BBQ-STUFFED SWEET POTATOES
These sweet potatoes topped with pulled pork are sweet and tangy, and they make a great, easy weeknight dinner, as long as you’ve prepped a few things ahead of time (the pork, for example). All you then have to do is throw together a quick salad, and you have a pretty complete meal that’s ready to go. SERVES 4
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 1 hour, 30 minutes
4 sweet potatoes
1 pound (454 g) Pulled Pork BBQ (here)
BBQ Sauce (here), for drizzling or dipping
1 to 2 tablespoons (30 ml) thinly sliced red onion or scallions, for garnish
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Poke each sweet potato 6 or 7 times with a fork. Place them on a baking sheet, and bake until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
- Remove them from the oven, and slice a big wedge out of the top of each. Reserve the wedges for dipping into extra BBQ Sauce.
- Divide the Pulled Pork BBQ among the sweet potatoes by filling the gap left by the wedges you cut, and drizzle with BBQ Sauce.
- Serve garnished with red onion or scallions, with extra BBQ Sauce on the side.
VARIATION 1 CARNITAS-STUFFED SWEET POTATOES: Stuff baked sweet potatoes with Carnitas (here) instead of Pulled Pork BBQ for a different version of this recipe. Bake as directed.
VARIATION 2 VEGETARIAN STUFFED SWEET POTATOES: Top baked sweet potatoes with a big scoop of Perfect Sautéed Mushrooms (here) instead of meat.
PREP TIP: Make the pulled pork in the slow cooker the night before the day you want to make this recipe, so all you have to do is bake the sweet potatoes.
More Recipes You'll Love
BBQ-stuffed sweet potatoes take fluffy baked sweet potatoes and load them with smoky, saucy pulled pork for the ultimate two-ingredient comfort meal. The sweet potato wedges you cut out double as dippers for the extra BBQ sauce — nothing goes to waste. It's the kind of hearty, hands-off dinner that feels like a proper treat.
Pro Tips
- Bake the sweet potatoes until they're genuinely soft and caramelized at the edges — underdone potatoes make the whole dish feel starchy and flat.
- Cut a wide wedge from the top of each potato to make a proper boat for the pulled pork filling.
- Warm the pulled pork before stuffing so the whole dish comes together hot; cold pork against hot potato is a letdown.
- Drizzle extra BBQ sauce over the top and garnish with red onion for a sharp, fresh bite against the sweetness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I microwave the sweet potatoes instead?
Yes — 5 to 7 minutes each turns them tender quickly. You'll lose the caramelized, slightly chewy skin that oven-baking gives.
What can I use instead of pulled pork?
Leftover shredded chicken with BBQ sauce works beautifully, or crumbled cooked sausage for a different take.
Are sweet potatoes Paleo?
Yes — sweet potatoes are a staple carbohydrate in Paleo cooking, especially for active people. Combined with pulled pork they make a complete meal.
Can I prep these ahead?
Bake the potatoes and cook the pork ahead, then rewarm and assemble. They're best fresh but hold well for 3 days in the fridge.
Recipe Card

Ingredients
Method
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Remove them from the oven, and slice a big wedge out of the top of each.
- Reserve the wedges for dipping into extra BBQ Sauce.
- Divide the Pulled Pork BBQ among the sweet potatoes by filling the gap left by the wedges you cut, and drizzle with BBQ Sauce.
- Serve garnished with red onion or scallions, with extra BBQ Sauce on the side.




