Sweet potatoes are inexpensive, easy to cook, and the perfect food for fall and winter because they're filling and comforting. They're also incredibly nutritious. According to Cleveland Clinic, they're high in vitamin A, vitamin C, and manganese, and are a good source of vitamin B6 and potassium. In addition, one medium sweet potato contains four grams of dietary fiber.

Sweet potato recipe ideas range from plain baked sweet potatoes to desserts, and everything in between. They also work in almost any recipe that calls for a regular white potato. Just keep in mind that they have a naturally sweet taste, so they won't work in recipes where this is not desired. Here are some tips and ideas on how to make the most of this versatile, delicious vegetable.

Spice up a Traditional Recipe

The three most popular ways to cook sweet potatoes are to bake them whole, chop them into bite-size pieces, and then roast them, or make sweet potato fries. Take the plain baked potato to another level by serving it with a dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin spice. Drizzle it with maple syrup and apple cider vinegar, and then sprinkle it with pecans. Roasted sweet potatoes are delicious when served as a side dish and can also be used for making soups and sauces, or added to wraps and sandwiches. In addition, baked and roasted sweet potatoes can be mashed and used as a base for other dishes.

Eat Them for Breakfast or Brunch

Make your brunch more filling and nutritiously balanced by serving sweet potatoes with poached eggs or adding them to your omelet. Sweet potatoes are naturally sweet and are great for sweetening breakfast foods. Mashed sweet potatoes can be added to the batter when making pancakes, waffles, or muffins. You can also add them to your morning oatmeal or make sweet potato steel-cut oats. If you're feeling creative, you can substitute sweet potatoes for your toast—just cut a sweet potato lengthwise, pop the slices in your toaster until they brown, and top them with your favorite breakfast ingredients.

Fill Them with Leftovers

Stuffed baked sweet potato skins are a perfect way to use up your leftovers. To prepare baked sweet potato skins, bake the potatoes in the oven until you can easily pierce them with a fork. When they're cool enough to handle, cut them in half and scrape out the flesh. Stuff the sweet potato skins with leftover chili, chicken or tuna salad, roasted turkey, olives, or feta cheese. Mash the leftover sweet potato flesh and use it to prepare the above-mentioned breakfast dishes. Sweet potatoes can also be used to prepare chili, stew, and pasta. You can even make your own sweet potato pizza crust and load it up with your favorite healthy toppings.

Make Snacks, Dips, and Appetizers

Sweet potato chips are a healthy alternative to regular potato chips and can be prepared at home in a regular oven. If you have a food processor or a high-quality blender, you can easily make your own sweet potato hummus by blending cooked or canned chickpeas, a baked or roasted sweet potato, some tahini paste, a dash of olive oil, and some lemon juice. And if you're preparing for a dinner party, you can use sweet potatoes to make various appetizers and finger foods.

Cook up a Sweet Potato Dessert

Sweet potatoes work really well in dessert recipes because they pair well with healthy sweeteners, such as honey, maple syrup, coconut sugar, dates, and chocolate. They can be used to make delicious pies, cakes, brownies, and even chocolate pudding. Another easy way to make a dessert with sweet potatoes is to roast them with fruits, such as apples, pears, or plums, and serve the dish with maple syrup and toasted almonds.

As you can see, there are many creative ways to use sweet potatoes when preparing your daily meals. Start with these unique sweet potato recipe ideas, and get into the kitchen and start experimenting.