Name: Sweet Potato Jackets with Tuna
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2 Sweet Potatoes (About 350g each); ½ tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil; ¼ tsp Sea Salt (Divided); ¼ tsp Pepper (Divided); 102 g Tinned Tuna in Spring Water (Drained weight ); 2 tbsp Greek Yoghurt; 2 tsp Sweetcorn; 2 tsp Red Pepper (Chopped into a small dice); 2 tsp Spring Onions (Scallions) (Finely chopped); 2 tsp Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice; ¼ tsp Ground Cumin; ¼ tsp Ground Turmeric

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Mix up your jacket potato game with these Sweet Potato Jackets loaded with a creamy ‘no-mayo’ tuna salad. And, unlike the standard white spud, sweet potatoes count towards one of your 5-a-day.

Three sweet potato jackets with tuna, and half a squeezed lemon

Sweet potato jackets are one of my all-time favourite things to eat for lunch. Especially in these gruelling winter months when it’s still so cold outside. They instantly warm your tum.

WHY SWEET POTATO JACKETS OVER REGULAR WHITE POTATOES?

There’s a lot of chatter on the interweb about one versus the other. But, they are both highly nutritious in their own right. When comparing the stats for 100g on a nutrition table Healthline has shown, there’s very little difference.

That being said, the standard spud is not considered part of your 5-a-day because of the amount of starch it contains. Whereas a sweet potato can be counted. With that theory in mind, if you are looking to up your vegetable intake, then you might consider a portion of sweet potato over the humble white potato.

WHY ARE SWEET POTATOES A GOOD ADDITION TO OUR DIET?

Sweet Potatoes are rich in nutrients, minerals and antioxidants. All of which can help support our gut health, provide cancer protection properties and support brain function.

Sweet potatoes are also a particularly good source of vitamin A, which is beneficial for supporting your immune system and healthy eyes. (Source)

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO COOK SWEET POTATO JACKETS?

It takes about 45 minutes to bake a sweet potato in the oven. This is for a medium-sized sweet potato that’s about 350g (12oz) in weight. But, hands-on time is literally less than 5 minutes. So, you can be getting on with other things while they bake. You don’t even need to turn them.

Once they’re cooked, the sweet potatoes will have a super soft, slightly sweet flesh, with gorgeously baked skin. Not too crispy, but slightly caramelised. Yum!

This is my absolute favourite way to cook them. That baking time in the oven creates flavours that are out of this world!

HOW TO BAKE SWEET POTATO JACKETS WITH TUNA

Check out the below step-by-step instructions, or scroll down to find the printable recipe card.

STEP-BY-STEP RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS

Step 1: Prepare your ingredients and get your equipment ready, making sure to scrub your potatoes well.

Preheat your oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.

Two raw sweet potato jackets on a baking tray brushed with olive oil

Step 2: Prick your sweet potatoes with a fork (once on each side), then, rub or brush with extra virgin olive oil. Now, sprinkle with a pinch of the salt and pepper.

Put the sweet potatoes on a baking tray, and bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Tinned tuna with vegetables, yoghurt, seasoning and cumin

Step 3: In a medium-sized bowl, add the remaining ingredients – tuna, yoghurt, sweetcorn, red peppers, spring onions (scallions), lemon juice, cumin, turmeric, and the remaining salt and pepper.

Tuna mixed with yoghurt with spring onions, peppers and sweetcorn

Step 4: Mix everything together, cover and put to one side until the sweet potato jackets have baked.

Step 5: After 45 minutes the sweet potato jackets should be ready. To check, pierce with a knife – the flesh should be super-soft.

Sweet potato jackets with Tuna on a plate with rocket on the side

Step 6: Split the sweet potato jacket open with a knife and fill with tuna. Serve with a side of salad.

If you do get the chance to give these Sweet Potato Jackets with Tuna recipe a try, I’d love for you to drop me a note in the comment section and provide star rating.

And, if sweet potatoes are just not your thing, you can find more lunch ideas here.

Thank you so much for reading.

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