Summer Sweet Potatoes With Tomatoes Mozzarella Pesto (Printable)

Roasted sweet potatoes topped with cherry tomatoes, mozzarella, and fresh basil pesto for a vibrant Mediterranean-inspired meal.

# 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 (bocconcini or ciliegine), drained and halved

→ Pesto

05 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
06 - ¼ cup toasted pine nuts (or walnuts)
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 (for roasting)
12 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

# How To Make It:

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.
03 - Roast for 30 minutes, until tender and lightly caramelized.
04 - While the sweet potatoes roast, prepare the pesto: 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.
05 - Remove sweet potatoes from the oven and let cool slightly. Flip them cut-side up.
06 - Top each sweet potato half with cherry tomatoes and mozzarella. Return to the oven for 5 minutes, just until the cheese softens.
07 - Remove from oven, drizzle generously with fresh pesto, and garnish with basil leaves. Serve warm or at room temperature.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The way the cold pesto hits the warm sweet potatoes creates this temperature contrast that makes every bite interesting
  • It looks like you spent hours plating but it comes together in under an hour with mostly hands-off time
  • Leftovers actually taste better the next day when the flavors have had time to really get comfortable with each other
02 -
  • Sweet potato thickness varies wildly so test doneness with a fork some will be done in 25 minutes others need 35
  • The pesto can be made up to three days ahead and stored in the fridge with a thin layer of olive oil on top to prevent oxidation
  • If your mozzarella seems extra watery pat it dry with paper towels before adding or you'll end up with a soupy situation
03 -
  • If your sweet potatoes are particularly massive cut them into thirds instead of halves so they cook through before the edges burn
  • The pesto consistency should be loose enough to drizzle but thick enough to cling so adjust the olive oil accordingly

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