Baked Basil Sweet Potatoes with Bacon are a super fun sweet potato dish that everyone will love! One of my favorite savory sweet potato recipes of all time, this comforting, creamy and fresh preparation is a meal in and of itself. 
Sometimes I methodically plan out what I’m going to cook for you. Sometimes days in advance. Sometimes weeks in advance. Not this time.
Inspiration
It was only after I took the sweet potatoes out of the oven, when I saw their beautiful orange, soft “meat” fluff up with a fork, that I thought it should be shared. I just knew something special was about to happen.
However, although they’re super tasty on their own, I couldn’t just share the potato. I mean, c’mon.
I had to mix it with a few other flavors and textures.
This was going to be fun and delicious.
I love that sweet potatoes can work so beautifully in both desserts and dishes that are perfectly suited for lunch or dinner.
What’s in Baked Basil Sweet Potatoes with Bacon?
(Yes most of the key ingredients are in the title, but there are a few more.)
- olive oil
- sweet potato
- applewood smoked bacon
- basil
- Gruyère
- honey
- chile powder
Bacon! I was so happy I remembered I had just a few strips left after our lazy weekend breakfast.
Then I remembered I had Gruyère in the cheese drawer. My favorite cheese! When Gruyère melts it’s super creamy and has a nut-lilke taste that’s delicious with the subtly sweet, sweet potatoes.
That was exciting! Perfect, in fact.
Well, almost perfect.
I just needed one more thing that would bring all of this rich deliciousness to life, something fresh, something green.
Ahhh, basil! That was it.
Just look at how the bright green brings this entire dish together — to life, if you will.
And that’s exactly what happened — these Baked Basil Sweet Potatoes with Bacon came together step-by-step, minute-by-minute. I was totally improvising as I went along, and the result was scrumptious.
What to Serve With Them
- These are a fabulous side dish to have with chicken or meat.
- They can be a totally satisfying main course on their own.
- I especially like serving these Basil Sweet Potatoes with salads.
And can you imagine what a hit these would be as part of a Thanksgiving spread!?
More savory sweet potato recipes:
- Skillet Spiced Sweet Potato Braised Chicken
- Sweet Potato Shiitake Sausage Soup with Udon Noodles
- Curried Corn Stew with Lentils and Sweet Potato
- Ginger Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Enjoy!
A super fun sweet potato dish that everyone will love!
All of the measurements in this recipe can be give or take -- it does not have to be exact!
- olive oil for the pan
- 3 small to medium-sized sweet potatoes
- 4 strips applewood smoked bacon
- 12 large basil leaves, washed and dried, roughly chopped
- 1 cup Gruyère cheese, grated
- 1 tablespoon honey
- sprinkle of chile powder, mild or hot, depending on what you like
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Preheat the oven to 375°F and adjust a rack to the center.
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Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and drizzle it with olive oil. Then evenly sprinkle the oil with salt and pepper.
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Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, and then cut them in half, lengthwise. Place them on the oiled and seasoned parchment-lined sheet pan, round side up. Roast them in the preheated 375°F oven until they are super soft, about 30 minutes.
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While the sweet potatoes are roasting, add a layer of paper towels to a plate and set aside. Then add the bacon to a large sauté pan, over medium heat, and cook until it's crispy, about 4 minutes per side. Let the bacon strips drain on the towel-lined plate.
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Crumble the bacon and mix it with the basil.
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Once you remove the sweet potatoes from the oven, use a fork to gently mash the them inside of their skins. (Keep the oven on!)
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Top each one with an equal portion of the basil-bacon mixture.
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Now top each one with an equal portion of the cheese, drizzle all of them with the honey and sprinkle each with a touch of the chile powder.
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Place the sheet pan in the 375°F oven just to melt the cheese and bring the flavors together, about 5 minutes.
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Serve!
David says
I ask you, what could be better than this? Mark is a baked sweet potato junky now (wouldn’t touch them when we met 22 years ago!!). Dinner one night this week! (Really, I am not kidding!)
valentina says
Love it, David! If Mark likes them, I’ll be happy. 🙂
Mimi says
OMG. This would be like perfect Super Bowl food for me. And they’re beautiful! Wish I could get fresh basil….
valentina says
Thanks so much, Mimi! You could also use sage — about half the amount. 🙂
maria Long says
I never thought of making sweet potatoes this way. You had me at bacon
valentina says
Yay! Hope you try them and thank you!
Veena Azmanov says
I LOVE the color of those sweet potatoes. This looks so perfect. I love the sound of bacon and cheese…. yumm
valentina says
Thanks so much, Veena!
Kristina @ love & zest says
Yum. Now I know what I want for dinner.
valentina says
Yay! Enjoy! 🙂
Raia Todd says
Sweet potatoes + bacon + gruyère = what dreams are made of. 🙂
valentina says
If only I’d thought of that. 😉 Love it!
Kaye Kittrell says
Now you have seriously blown my mind! Got to get some bacon!
valentina says
Kaye, you must! My favorite bacon is Nueskes (applewood smoked). They have it at Gelson’s. 🙂 xo
sippitysup says
I wouldn’t even need a fork and knife to plow through this one. GREG
valentina says
oooh messy! i like it. 😉
Anna Wright says
Thank you for sharing this excellent recipe. The ingredients listed are such high-quality. Can’t wait to try it.
valentina says
Thank you Anna! Hope you love it!
Aquaria says
Had a ton of fresh basil to get rid of (Trader Joe’s gets me in trouble, every time), so I tried these.
Made them without the honey–sweet potatoes are plenty sweet on their own, so this was probably much more savory in comparison to the original recipe, but savory is how we like food in our house.
valentina says
So happy you enjoyed this recipe. Sweet, savory or a little bit of both. Thanks for sharing and Happy Holidays! 🙂 ~Valentina