Loaded Mediterranean Sweet Potato Fries
This healthier take on loaded fries features crispy sweet potato fries piled high with ground turkey, tzatziki, and feta cheese!
In my mind, it doesn’t get any more comforting (or tempting) than a giant pile of loaded fries. You know those stands you find at summer festivals with big bold letters spelling “LOADED FRIES?” Yeah, I’m like a moth to that sour cream, cheese, and bacon covered flame.
We all splurge on treats like this every now and then, but let’s face it. Most of our waistlines (and arteries) can’t afford to make loaded fries a regular part of our menu rotations. Well, that is, until now. Friends, let me introduce you to loaded Mediterranean Sweet Potato Fries, AKA how I satisfy a craving for cheese fries without sacrificing my ability to wear a bathing suit in public.
I like to call this the great switcheroo. Here, each element of classic loaded fries is replaced with a healthier alternative, so you get all the big flavor and satisfaction without the guilt.
Fried french fries are replaced with baked sweet potato fries, which are a great source of vitamins, iron, and magnesium. I like to buy frozen sweet potato fries to make dinners like this come together in a cinch.
On top of the fries lies a mound of ground turkey, seasoned with oregano and garlic to bring out some classic Greek flavors.
On top of that is my chosen sub for sour cream: a generous dollop of cool, tangy refreshing tzatziki sauce, made with Greek yogurt and cucumber. And on top of all of those things come the extras, which are my favorite part! Red onion, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese (because you can’t have loaded fries without cheese, right?), and maybe just a sprinkling of parsley to seal the deal.
Now, I’m not going to sit here and tell you these Loaded Mediterranean Sweet Potato Fries taste exactly like their grease-laden counterparts. In fact, these fries take on an entirely different flavor profile. The flavors are light and fresh, filled with the bright puckery goodness of lemon, the earthiness of oregano, and the tang of feta and tzatziki. Yet, despite these being quite different from classic loaded fries, they still manage to provide the same satisfaction and comfort appeal.
Oh, and here’s two more things these loaded fries have going for them. They’re gluten free and easy to make.
While the sweet potatoes bake, you can whip up the tzatziki, saute the ground turkey, and slice up your toppings. By the time the potatoes have reached that perfect level of crispiness, you’ll be ready to go.
A few quick notes about the tzatziki. I used A Couple Cook’s authentic tzaziki recipe for this and really loved it. We’ve been using the leftovers as a dip for veggies, pretzel chips (<<obsessed!), and pita bread.
There’s just one problem. The recipe calls for grating the cucumber by hand with a box grater. I gotta tell you, grating a cucumber on a box grater is like playing a game of ER-visit roulette. Visions of bloodied knuckles danced through my head as I tried to grate the final nubs of watery, wobbly cuke. Wanting to save ourselves the medical bills, I finally resorted to a knife for the last few bits, and it worked just fine, and was much preferable to slicing my finger open.
So do that. And enjoy this killer plate of healthy loaded fries without the mangled flesh on top.
Loaded Mediterranean Sweet Potato Fries with Tzaziki Sauce
Ingredients
For the tzaziki:
- 1 medium sized cucumber
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 18 ounces greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill
For the fries:
- 1 bag frozen sweet potato fries
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and Pepper
- Chopped red onion
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Tzaziki
Instructions
Recipe by NeighborFood
Happy Thanksgiving! This was so good, I could’ve made the tzaziki sauce my whole meal, give me a spoon and pass the bowl! So, so good! I made it as written, except I used pickled red onions instead of raw. I think next time I will get an extra cucumber to slice and serve with it. As far as grating the cucumber, I peeled it and grated around the core, that way I didn’t have to cut the core out, and I had something to hold onto so my fingers could stay intact! Thank you for such an awesome recipe! I will be making it on a regular basis!
Great! I love to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing.
These look ah-mazing! I love homemade tzatiki. I love sweet potato fries. WHY did I never think to join the two?!
I’m kind of freaking out over these–I LOVE LOVE LOVE sweet potato fries and the tzaziki is pure brilliance.
What a great idea for loaded fries! These sound great!
Ermigawd, these are right up my alley! I can (unfortunately) go through 3 sweet potatoes’ worth of baked fries without even knowing it. Love the healthier subs though!
Me too! It’s like candy for me!
What a great idea to do a tzaziki dip for the sweet potatoes! I’m making sweet potato fries with dinner tonight and am off to see if I have some cucumber!!
It’s such a great combo!
Bwahahahaha, that last part about the mangled flesh on top of my fries had me laughing and cringing at the same time. Tony is the most squeamish person I know – if he read that entire last paragraph of yours about sliced hands and blood, he’d be rocking himself in a corner, mumbling incoherently. These loaded sweet potato fries look unbelievably awesome. I love that you made such a classic junk food into something healthier, fresh and flavourful.
Well…ummm….we’ll just keep that mangled flesh bit our little secret then. ๐
I LOVE this idea! Especially because nightshades (ie: potatoes, etc) don’t agree with me – so the sweet potatoes are much better for me!
Yes! This would be a great alternative!
I love the idea of healthy loaded fries!! we do this with tortilla chips and make loaded nachos for dinner once in a while, but this is pretty awesome too! I think this totally is going on my list of weeknight dinners for sure!
Awesome! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
Um, hello delicious! Such a clever flavor combination!
Thanks Melanie. This was one of those risky things where I was like, “Is everyone else going to think this is super weird?” But we loved it so much, I had to see if the world would love it too! ๐
I LOVE sweet potato fries! This is definitely tonight’s dinner!
Me too Cindy! I think I like them better than regular fries!
How have loaded sweet potato fries NOT been a thing in my life?! I feel like I’ve really been missing out.
Girl, you’ve gotta make loaded sweet potato fries happen. Life changing.
Holy yum! Sign me up for this! I’ll even turn the oven to enjoy a big plate!
Worth it!
Oh my goodness what a taste fest!! I’d be all over a plate of these loaded fries.
And I would be more than happy to share! That is…if I had any left. ๐
This is genius! All the flavors of yummy Greek food and loaded fries with a healthy twist!
Thanks Denise!