Sweet Potato Hash is the perfect recipe for breakfast meal prep – and beyond. It’s loaded with good carbs and healthy plant based nutrition, which means oodles of energy! This one pan recipe takes less than 30 minutes and reheats like a boss. Mix it up all week and serve with a fried egg, avocado or crumbled sausage.
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Everyone loves a good brinner (i.e. breakfast for dinner), and sweet potato hash is certainly flexible enough to work any time of day, but this is one of my favorite powerhouse healthy breakfast recipes. It’s a wonder I don’t have this every. single. day. since it makes me feel like the dang Energizer bunny when it’s on the menu. (Is that lil guy still around?)
I know it’s easy to be torn between sweet and savory breakfast, but it’s an even tougher choice when cooked options can leave you feeling sluggish and heavy either way. One of the main reasons I love veggies for breakfast is that it makes savory the easy choice every time. (Do yourself a favor if you haven’t had this mouthwatering breakfast salad with roasted sweet potatoes and BACON yet. Freal. It’s like bulk with no density.)
Even if you work in a generous helping of (lean) meat, a veggie forward hash (like ground turkey hash with squash and peppers) is going to leave you so much more satisfied hours later. More importantly, hash is going to leave you satisfied hours – even days – before…
How’s that? Well, breakfast hashes are budget friendly. They allow you to use up leftovers or throw items together when it’s time to clean out the fridge. They’re also time friendly. We all love a one pan meal because it means less clean up, but hashes also hold up beautifully in the fridge, allowing you to meal prep days in advance.
What is a “Hash” recipe?
From the French “hacher” (to chop), hash is simply a dish containing an unfussy mish-mash (possibly French for mixture) of chopped up meat, potatoes, and onions. Its raison d’etre (definitely French for “reason for being”) is to make your leftovers more delicious.
While hashes were considered frugal fare for centuries, they went mainstream during WWII (corned beef hash, anyone?) and now, from New York to L.A., foodies have been singing the praises of hash in popular dining for quite some time.
Now you’ll find hashes that run the gamut from potato-free (like this keto friendly hash with brussels sprouts) to ones that crank up the heat with bold seasonings and added veggies (like our Mexican breakfast hash with chorizo).
Hash Hacks
Pan-searing sweet potatoes (or any potato) takes a lot of patience. And the results can be unpredictable – often the outsides burn before the insides are tender. The most popular solution is to roast the potatoes separately. And while I love the flavor of roasted sweet potatoes, it definitely extends the time investment, so here’s a faster, easier way:
Par-boil the sweet potatoes! Combine diced sweet potatoes with water and microwave for 3 minutes – just long enough to barely soften the potatoes.
This gives the sweet potatoes a head start in order to (1) reduce cooking time and (2) create sautéed sweet potatoes that are cooked thoroughly on the inside without burning the outsides. We use this same hack with our Sweet Potato Steak Bites (another Whole30 one-skillet wonder, by the way!), and the results are perfect every single time.
Key Ingredients for Sweet Potato Hash
- Sweet Potatoes: with fiber, Vitamin C, potassium and lots of good carbs, these guys are nutritional gold – like, literally. Keep the skins on because they’re delicious.
- Onions and Garlic: ah, alliums. Lots of flavor, and a punch of vitamins too. White, sweet, or red onions all work here.
- Bell Peppers: more Vitamin C, whee! Especially useful during cold and flu season. Use one yellow and one red (different colors = different vitamins and minerals) and because a trio of colors is so visually appealing. Look at you, eating that plant based rainbow!
- Salt, Pepper and Parsley: season to your preference. Go big on the parsley, because more green is always an excellent idea.
How to Make Sweet Potato Hash
One-pan Sweet Potato Hash is a healthy – and flexible – spin on classic breakfast hash. Loaded with wholesome, budget-friendly ingredients, it’s naturally paleo, Whole30 and vegan with lots of adaptability for add-in proteins. Use our par-boil method for perfect “roasted” sweet potatoes in just a fraction of the time.
- Par-boil sweet the potatoes in the microwave, then drain.
- Saute the sweet potatoes over medium high heat until the edges start to brown, 5-6 minutes.
- Add the onions and garlic and cook 3 minutes more.
- Add the bell peppers and cook 3-5 more minutes, until all the vegetables are tender.
- Season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Serve right away, or store for meal prep.
Chef’s Tips!
