Skip Peanut Butter: Pair This Vegetable With Jelly For A Next-Level Sandwich

The peanut butter and jelly sandwich has been around for more than a century, with the oldest recipe published in 1901. Originally a snack at upper-class luncheons and garden parties, the mass production of peanut butter led to the sandwich being included in lunchboxes all over the country by the 1920s. People have found many ways to take the traditional PB&J to the next level, such as toasting the bread. However, not everyone can eat peanuts, and some people simply crave something different from the standard. Enter the sweet potato and jelly sandwich.

Swapping sweet potato in for peanut butter is among the sweet potato hacks that actually work, but in the interest of full disclosure, it's not going to taste like a PB&J. Although they don't match the nutty flavor of peanuts, sweet potatoes can still provide a similar creamy texture and buttery notes. You just need to cook them (either by baking, boiling, or microwaving), remove the skin, and mash the flesh.

A plain sweet potato spread will have a sweet finish that pairs well with a variety of jam and jelly flavors — from apple and pear jellies to dark berry and strawberry jams. However, you can spice it up with the addition of cinnamon, honey, and vanilla extract. You could even brighten the spread with apple juice and orange zest, or give it a boozy splash of whiskey or rum. Simply smear your desired amount of sweet potato spread and jelly on two slices of bread, and you have a next-level twist on the classic PB&J.

For a different take on the sweet potato and jelly sandwich, you could leave the sweet potatoes cubed and with the skin on. Turn your bread slices into pockets that can hold the cooked vegetable cubes, and add your favorite jam with a sprinkle of cinnamon. On the other hand, you can remove traditional sliced bread from the equation, too. One option is to use your sweet potato spread and jelly on a bagel, perhaps with some cream cheese and roasted almond slices. If spreading a vegetable on bread of any kind is hard to wrap your head around, you could incorporate sweet potatoes into a biscuit recipe and serve them with butter and jelly in the center.

Another alternative is to not use any kind of bread at all. Instead, you can cook the sweet potato however you like, slice it into rounds, and add jam between two slices. You can even add cinnamon and a nut or seed butter. Using sweet potato slices as toast is also a fantastic alternative to bread. You just need to cut the veggie thick enough, leave the skin on, and avoid overcooking it to help it maintain its structure. Aside from just spreading jam over the top with some cinnamon, top the veggie slices with fresh or dried fruit. You could also switch it up with some Greek yogurt or ricotta, cottage, or cream cheese drizzled with honey. For a savory twist, use sliced sweet potatoes to make avocado toast with a splash of lemon juice and sun-dried tomatoes.