Cheesy Sweet Potato Skillet Bake in One Cast Iron Pan

A skillet of sweet potato and peppers, crowned with melted white cheese, is the kind of dish that disappears before the chips are even out of the bag. Everything happens in one cast iron pan, from the first sizzle of the cubes to the golden, bubbling top. It is simple enough for a weeknight and bold enough for a party table.

This cheesy sweet potato skillet bake brings sweet, soft cubes of orange sweet potato together with red bell pepper and whole green chili peppers, then finishes everything under a blanket of freshly grated white cheese. Start by cutting the vegetables, then sauté them in a hot cast iron skillet until they soften and take on color.

Scatter the shredded cheese over the top, melt it on the stovetop, and finish in the oven until it bubbles and browns in spots. Fresh cilantro and sliced red chilies go on at the end for brightness and bite. Serve it hot from the pan, with tortilla chips for scooping the cheese as it stretches. The method uses one pan from start to finish, so cleanup stays short.

Ingredients

Why this recipe works

Cast iron holds heat evenly, so the sweet potato cubes brown at their edges instead of steaming in their own moisture. Sautéing the sweet potato and red pepper first builds color and a toasty flavor that a dish baked from raw vegetables cannot match.

The natural sugars in the sweet potato caramelize slightly during this step, which balances the mild, creamy cheese and the heat of the green chilies.

Adding the cheese in two stages works well. Scattering it over the warm vegetables lets it begin to melt and cling to the cubes, and the final spread across the top gives an even, golden layer in the oven. Because the cheese melts before baking, the bake only needs to bubble and brown the surface, so the sweet potato stays tender rather than overcooked and dry.

Notes and substitutions

Choose a firm orange sweet potato with smooth skin and no soft spots. Cut the cubes small and even so they cook through at the same rate as the peppers.

Use a white melting cheese such as Monterey Jack or mild white cheddar; both stretch well and brown lightly on top. Buy a block and grate it yourself, because pre-shredded cheese often contains anti-caking starches that keep it from melting smoothly.

A 10-inch cast iron skillet gives the right depth for this amount of vegetables. A box grater, a sharp chef's knife and a metal spatula complete the setup, and oven mitts protect your hands when the pan comes out of the oven.

If you do not have cast iron, use an oven-safe skillet of similar size, though the color on the vegetables will be lighter. Adjust the heat of the dish by choosing how many green chilies you add and whether you add the red chilies as garnish.

• orange sweet potato: white or Japanese sweet potato, cut into the same small cubes; cook a minute or two longer to soften
• white melting cheese block: Monterey Jack or mild white cheddar, grated just before using
• neutral cooking oil: unsalted butter for a richer, nuttier flavor

Equipment

• 10-inch cast iron skillet
• chef's knife
• wooden cutting board
• box grater
• metal spatula
• oven mitts