice kick! Or add a bit of paleo honey mustard dressing. You can even leave out the sauces completely.
I used a yellow onion, but you can use either white or red onion. Red onions have the boldest flavor out of all of them, so you might only need to use half an onion in these potatoes.
Storing leftovers
These BBQ turkey twice-baked sweet potatoes taste the best when they are hot out of the oven. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They will retain the best texture for up to 3 days. After 3 days, the skins will start to soften.
If you liked this recipe, you’ll want to try these!
Here are some more of my favorite quick-baked dishes. Enjoy!
- Easy Stuffed Chicken Breast Recipe
- Mediterranean Salmon Foil Packs
- Buffalo Turkey Stuffed Zucchini Boats
- Healthy BBQ Chicken Thighs
- Buffalo Chicken Sweet Potato Casserole
Photos by Moriah Sawtelle and recipe by Erin Antoniak.
Paleo BBQ Turkey Twice Baked Potatoes
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 400F and line baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Place sweet potato halves face side down and bake for 40-45 minutes or until soft to touch.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add in onions and carrots and cook until translucent. About 5 minutes.
- Add in ground turkey and cook until no longer pink. Then add in garlic, chili powder, smoked paprika, onion, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
- Stir in barbecue sauce.
- Once potatoes are cool, scoop out centers with a fork and add all the insides to the turkey mixture. Stir until well combined.
- Add the turkey sweet potato mixture back into the sweet potatoes, pile it up high! Once all the turkey mixture is evenly distributed, bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Top with green onion and serve.
Deanna B says
Everyone at my house loved it. My husband and I ate the sweet potatoes, and my picky eaters ate the turkey part - which is a miracle. Loved it!
Erin says
Hi Deanna, so happy your family enjoyed it!! 🙂
Katie A says
We love these for an easy week night dinner + the leftovers are great! Even my 1 year old is a big fan 😊
Erin says
Hi Katie, so happy it was a big hit! 🙂
Kat says
Sooooo easy and so good!! Perfect flavors!
Erin says
Hi Kat, so glad you loved them! 🙂
Alex B says
So easy to make, very good flavor, reheats so well for lunches! Will make again.
Erin says
Hi Alex, so glad you loved them!!
Morgan says
So delicious! Super simple to make and such a great recipe to prep for the week! Love how versatile it is, too.
Erin says
Hi Morgan, so happy you liked them! 🙂
Beth says
These were DELICIOUS! I carmelized my onion instead of just softening it for extra flavor, used TJ’s Carolina Gold BBQ sauce and added some Cabot seriously sharp cheddar on top. My husband and I both really liked them! Will be getting added to the dinner rotation for sure!
Erin says
Hi Beth, so happy you both loved it and made it your own! 🙂
Ashley says
Taste delicious! My husband also loved it! Such a good blend of flavors.
Erin says
Hi Ashley, so glad you both loved it!!
Maddi says
These sweet potatoes are SO GOOD! We’ve been stuck in a dinner rut of making the same meals every week and this is the perfect meal to add to the mix! My picky husband loved them too. Easy meal to make a bunch of and have leftovers to bring for lunch at work.
Erin says
Hi Maddi, so glad you both loved it!!
Beckie Maddox says
Another 5-star winner! Had to cook my potatoes about 10mins longer and added a sprinkle of cheddar before baking again. So delish! Looking forward to work at home lunches with the leftovers!
Erin says
Hi Beckie, so happy you loved it!
brittany says
so good!
Erin says
Hi Brittany, so happy you loved it!!
Charlotte says
SO. GOOD.
Erin says
Hi Charlotte, so happy you loved them!
Alison says
Delicious! My picky husband was so impressed. Will be making these again!!
Erin says
Hi Alison, so glad you both loved them!
Steph says
These were so delicious and FILLING! Definitely will add this to my dinner rotation.
Erin says
Hi Steph, so happy you loved it!!
Erin says
Another amazing recipe!!! I added 3 stalks of celery that I had leftover, and it was delicious. I used Primal Kitchen bbq sauce and it was scrumptious. Will make again!
Erin says
Hi Erin, so glad you loved it and made it your own!!
Jess says
Perfect combination of flavors and just the right hint of sweetness with the potatoes! Even the leftovers were delicious!
Erin says
Hi Jess, so glad you loved it!!
Alexandra Miller says
We loved these! Added bell pepper and jalepeno too
Erin says
Hi Alexandra, so glad you loved them and made them your own!!
Sabrina says
Absolutely delicious!!! I substituted ground sirloin for the ground turkey and loved it. Even my hubby was a HUGE fan!
Erin says
Hi Sabrina, so glad you both loved it so much!!
Monica says
Wow!! This was absolutely delicious! My husband was obsessed, as was I 🙂 he immediately asked for me to add it to our recipe box for a frequent dinner rotation and that’s when you know it was a hit! Thank you so much for this delicious and healthy recipe!!
Erin says
Hi Monica, so glad you both loved it so much!!
Sadie says
Hi! I made these tonight for dinner and had a question. I had a hard time with the sweet potato skin staying in tact when I was scooping out the middle after cooking… any tips?!
Erin says
Hi Sadie, hmm, I'm sorry that happened! Don't scoop too far down that you're scraping the flesh.