035 / 75 · Cook Outside, Eat Together

Campfire Baked Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans

2 stuffed sweet potatoes · Active 20 min · Total 2 hr 10 min

Print recipe · PDF

Sweet potatoes baked over a steady bed of campfire embers have soft centers and lightly smoky skins. Black beans, tomato and cumin provide a hot filling, finished with lime. This is a meal for a settled camp and a permitted fire, not something to rush while packing up or driving to the next stop.

Jump to ingredients

Campfire sweet potatoes stuffed with black beans and tomato.

Start with a proper cooking fire

Follow local fire restrictions and the campsite’s rules. Let the fire burn down to a steady bed of embers before cooking; active flames scorch the outside while the center stays hard. The total time allows roughly half an hour for this setup, though conditions vary. Use a secure cooking grate and long tongs, and keep the work area clear. Never bring a campfire or outdoor stove inside a vehicle or enclosed shelter.

Size determines the wait

Choose sweet potatoes of similar size, around 10 ounces each. Scrub, dry and pierce them, then wrap in foil. Place on the grate over moderate embers rather than burying them in an unpredictable hot spot. Turn regularly. The potatoes are ready when a skewer slides easily through the center, not merely when the foil is blackened. A large potato can need longer than the estimate.

Heat the filling separately

The bean mixture cooks in a small covered saucepan on an approved stove or secure grate. Tomatoes provide the liquid, so keep the heat gentle and stir the base. Lime goes in at the end. Do not try to heat a sealed bean tin in the fire. Opened cans are ingredients, not cookware, and their labels and linings are not designed for that use.

Open and eat promptly

Use tongs to move potatoes onto plates and open foil away from hands. Split the flesh and loosen it with a fork before adding beans. If there are leftovers, remove the foil and transfer to shallow containers for prompt refrigeration. Do not leave foil-wrapped potatoes warm near the embers for a later meal. Without reliable cold storage, prepare only the portions that will be eaten immediately.

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, about 10 oz each (285 g each)
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil (5 ml)
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped (100 g)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 can black beans, 15 oz (425 g), drained and rinsed
  • 1 can chopped tomatoes, 14 oz (400 g)
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice (15 ml)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (5 g)

Set out

Permitted campfire with secure cooking grate, Long tongs, Heavy-duty foil, Small saucepan with lid, Approved outdoor cooking setup

Allergens

No major US allergen identified in the base ingredients. Check labels and substitutions.

Make it

  1. Prepare a permitted fire and let it burn to steady embers, allowing at least 30 minutes. Scrub, dry and pierce sweet potatoes, then wrap each in foil.
  2. Set on a secure grate over moderate embers. Cook 50–75 minutes, turning every 10–15 minutes, until a skewer passes easily through the centers. Move away from fierce hot spots as needed.
  3. Near the end, heat oil in the saucepan on an approved stable heat source. Cook onion for 5 minutes, add cumin for 30 seconds, then beans, tomatoes and salt. Cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring.
  4. Stir lime into beans. Open potato foil carefully, split potatoes and fluff the flesh. Spoon beans inside and scatter cilantro. Serve immediately.

Plan the waiting time

Begin potatoes before other camp chores, with someone attending the fire. Keep the bean pot and serving bowls ready so the soft potatoes can be filled and eaten without a long warm hold.

A useful detail

Weather, potato size and ember heat affect timing. The recipe is finished by tenderness, not a fixed clock.

Another way

  • Use pinto beans instead of black beans.
  • Add 1 tablespoon chopped drained pickled jalapeños to the beans for heat.

Keep it well

Remove foil and refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F/32°C, at 40°F/4°C or below for up to 3 days. Reheat to 165°F/74°C. Do not save leftovers if dependable refrigeration is unavailable.