BBQ Salmon Stuffed Sweet Potato

This Work From Home Lunch recipe is it. It is…as the kids say on TikTok….BUSSIN. I was overthinking this recipe OVER AND OVER because I was like “it’s too simple, what if it’s too simple?” But then I realized that’s what you all come to me for! Super simple, super approachable and super delicious recipes.

I’m just here to provide the inspiration, and you can take it and make it what you want! For this recipe, we’re using a fluffy sweet potato, barbecue salmon, lemon dill avocado and evoo kale and mashing it together into the best, most nutritious, meal prep lunch. All you have to do is roast everything, then assemble and eat!

The first step in this recipe is the sweet potato. Everything her is linear, so we start with what will take the longest and then move on to the more simple aspects of the recipe!

You can either make your sweet potato in the oven or in the microwave. Here are my tips on how to do either:

For the microwave:

Punch holes in each potato using a fork. Place them on a microwave safe plate and heat on high for 3 minutes at a time, rotating each minute. Continue to repeat this process until the potatoes are soft!

For the oven:

Preheat your oven to 425F. Punch holes in each potato using a fork. Wrap each potato tightly in tin foil and place them on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending on the size of your potatoes. Remove them from the oven when they are fork tender!

How to make the salmon

I will always and forever be so surprised by how many people are intimidated by salmon! It is truly the most approachable fish. It has a high fat content, so it can hold up to most forms of cooking, and it is pretty hard to mess up! For this salmon we are doing the entire thing in the oven. This will make it so that the fish doesn’t have a crispy skin (which we don’t need for this recipe!) but it also makes it so that you can flake off large chunks from the salmon fillet, which are perfect for this recipe!

This is how I make the salmon in under 15 minutes:

Place the entire salmon on a foil lined baking sheet. Slather it in the barbecue sauce of your choice (I like a really spicy, vinegary one!). Put the salmon in an oven at 425F and cook for 13-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature at the thickest part is 135F or higher.

Keep in mind that 135F is on the medium-rare side for salmon, so up the temperature if you want it more well-done!

How to make the massaged kale

Ok ok, I KNOW, we are so over the massaged kale trend right? WRONG. I love massaged kale. I live for it. And there are few really interesting science reasons behind why massaged kale is so much better than the OG.

When you massage kale in a bit of olive oil (which is crucial) the fibrous strands in the vegetable break down, and it becomes softer, more chewable and just easier to consume in general. Plus the fattiness of the evoo just makes it that much more delicious.

Kale breaks down right after the massage, but it gets better with age! So storing this kale in your fridge should be no problem if you do this recipe for meal prep!

For this recipe, I like to add red pepper flakes to my kale to add a bit of heat. It goes perfectly with everything else in this meal as well!

The lemon dill avocado mash

If you’ve made any of my recipes before, you know I LOVE my lemon & dill flavor combo. This is because of a years long love affair with lemon dill hummus, and now I try to put lemon and dill in everything! It’s a perfect mix of herby and acidic, and with an avocado? It. is. heaven.

And in this recipe I keep it super simple. Just throw it all together with a bit of salt & pep!

I recommend you mash your avocado on a flat surface when you do this it will just make your life that much easier. And then set it to the side until you are ready to assemble the entire recipe!

Now that we’ve talked through all the basics, I wanted to put a list of everything you need all in one place.

here’s everything you will need to make this recipe

• 2 large sweet potatoes – I got huuuuuge ones, but it is completely up to your preference and your appetite!
• 16 oz. salmon – same with the sweet potato! This is a 1 lb slab, but if you think you’ll want more than 4 oz. of salmon in a sitting, feel free to up the amount on this one!
• 3 tbsp barbecue sauce of choice – I love going with the classic versions from the grocery store, but you can also find tons of other barbecue sauce options that meet your needs! Primal Kitchen is an amazing one, as well as anything from Thrive Market!
• 150 grams kale – this is about 6 cups, it seems like a lot, but it will wilt down in the massaging process!
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes – totally optional, but I HIGHLY recommend it for the heat!
• 1 tbsp olive oil – it doesn’t seem like much for six cups of kale, but trust me, it’s all you need!
• 1 large avocado – extra ripe please!
• 1/2 large lemon – you’ll just need this for the juice 🙂
• 1/4 cup fresh dill – fresh is best as always, but if you have dried on hand you could use that as well!
• Salt & pepper to taste

how to bring this recipe together

• Preheat your oven to 425F.
• Wrap each sweet potato in foil. Place them on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until they are cooked through.
• While the sweet potatoes are roasting, toss the kale in the olive oil, red pepper flakes and salt & pepper. Massage until the kale begins to wilt down. Set this aside.
• In another bowl, mash the avocado and add the fresh dill, juice from 1/2 of a lemon and salt & pepper.
• Place the entire slab of salmon on a foil lined baking sheet and brush with the barbecue sauce. Roast this for the last 15 minutes of your potato’s baking time. Make sure its internal temperature is at least 135F when you remove it from the oven.
• To assemble, cut each sweet potato in half, top with the avocado mash, then the kale, and then chunks of the salmon fillet.
• Serve warm! You can also store each component separately and use as meal prep throughout the week!

tips for storing this recipe as meal prep

To store this recipe for the most freshness possible, I recommend you do a few things:

• Store each component separately! No need to assemble, then store, because that will quickly make things less appealing for when you eat it the next time.
• Store the salmon in its full fillet form – I wrap mine in foil and it stores like a charm! Then you can just flake it when you need it.
• When you store the avocado, make sure no oxygen can touch its surface – this will help prevent browning and keep it looking ~fresh~
• Keep the sweet potatoes in tupperware and don’t cut them until you need them. This will help preserve the fluffy texture on the inside.