- Dice the vegetables to roughly equal sizes of about 1″ each – you’ll get a little bit of everything in every bite!
- Microwave the sweet potatoes to give them a head start and help with even cooking. The finished sautéed potatoes will be tender on the inside with a golden brown exterior.
- Use a 12″ skillet to ensure the vegetables saute properly. A smaller skillet will crowd the vegetables.
- If you prefer softer bell peppers, cook the onions and garlic for just 1 minute, then add the peppers and cook with the onions for 6-7 minutes total.
- Sweet potato hash is terrific for meal prep – simply reheat in the microwave for 30 seconds, then serve with desired toppings.
Is Sweet Potato Hash Healthy?
That’s a yes! First of all, look at the color! When you literally “eat the rainbow” you can be guaranteed that a dish is healthy. A variety of plant-based ingredients with a variety of colors and textures will always yield a dish with a variety of minerals and vitamins.
And sweet potato hash delivers, with tons of Vitamins A and C, good carbohydrates, healthy fats, and 4 grams of fiber.
Sweet potato hash is also vegan and vegetarian, Whole30 and paleo, and gluten and grain free. Dress it up (see options below) with your type of protein or additional mix-ins.
Add Protein to Sweet Potato Hash
- Top with a fried egg.
- Fold in one 14.5-ounce can of drained and rinsed black beans when you add the bell peppers.
- Add sausage. While the sweet potatoes par-boil in the microwave, saute one pound of bulk breakfast sausage or bulk Italian sausage; cook, breaking up with a wood spoon until the fat renders and the sausage is golden brown and crisp around the edges. Remove with a slotted spoon and proceed with the remainder of the recipe. Add the sausage back to the hash just before seasoning with salt, pepper, and parsley; reduce the salt by half to account for the added salt from the sausage.
- Want to add bacon? Try our sweet potato hash with bacon and apple.
Storing and Reheating
We love hash-type recipes because they’re really terrific for meal prep. (Just remember to cook your eggs to order when making sweet potato hash with eggs.) Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Reheat leftovers:
- On the stovetop – heat a 10″ skillet over medium heat and add a splash of olive oil (about a teaspoon per serving); add the hash and saute, stirring frequently, until the hash is warmed through.
- In the microwave – in 30 second intervals, stirring in-between, until warmed through.
Did you make this sweet potato hash? I’d love to know how it turned out! Leave a comment and a rating below.
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Recipe
25-Minute Sweet Potato Hash (One Pan!)
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- Medium Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 1 lb sweet potatoes, (about 2 medium), diced to ½"
- 2 tbsp olive oil, or avocado oil
- ½ medium Vidalia onion, (about 1 cup), diced to ½"
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced to ½"
- 1 medium yellow bell pepper, diced to ½"
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Combine diced sweet potatoes and one cup water in a microwave safe bowl. Cover and microwave 3 minutes. Drain in a colander, and shake to release residual water droplets.
- Heat oil in a 12” skillet over medium high heat until shimmering. Add the sweet potatoes, toss to coat in the fat, then spread into a single layer. Saute 5-6 minutes, stirring every 1-2 minutes, until the edges start to brown.
- Add the onions and garlic and toss with the sweet potatoes. Saute 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the bell peppers and toss with the onions and sweet potatoes. Saute 3-4 minutes more, stirring frequently, until the bell peppers soften but still retain a bite. The sweet potatoes should now be cooked through and onions should be translucent.
- Season with salt, pepper, and parsley. Serve right away, or transfer to a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftovers can be reheated in the microwave for 30 seconds, or reheated in a hot skillet for 2-3 minutes.
Kayley
Thanks for the great recipe, my kids loved it!! Would making this recipe with white sweet potatoes instead of orange affect the recipe? Thanks again!
Elizabeth
Holy cow I ate the entire skillet all by myself. I figured I’d have leftovers for work the next day and that was not the case. It was tasty, filling and super easy to whip up in one pan. I did not microwave the sweet potato chunks before sauteing and everything turned out perfect! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. Now I am off to find out how I can get you to harass my inbox with more deliciousness ;o)
Elizabeth
Delicious and easy, a winning combination. I had a large can of yams that I wanted to use up. Needless to say, they were mushier than if I’d used fresh sweet potatoes but it was still delicious (if not as pretty as it would have been with fresh potatoes). I served it with eggs on top and it was a filling vegetarian meal.