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Key takeaways
- Bake the sweet potato, do not boil it, so the dough stays dry enough to wrap.
- Add flour a spoonful at a time. The dough should stay soft and a little tacky.
- Cook the beef to 160°F, chill the pockets 15 minutes, and fry at medium heat until 165°F in the center.
In this post4 sections
What we found, and what we are guessing
We could not find one recipe that matches this reel, so we built it from three kinds of pages: sweet potato flatbreads, sweet potato rolls and stuffed potato pockets. They agree on one rule: sweet potato dough holds a lot of water, so the flour amount varies and should go in slowly. Flatbread pages use about 1 cup of mash to about 1 cup of flour, while the reel uses only 1/2 to 2/3 cup with cheese in the dough. We start at 1/2 cup and go up to 1 cup, which is where the sources land. Flatbreads cook 3 to 5 minutes a side over medium heat. Some pages could not be opened and the reader comments we saw were few, so the tips come mostly from the recipes. Amounts are our estimates.
Watch the reel by @fiteat.rima on Instagram
Tested recipe
Sweet Potato Flatbread Pockets with Beef and Mozzarella
Soft sweet potato dough wrapped around seasoned beef, spinach and melted mozzarella, then pan-fried into golden pockets. Makes 3.
Ingredients
Sweet potato dough
- 1 large sweet potato, about 12 oz; gives about 1 cup mashed
- 1 tsp olive oil, to rub on the potato
- 1/2 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella
- 1 tsp olive oil, for the dough
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 to 1 cup all-purpose flour, start with 1/2 cup; extra for dusting
Beef filling
- 8 oz lean ground beef, 90% lean
- 2 Tbsp red onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped, packed
- 1/4 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella, for inside the pockets
To cook and serve
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, for the pan
- 3/4 cup marinara sauce, warmed
Steps
Step pictures are AI illustrations, not our dish. Our photos are coming after we cook it.
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Heat the oven to 400°F. Scrub the sweet potato, poke it 6 to 8 times with a fork, rub it with 1 tsp olive oil and set it on a foil-lined sheet pan. Bake 45 to 60 minutes, until it feels very soft and a knife slides in with no resistance.
AI illustration -
Cool the sweet potato 15 minutes. Scoop the flesh into a large bowl and mash until smooth with no lumps. You need 1 cup.
AI illustration -
While it cools, brown the beef with the onion, 1/2 tsp salt and the pepper in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up, 5 to 6 minutes, until no pink remains and it reads 160°F. Drain the fat, stir in the spinach for 1 minute until wilted, and spread the filling on a plate to cool 10 minutes.
AI illustration -
Stir 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1 tsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt into the mash. Stir in 1/2 cup flour, then add more flour 1 Tbsp at a time, up to 1 cup in all, until the dough is soft, slightly tacky and pulls away from the bowl. Knead 1 minute, then divide it into 3 equal pieces.
AI illustration -
Dust a sheet of plastic wrap with flour. Press one piece into a round about 5 inches wide. Spoon 1/3 of the beef filling and 4 tsp of the remaining mozzarella into the center. Lift the wrap to bring the dough up over the filling, pinch the seam shut, remove the wrap and press into a thick patty about 4 inches wide. Repeat with the other two, set them on parchment and chill 15 minutes.
AI illustration -
Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Fry the pockets 4 to 5 minutes per side, until deep golden and the center is hot (165°F on an instant-read thermometer) and the cheese is melted. Lower the heat if they brown faster than that. Rest 3 minutes and serve with warm marinara.
AI illustration
Notes
- Contains milk and wheat (gluten).
- Cook the beef to 160°F before it goes in the dough, and check that the pockets are 165°F in the center, as ground beef is in the filling.
- Bake the sweet potato rather than boiling it. Boiling adds water, so the dough turns wet and needs more flour, which can make it dense.
- Sweet potatoes hold different amounts of water, so the flour is a range. The dough should be soft and a little tacky; too much flour makes the pockets heavy.
- Keep the heat at medium. Sweet potato that browns too dark can taste bitter.
- Cooling the filling first keeps it from melting the cheese and making the dough sticky.
- Starting amounts follow the reel; the dough ratio, chill step and heat are our corrections from the recipes we read. The reel gave no tested amounts, so amounts and times here are our estimates.
Swaps
- Ground turkey in place of beef, cooked to 165°F; untested.
- Cheddar or pepper jack in place of mozzarella; untested.
- Chopped kale in place of the spinach; untested.
- Baking the pockets (400°F for about 25 minutes, turning once) instead of frying; untested.
Storage and reheating
Storage: Cool within 2 hours, then refrigerate in a covered container up to 3 days. To freeze, wrap each pocket and freeze up to 2 months (we have not tested freezing); thaw in the fridge overnight.
Reheating: Reheat on a sheet pan at 350°F for 12 to 15 minutes, or in a skillet over medium-low heat for about 5 minutes per side, until 165°F in the center. The microwave works but softens the crust.
Nutrition (1 pocket with 1/4 cup marinara)
- Calories: 500 calories
- Carbs: 48 g
- Sugar: 10 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Fat: 21 g
- Sodium: 765 mg
Estimates only. Not medical or nutrition advice.
Where this recipe comes from
- Inspired by Sweet Potato Rellenos by Delish D'Lites, for chilling the filled pieces so they hold their shape. The dough ratio and skillet heat come from several sweet potato flatbread pages we read.
- The idea came from this reel by @fiteat.rima.
How to serve it
Serve hot with warm marinara and a green salad. A pocket is a full dinner for one, or cut in half for a lighter plate.
Every recipe from Diane's reels in one printable book: the Healthy Recipes Cookbook.
Frequently asked questions
Why is my dough too sticky to wrap?
Sweet potatoes vary in water. Add flour 1 Tbsp at a time until the dough is soft and just tacky, and use floured plastic wrap to shape it. Boiled potatoes need more flour, so bake it.
Can I bake the pockets instead of frying?
We have not tested it. Baked sweet potato buns in the pages we read took about 30 minutes at 400°F, so try that and tell us.
Can I make them ahead?
Yes. Bake the potato and cook the filling a day ahead, or fry the pockets and reheat them in a 350°F oven until 165°F in the center.
