Summer Sweet Potatoes With Tomatoes Mozzarella Pesto (Printable)

Roasted sweet potatoes topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil pesto.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 4 medium sweet potatoes, scrubbed and halved lengthwise
02 - 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

→ Dairy

04 - 7 oz mozzarella balls, drained and halved

→ Pesto

05 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
06 - ¼ cup toasted pine nuts
07 - 1 garlic clove
08 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
09 - ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
10 - Salt and pepper, to taste

→ Olive Oil & Seasoning

11 - 2 tbsp olive oil
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
02 - Brush sweet potato halves with 2 tbsp olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place cut-side down on the tray. Roast for 30 minutes, until tender and lightly caramelized.
03 - In a food processor, blend basil, toasted pine nuts, garlic, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. With the machine running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until smooth. Adjust seasoning as needed.
04 - Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and let cool slightly. Flip them cut-side up.
05 - Top each sweet potato half with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, just until the cheese softens.
06 - Remove from oven, drizzle generously with fresh pesto, and garnish with basil leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The roasted sweet potatoes become candy sweet and creamy inside, creating the perfect canvas for fresh summer flavors.
  • It's that rare dish that feels substantial enough for dinner but light enough for 90 degree weather.
  • You can prep everything in advance and just assemble when guests arrive, looking fancy with almost zero effort.
02 -
  • Sweet potato thickness varies wildly, so start checking them at 25 minutes. You want a knife to slide through easily but not fall apart completely.
  • The pesto can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in the fridge with a thin layer of oil on top to prevent oxidation.
  • Don't skip the parchment paper. The natural sugars in sweet potatoes caramelize aggressively and can be brutal to clean off baking sheets.
03 -
  • Cut your sweet potatoes to a similar thickness so they finish roasting at the same time. I lay them out and swap any outliers that look dramatically different.
  • Room temperature mozzarella melts more evenly than cold straight from the fridge, so take it out while you prep.

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