sausage pesto pizza sweet potato skins
Rolling out day one of a week of Super Bowl bites with these cheesy vegetarian Sausage Pesto Pizza Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins. Any guesses what constitutes the “sausage”?
Tempeh!
I don’t know about the rest of you, but pesto on a pizza is, though growing I think, a pretty underrated sauce option. I actually prefer it to red sauce, perhaps because I’m partial to basil and like green more than scarlet. Anywho, I wanted to create a sort of pizza-themed sweet potato skin without being too generic about the fillings, because generic is boring and VE should be anything but boring. I remembered the Trader Joe’s Vegan Cashew Kale Pesto that I tried some months ago, and halleloo, a star is born!
Other than the decision-making process, this recipe proved quite easy. I recommend starting early on in your appetizer creation process since slow roasting sweet potatoes is, well, slow. You can skip that step and microwave them instead, but I really think you ought to allow the yams to caramelize in the oven. The sweetness levels up when allowed to bake for a prolonged time, and the house smells delicious.
The tempeh adopts a chewy, Italian sausage-esque texture by way of a quick soak in olive oil and warming hearty spices. Since tempeh is not a fatty soy byproduct, the olive oil softens the grainy texture so when the tempeh hits stovetop heat it’s more apt to turn juicy rather than hard and crisp. There is a place for crisp, but these skins benefit from the marinated tempeh. Give them a slosh on the stovetop for about 5 or so minutes to toast the spices and encourage the flavor to blossom.
Once the sweet potatoes cool, halve them and scoop most of the flesh out. Not enough to render the skin transparent, but so you achieve a little boat of orange awesome with a layer between sheetpan and filling. Mix together the tempeh, your favorite pesto, and cubes of mozzarella until nicely combined. Spoon the filling equally in the skins, cover with a nice Olive Garden-like helping of parmesan, and bake one last time for that gooey satisfying cheese pull we all love.
I can’t say I was the biggest potato skin advocate as a kid, probably because my mom didn’t really make them much. We did, however, grow up on hasselback potatoes brimming with melted cheddar, so cheese potatoes I always shot two thumbs up for. I also never liked sweet potatoes, I thought a brightly hued tuber with a bizarre maple flavor was an accident of nature. I still think sweet potato casserole with marshmallows is weird. What foods did you dislike growing up but found you enjoy now? I kind of hated everything, to be honest. Now, aside from grapefruit, any sort of fruit and veggie goes.
Tried this recipe out? Leave a comment with your thoughts! Don’t forget to find me on Instagram, I’m always hanging around ready for a chat!
Ingredients
- 3 large sweet potatoes, cleaned and scrubbed
- 1 package tempeh
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
- pinch red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 oz fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- olive oil, for roasting and cooking
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- In a storage bag or tupperware, combine tempeh, oregano, garlic, basil, onion, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Pour 2 tbsp olive oil over to. Toss tempeh around in the bag and stow in the fridge at least 20 minutes.
- Once oven preheats, poke holes in the sweet potatoes and roast for 45-60 minutes until tender. Remove to a safe surface and let cool.
- While potatoes roast, prepare the filling. Warm a skillet on medium and toss in tempeh and spices. Cook, stirring ocassionally, until some of the tempeh begins to crisp. Remove from heat and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.
- To a small bowl, combine mozzarella, pesto, and tempeh. Taste for salt and pepper.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice in half. Remove most of the inner flesh, leaving about 14 inch space all around, and reserve for a later use. Spoon filling evenly into each sweet potato half. Top with shredded parmesan. Cook 10-15 minutes until crispy and cheese begins to bubble and turn golden.
- Serve with fresh parsley and Greek yogurt. Plus, your favorite wine, of course.
