Smoky Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans & Corn

Chipotle dressing, mango salsa, and pickled onions infuse this dish with bold summer flavor. Serve it as a side dish, or enjoy it as a meal on its own!

Smoky Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Corn

The first time I made this recipe, I was doing what I love most: cooking with what I have on hand. I had some sweet potatoes on the counter, a little mango salsa in the fridge, and half a jar of pickled onions that needed to be used up. I grilled the sweet potatoes (because who wants to roast or bake them in the summer?), spread them on a platter, and started piling things on top.

Sweet potato rounds, chipotle dressing, corn, black beans, lime, and pickled onions

Smoky Sweet Potatoes Recipe Ingredients

It was all improvised, but it ended up tasting so delicious that I’ve made the same dish two times since! Here’s what’s in it:

  • Grilled sweet potatoes – They create a hearty base for the flavorful toppings.
  • Mango salsa – I love how its sweet, zesty flavor contrasts with the smoky sweet potatoes.
  • Black beans – They add plant-based protein and yummy earthy flavor.
  • Fresh corn – I leave the kernels raw, giving this dish a nice crunch.
  • Crumbled cheese – I’ve been using a tangy, funky quark that Jack and I got from Kite String Cantina here in Chicago. If you can’t find any, don’t worry. Crumbled feta or Cotija would be great too.
  • Pickled onions – For pop!
  • Serrano pepper – Not a fan of spicy food? Feel free to skip it.
  • Fresh cilantro – Adding a few leaves freshens the whole dish up.
  • And chipotle vinaigrette – This sweet and smoky dressing ties everything together. I recommend having extra handy for serving – the dressing really makes this dish.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Grilled sweet potato rounds on a tray

If you want to make this recipe extra-quick and easy to assemble, you can prep most of the components in advance.

Make the mango salsa, pickle the onions, whizz up the dressing…

When you’re ready to eat, just grill the sweet potatoes, and dig in!

Mango salsa and pickled onions in small bowls

We’ve been devouring this recipe for dinner, but if you have a lighter hand with the toppings (or a bigger group), you could serve it as an appetizer or a side dish instead. Whichever you choose, I think you’ll love it!

Platter with grilled sweet potatoes, mango salsa, black beans, corn, and pickled onions

More Easy Summer Dinners

If you love this recipe, try one of these easy summer dinners next:

For more Summer Dinner Ideas, check out this post!

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Smoky Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans & Corn

rate this recipe:
4.86 from 7 votes
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Serves 3 to 4
To make this recipe really quick and easy to assemble, prep the components ahead of time. The mango salsa and chipotle dressing keep well for about 4 days, and the pickled onions last for two weeks or more in the fridge.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Arrange the grilled sweet potato rounds on a platter and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the chipotle dressing.
  • Evenly scatter the mango salsa, black beans, corn, cheese, onions, serrano, and cilantro on top. Drizzle with more chipotle dressing. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve.

2 comments

4.86 from 7 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Ashley
    07.26.2021

    5 stars
    Man oh man. This recipe was pretty labor intensive, but it was SO GOOD. So much flavor and everything works together so well! An amazing summer dish. Will be making again.

  2. Jordyn
    07.20.2021

    4 stars
    This recipe was very tasty! Absolutely love the dressing, and would definitely use it on many other things too! However, this whole recipe was quite labor intensive! Not difficult, but it did involve several steps and separate recipes. Keep that in mind if you decide to make.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.