Enjoy the bold flavors of currywurst guilt-free! Sweet potatoes instead of pom frites and bread made these Currywurst Stuffed Sweet Potatoes gluten-free and nutritious, and Paleo/Whole30 ketchup and mayo keep this recipe Paleo or Whole30 compliant! Are you ready for Oktoberfest?
Being part German and having a father that is fascinated with Germany, I grew up celebrating Oktoberfest and going to German restaurants. My dad even used to take us to a German "club" where a band played old German polka songs. Everyone danced, ate German food and drank German beer. Despite all of this exposure to German food and culture, it wasn't until last year that I heard about currywurst and tried it for the first time.
I couldn't believe that I hadn't heard of it, especially after I did some reading on how popular currywurst is in Germany! History says that a German housewife invented currywurst in 1949 out of necessity. She traded spirits with British soldiers for ketchup, doused sliced sausage, or "wurst" in the ketchup and sprinkled the entire dish in curry powder before selling it at her food stall in Berlin. It was an odd combination of flavors that took the country by such storm that 80% of Germans now admit to eating currywurst regularly. A plaque honoring her invention even marks where her food stall used to be! (source)
Fast forward almost 70 years. Currywurst has become such popular street food in Germany that close to 1 billion currywurst are consumed each year (source)! It's often served with bread and a side of pom frites and mayo, a delicious but rather unhealthy combination.
Being a gal who loves to take popular dishes that may not be so healthy and make them more nutritious, I set out on a mission to make a nutritious recipe for currywurst. Sweet potatoes just happen to be the perfect substitute for pom frites and bread and a delicious compliment to curry powder, and mixing some mayo with the ketchup makes a velvety sauce that has a great flavor and mouthfeel with the sweet potato. Use Paleo or Whole30-compliant ketchup and mayo and you have this nutritious, Paleo and Whole30 friendly recipe for Currywurst Stuffed Sweet Potatoes!
Health Benefits & Nutrition Info
These Currywurst Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are full of traditional currywurst flavor, yet this recipe provides lots of nutrients and can be enjoyed by almost anyone!
Sweet potatoes are very nutrient dense. They have tons of beta carotene that the body can convert into vitamin A as well as significant amounts of vitamin C, the B vitamins and the minerals manganese, copper, potassium and phosphorus (source). Plenty of fiber helps to slow the absorption of the carbs in sweet potatoes, making them lower-glycemic than regular potatoes.
Curry powder is typically a mixture of turmeric, chili powder, coriander, cumin and ginger. Turmeric and ginger both contain compounds that fight inflammation, and coriander, cumin and ginger all benefit the digestive system by either relieving gas, calming nausea or fighting bacteria that can cause food-borne illnesses. All together, curry powder offers a lot of benefit with tons of flavor!
Ketchup can be laden with high fructose corn syrup, but if you stick to one of the many clean choices I discuss in the section below, ketchup's lycopene content takes the stage instead!
Not to be overlooked is the protein in bratwurst that helps to make these Currywurst Stuffed Sweet Potatoes a balanced meal. Protein is an essential building block of the body that is used to make everything from skin and bones to immune cells and neurotransmitters. It also helps to slow the absorption of carbs in the sweet potatoes and triggers the release of glucagon from the liver, both of which help keep blood sugar balanced. The fat in this meal also helps to keep blood sugar balanced while helping the body absorb all of the fat-soluble goodies in this recipe, like beta carotene and turmeric.
The end result is a balanced and nutritious meal full of traditional currywurst flavor. Are you ready to celebrate Oktoberfest?!
Tips, Tools & Ingredients
These Currywurst Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are super easy to make, but I've provided a few tips below to help you find good quality ingredients and ingredients that are Paleo or Whole30 friendly.
Links to products are included below as part of this section. Some of them are affiliate links, which means that I may receive a small commission if you purchase a product through one of my links. Don’t worry, it doesn’t change the price you pay. Thank you for supporting Taste Abounds!
Sweet Potatoes
I use individually-wrapped, microwaveable sweet potatoes because they are affordable and super easy! I buy them at King Soopers, but lots of other supermarkets carry them, as well.
If you prefer to avoid the microwave, you can also cook sweet potatoes whole in the oven, slow cooker or Instant Pot. Just hop on Google or Pinterest and search for the method of your choice.
