Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Bowls

These Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Bowls start with oven-roasted chicken sausage and sweet potatoes. Top them with cooling avocado salsa and everything comes together with a drizzle of chili-lime sauce.

Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Bowls

This is a little bit of a unique recipe;  I actually never intended to share here on the site. It started as a “clear out the fridge” type of recipe where I basically mashed up a bunch of my favorite ingredients for a quick meal. But after my kids kept begging for more and I found myself whipping it together a few more times (in the same week no less!), I decided it needed to be shared here.

These bowls start with a really simple base — roasted sweet potatoes and chicken sausage. The avocado topping is another group of ingredients and adds a contrasting cool-and-creamy texture on top of the caramelized roasted base. Finally, the sauce adds a burst of flavor, a hint of spice, and pulls everything together.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Chicken Sausage

This seasoned potato and sausage mixture is so tasty — crisp, caramelized edges with soft interiors. Below are a few tips for this portion of the recipe.

• Any smoked sausage will work in this recipe. We personally love Aidells® chicken & apple sausage best. 
• When cutting the sweet potatoes, aim for equal 1/2-inch pieces to promote even roasting.
• Use a very large sheet pan: The more space the potatoes and sausage have (the less crowded they are) the better they roast. When vegetables are overlapping on a sheet pan, they end up steaming instead of roasting. This definitely affects the end taste and texture. (See “quick tip” box below)

QUICK TIP

I’ve started using this 15×21 inch sheet pan – which gives the sweet potatoes and sausage so much room to get nice and evenly roasted. Also, note that cook time changes quite a bit (it’s much longer) when the veggies are overlapping or don’t have enough space.

Avocado Topping

The avocado topping is simple — avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, and seasoning. A few notes below.

• Only use perfectly ripe avocados– they make a big difference. You can tell an avocado is ripe if it yields to firm gentle pressure (feels slightly soft, but not mushy).
• Cherry tomatoes can be tricky to dice, so make sure to use a sharp serrated knife to make things proceed as easily and safely as possible.
• If you hate cilantro, use fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley instead. You could even leave out the fresh herbs entirely.
• Add some additional heat by adding in a tablespoon of seeded and finely diced jalapeños.

Sauce

The sauce isn’t 100% necessary, but it does add a nice flavor and additional creamy element to both the sweet potato and chicken sausage mix and the avocado topping. Here are a few notes.

• We love Hellman’s/Best Foods® mayonnaise in the sauce (not sponsored). It has a robust flavor without being too sweet. I don’t recommend using a substitute for mayonnaise, I haven’t found an ingredient that works the same in this sauce.
• As for spiciness, I’d rate the sauce to be slightly spicy. If you’d like to make it milder, reduce or omit the Sriracha/hot sauce and be sure to use McCormick® seasonings. (We find them very mild.) Alternatively, amp up the heat by adding 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.
• This sauce relies on a fair amount of lime juice and zest. If you cook with citrus a lot, having a good citrus juicer and microplane becomes invaluable!  

Variation Ideas For These Amazing Dinner Bowls

This recipe is easy to customize and is a great springboard recipe to add to or tweak however you’d like. 

• Replace some of the sweet potatoes with other veggies: You can use pretty much whatever veggies you like best — think broccoli, cauliflower, butternut squash, or carrots. Cook time will vary depending on the veggie used.
• Make vegetarian tacos: Char some tortillas and load in the sweet potatoes and sausage mixture. Cut the sausage into quarters first and then top with the avocado mixture and lots of sauce!
• Make lettuce wraps: Layer everything into large butter lettuce leaves and enjoy!
• Amp up the protein: For a higher-protein meal, add in another package of chicken sausage.
• Swap out the sausage: Replace chicken sausage with smoked turkey sausage.

More sweet potato recipes

• Taco-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with ground turkey taco meat
• Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with wild rice
• Sweet Potato Couscous with fresh basil pesto
• Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet with melty cheese
• Sweet Potato Curry with a creamy coconut curry sauce

FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content.

Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Bowls

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

These Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Bowls start with oven-roasted chicken sausage and sweet potatoes. Top with cooling avocado salsa and a drizzle of chili-lime sauce.

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Bowls

5 from 2 votes

- Review this recipe

SAVE TO RECIPE BOX

Print Recipe

These Sweet Potato and Chicken Sausage Bowls start with oven-roasted chicken sausage and sweet potatoes. Top with cooling avocado salsa and a drizzle of chili-lime sauce.

Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine American, Healthy

Keyword Sweet Potato & Chicken Sausage

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 4 servings

Calories 748kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $9.12

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes & Chicken Sausage

• ▢ 1 package (12 oz.) chicken and apple sausage, coined Note 1
• ▢ 4 cups (1.25 lbs) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• ▢ 2 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• ▢ 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and cracked pepper
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon EACH: chili powder, ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon EACH: paprika, garlic powder

Avocado Topping

• ▢ 1 large avocado, diced
• ▢ 1/2 cup diced cherry tomatoes
• ▢ 2 tablespoons EACH: cilantro & freshly squeezed lime juice

Sauce

• ▢ 1/2 cup regular mayonnaise (we love Best Foods/Hellmans)
• ▢ 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice 1/4 teaspoon lime zest
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon EACH: chili powder, paprika
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Sriracha or hot sauce
• ▢ Optional: queso cotija cheese, for topping

US - Metric

USMetric

Instructions

• SWEET POTATOES: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. On a very large (15x21-inch) sheet pan, add the diced sweet potatoes. (Cook time relies on small 1/2-inch pieces and plenty of steam for potatoes to roast.) Drizzle on 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and all the seasonings. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (I add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.) Toss with your hands until well coated in oil and spices. Space out the potatoes so they have plenty of room to roast (if they're overlapping, they'll steam). Bake for 10 minutes.
• CHICKEN SAUSAGE: Remove the tray from the oven and toss the sweet potatoes with a spatula. Add the coined chicken sausage to the tray, along with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Toss to coat and space everything out so it has plenty of room. Roast for another 10-15 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender and sausage is browned along the edges. Taste and add more salt/pepper as needed.
• SAUCE: Meanwhile, combine all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.) Mix until smooth; refrigerate until ready to use.
• AVOCADO TOPPING: In a medium-sized bowl, combine all of the avocado topping ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper. (I add 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper.) Gently stir and set aside.
• ASSEMBLY: Divide the sausage and sweet potato mixture evenly among 4 plates. Divide the avocado topping evenly on each plate. Drizzle sauce (to taste) over each plate. (There may be sauce left over, depending on how much sauce you like!) If desired, add a sprinkle of cheese. Enjoy immediately. (Leftover sauce will stay good for up to a week in an airtight container in the fridge; drizzle over raw veggies or use in another recipe!)

Recipe Notes

Note 1: Any smoked sausage will work in this recipe. We personally love Aidells chicken and apple sausage, but smoked turkey sausage also works nicely in this recipe.

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 748kcal | Carbohydrates: 60g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 1232mg | Potassium: 1149mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 34253IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 3mg

We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.

DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.