Sweet Potato & Kale Skillet with Fried Egg
Crispy paprika-cumin sweet potato cubes, garlicky kale, a fried egg with a runny yolk, and a finish of salty Parmesan. The kind of skillet dinner that looks like it took real effort.
Roasting handles the hard part. Twenty minutes at 400°F turns the sweet potato golden while paprika and cumin caramelize into every edge. The kale only needs five minutes in a hot skillet with garlic. A fried egg on top holds everything together, and Parmesan brings the salt. 629 kcal with 26g of protein and 10g of fiber, and the whole thing is done in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- sweet potato 0.5 pound
- paprika (ground spice) 1 teaspoon
- ground cumin 0.5 teaspoon
- olive oil 1.5 tablespoon
- garlic 1 clove
- kale (frozen) 5 ounces
- egg 1
- Parmesan cheese 1 ounce
Method
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Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
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Peel the sweet potato and cut it into roughly ¾-inch cubes. Spread the sweet potato cubes out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with ⅔ of the oil, sprinkle with paprika and cumin and season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat evenly.
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Roast the sweet potatoes in the oven for 20–25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until they are golden brown and tender.
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Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic.
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Heat the remaining oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Add the kale and cook, stirring often, about 5–6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
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In a separate pan, fry an egg to your preferred doneness.
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Combine the roasted sweet potatoes and sautéed kale in a bowl. Top with the fried egg and sprinkle with shredded Parmesan.
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Serve immediately.
That oil in Step 2 is doing more than crisping the edges. When researchers tested orange-fleshed sweet potato cooked with and without fat, the oil group had 10 to 20 times more beta-carotene available for absorption. This recipe coats every cube in olive oil before 20 minutes at 400°F, the exact combination the research tested.
The fried egg on top does more than add protein. Researchers found that eating eggs alongside vegetables rich in beta-carotene boosted the body's absorption of those nutrients 3 to 8 times, and 96.6% of the absorbed nutrients came from the vegetables, not the eggs. The egg yolk's fat helps carry the fat-soluble vitamins from both the sweet potato and kale into the body.
Why This Works
Behind this recipe
Can I use fresh kale instead of frozen?
Fresh kale works but cooks faster. Reduce the sauté to 3 to 4 minutes instead of 5 to 6. Fresh kale is bulkier, so you’ll need about 6 to 7 ounces (roughly 4 packed cups) to match the 5 ounces of frozen. Nutrition and flavor are essentially the same.
Why roast the sweet potatoes instead of cooking them in the skillet?
Roasting at 400°F caramelizes the edges of the sweet potato cubes in a way skillet cooking can't replicate. The high, dry heat also works with the oil coating. Research found that sweet potato cooked with oil had 10 to 20 times more beta-carotene available for absorption than sweet potato cooked without fat. The oven gives each cube even heat contact with oil for the full 20 minutes.
Read the full evidence reviewWhat does the fried egg add besides protein?
The egg yolk is a fat source that helps the body absorb more of the fat-soluble vitamins in the sweet potato and kale. Researchers found that co-consuming eggs with vegetables rich in beta-carotene boosted absorption of those nutrients 3 to 8 fold. In this recipe, the egg sits directly on two vitamin-rich vegetables, and the yolk adds a fat layer alongside the olive oil already in the dish.
Read the full evidence reviewHow can I make this spicier?
Stir chili flakes into the sweet potato cubes along with the paprika and cumin in Step 2, or toss them into the kale during the last minute of sautéing. Red pepper flakes work well. Start with half a teaspoon and adjust from there.