Bratwurst
Be mindful of the ingredients in the bratwurst you buy. Johnsonville, the most popular bratwurst, has vowed to source their pork from producers that don't use gestation crates by 2025, but for now their brats may still contain such pork as well as controversial preservatives like BHA and propyl gallate. Choosing a brand without these ingredients is easy at stores like Costco, Natural Grocers and Whole Foods, but a lot of traditional grocers are even starting to carry the cleaner brands. A few cleaner brands to consider that use humanely-raised pork are CharcutNuvo (sold at Costco and Whole Foods), Niman Ranch (sold at Natural Grocers and King Soopers/Kroger), and Mulay's (also sold at Natural Grocers and King Soopers/Kroger).
Another important thing to consider about bratwurst is whether or not it contains veal. The conditions veal calves endure in traditional veal operations is abhorrent, but humanely-raised veal from calves allowed to stay with their mother, nurse and graze has gained popularity. Brands like CharcutNuvo only use this humanely-raised veal to make their bratwurst, which is also free of the artificial ingredients found in conventional brands. Want to skip veal altogether? Niman Ranch and Mulay's bratwurst are both made with humanely-raised pork instead of veal.
Ketchup & Mayo
Buying organic ketchup will help you avoid high fructose corn syrup, but you can go a step further and buy ketchup that is sweetened with honey or free of sweeteners altogether! I provide some choices in the section below on Paleo and Whole30 ingredients where you can click on the name of the product to see where to buy it for a reasonable price. Note that Amazon prices were outrageous for all of the ketchup options! Westbrae Unsweetened Ketchup was reasonably priced on vitacost.com, but believe it or not, Whole Foods actually had the best prices and most choices! Check it out below.
Prefer to make your own ketchup? A Pinterest or Google search for "Whole30 ketchup" will give you plenty of choices!
Mayo is another condiment that can be full of crap. Canola or soybean oil from genetically modified plants is a common ingredient as well as controversial preservatives like EDTA. Thankfully, there are some good options out there, both with and without eggs. The two options made with avocado oil both contain eggs: the best price on Chosen Foods Avocado Oil Mayo is at Costco but it can also be found for a reasonable price at Natural Grocers or VitaCost. Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil Mayo can also be found at Natural Grocers or VitaCost, or it can be purchased on Amazon.
For mayo without eggs, check out Veganaise. It doesn't use avocado oil, but at least the ingredients are not genetically modified.
Paleo & Whole30 Ingredients
To keep this recipe Paleo, choose the following ingredients:
- Mulay's bratwurst (sold at Natural Grocers and sometimes also Kroger's stores, such as King Soopers)
- Westbrae or Primal Kitchen ketchup from Whole Foods or VitaCost
- Primal Kitchen or Chosen Foods mayo
For Currywurst Stuffed Sweet Potatoes that are Whole30 compliant, choose Mulay's bratwurst, Westbrae or Primal Kitchen ketchup and Primal Kitchen Mayo.
Currywurst Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Now that you know how nutritious these Currywurst Stuffed Sweet Potatoes are, what ingredients to use and where to find them, scroll down to find the recipe!
Currywurst Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Enjoy the bold flavors of currywurst guilt-free! Sweet potatoes instead of pom frites and bread made these Currywurst Stuffed Sweet Potatoes gluten-free and nutritious, and Paleo/Whole30 ketchup and mayo keep this recipe Paleo or Whole30 compliant! Are you ready for Oktoberfest?
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 2 links bratwurst
- 4 Tbsp ketchup (see Tips, Tools & Ingredients for Paleo and Whole30 options)
- 2 Tbsp mayo (see Tips, Tools & Ingredients for Paleo and Whole30 options)
- 1 ½ tsp curry powder (plus more to sprinkle on top as a garnish, if desired)
- 2 Tbsp scallions, slivered (approximately 1 scallion)
Instructions
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Cook the sweet potatoes using your favorite method (microwave, oven or slow cooker). Set aside when done.
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While the sweet potatoes cook, brown the bratwurst in a pan or on a grill. Set aside when done.
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While the sweet potatoes and bratwurst cook, mix the ketchup, mayo and curry powder together in a small bowl.
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Cut each sweet potato down the middle and fluff with a fork. Slice the bratwurst into bite size pieces and arrange in the sweet potato. Top with sauce, sprinkle with slivered scallions and more curry powder, if desired. Enjoy!
Disclosure: this post includes affiliate links for convenience. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
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