Tuesday Mole Sweet Potato–Cabbage Skillet (My January Comfort Move)
January in Brooklyn makes me crave two things: warmth and a plan. This Tuesday Mole Sweet Potato–Cabbage Skillet is both. The inspiration is pure Oaxaca-meets-weeknight: that deep, toasted chile vibe I grew up with, but built with “toast, then blend” shortcuts so you’re eating before someone asks for a snack (again).
I started making a version of this when my kitchen was basically a shoebox and my patience was… also a shoebox. Sweet potatoes were cheap, cabbage lasted forever, and a quick mole-ish sauce made everything feel like abuela was supervising—even when it was just me, in sweatpants, listening to the radiator hiss.
What makes it special is the contrast. Soft, caramelized camote (sweet potato). Jammy onions. Crunchy cabbage. Then that cool chipotle-lime yogurt swoops in like, “Relax, mijita, I got you.” Pepitas on top because texture is a love language.
Make it yours: add black beans or shredded rotisserie chicken. Go hotter with extra chipotle, or kid-friendly with just a tantito. No yogurt? Sour cream works. Finish bright—lime is not optional. Taste it—then decide.
Featured Recipe
Tuesday Mole Sweet Potato–Cabbage Skillet with Chipotle-Lime Yogurt
This is my January comfort move: caramelized sweet potatoes, jammy onions, and crunchy cabbage coated in a fast “Tuesday mole” sauce that tastes like you worked harder than you did. You finish it with a cool chipotle-lime yogurt and toasted pepitas—because real flavor, real life (and we like textures around here).
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Ingredients
- 2 Sweet potatoes (medium)(peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes)
- 4 cups Green cabbage(thinly sliced (about 1/2 small cabbage))
- 1/2 Red onion(thinly sliced (if it’s huge, use 1/3. No, really.))
- 3 cloves Garlic(minced)
- 2 tbsp Olive oil (or neutral oil)
- 1 1/2 tsp Kosher salt(plus more to taste)
- 1/2 tsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika(this is the ‘toast without stress’ shortcut)
- 1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon(just enough to whisper mole vibes)
- 2 tbsp Tomato paste(for body and that deep, cooked-tomato sweetness)
- 1 tbsp Chipotle in adobo(minced, plus 1 tsp adobo sauce (use less for kids))
- 2 tbsp Natural peanut butter(or almond butter; this is your fast nut-thickener)
- 3/4 cup Low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth(water works in a pinch; taste and salt accordingly)
- 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar(or red wine vinegar)
- 1 Orange(zest 1/2 and juice 1/2 (January citrus = free flavor))
- 1 Lime(juice for finishing)
- 1/3 cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds)(toasted; sunflower seeds also work)
- 3/4 cup Plain Greek yogurt(or sour cream/crema)
- 1 tsp Honey(optional, to round out the chile)
- 1/2 cup Cilantro(rough chopped; swap flat-leaf parsley if you’re a cilantro-hater (I see you))
- 8 Warm corn tortillas(for serving (or rice, or a fried egg—choose your adventure))
- 1–2 teaspoons Adobo sauce(From chipotle in adobo; used in the yogurt/sauce.)
- 1 orange zest Orange zest(Zest from 1 orange added to the sauce.)
- 1 orange juice Orange juice(Juice from 1 orange added to the simmer sauce.)
Instructions
- 1
Toast the 1/3 cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds). Put a big skillet over medium heat. Add 1/3 cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and toast 3–4 minutes, shaking the pan, until they smell nutty and start popping. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
4 min
Tip: Don’t walk away. Pepitas go from golden to bitter in one TikTok scroll.
- 2
Brown the 2 medium Sweet potatoes. In the same skillet, heat 2 tbsp Olive oil (or neutral oil) over medium-high. Add 2 medium Sweet potatoes, 1/2 tsp Kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp Black pepper. Cook 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until you’ve got browned edges and they’re just starting to soften.
10 min
Tip: If they’re sticking, add a splash of water and scrape. That brown stuff is flavor, mijo.
- 3
Build the base (cebolla + ajo). Push 2 medium Sweet potatoes to one side. Add 1/2 Red onion to the empty side with a tiny drizzle more 2 tbsp Olive oil (or neutral oil) if needed. Cook 3 minutes. Add 3 cloves Garlic and cook 30 seconds.
4 min
Tip: If your pan feels dry, that’s your cue for 1 more teaspoon oil. Not a moral failing.
- 4
Toast the ‘Tuesday mole’ spices. Add 1 tsp Ground cumin, 1 1/2 tsp Smoked paprika, and 1/4 tsp Ground cinnamon. Stir 20 seconds so they bloom (that means ‘wake up’).
1 min
Tip: Keep it moving so the garlic doesn’t burn. Burnt garlic = heartbreak.
- 5
Make it saucy: tomato paste + chipotle + peanut butter. Add 2 tbsp Tomato paste, 1 tbsp Chipotle in adobo, and 2 tbsp Natural peanut butter. Stir 1 minute until it looks brick-red and glossy.
2 min
Tip: This is the ‘toast, then blend’ spirit—without washing a blender.
- 6
Loosen and simmer. Pour in 3/4 cup Low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth, add 1 tbsp Apple cider vinegar, 1 orange zest Orange zest, and 1 orange juice Orange juice. Stir well, scraping up the browned bits. Simmer 3 minutes to thicken into a clingy sauce.
4 min
Tip: Taste it—then decide. Needs salt? Add a pinch. Needs brightness? Another squeeze of orange or lime.
- 7
Add 4 cups Green cabbage and finish the skillet. Toss in 4 cups Green cabbage with the remaining 1/2 tsp Kosher salt. Cook 3–5 minutes, tossing, until 4 cups Green cabbage is glossy and slightly wilted but still has crunch. Turn off heat. Squeeze in 1 Lime juice.
5 min
Tip: January cabbage is sweet and sturdy. Don’t cook it to sadness.
- 8
Stir up the chipotle-lime yogurt. In a small bowl, mix 3/4 cup Plain Greek yogurt, a squeeze of 1 Lime, 1–2 teaspoons Adobo sauce, and 1 tsp Honey if using.
2 min
Tip: If serving kids, keep the yogurt mild and let grown-ups add extra adobo at the table.
- 9
Serve like you mean it. Spoon skillet into 8 Warm corn tortillas or bowls. Drizzle chipotle-lime yogurt. Shower with 1/3 cup Pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and 1/2 cup Cilantro. Add extra lime wedges from 1 Lime.
2 min
Tip: Best bite = saucy sweet potato + crunchy cabbage + pepita + cool yogurt. Don’t skip the crunch.
Chef's Notes
This dish is my January love letter to two places at once: Oaxaca’s mole logic (toasted spice + chile + something nutty + something bright) and Brooklyn weeknights (one pan, no drama). If you’ve got a Mexican market nearby: swap smoked paprika for 1 toasted ancho chile (stemmed/seeded, toasted 10 seconds per side) and crumble it in with the cumin. Extra-credit move: add a handful of chopped kale with the cabbage. Pantry Mode protein: toss in a drained can of black beans at the end to warm through. Leftovers are elite in a quesadilla the next day.
María “Mari” Santiago
Oaxacan comfort, Brooklyn shortcuts, weeknight bright.
María “Mari” Santiago was born in Oaxaca, where her earliest kitchen memories are measured in scent: chiles toasting on a comal, cinnamon and chocolate blooming in mole, and the warm, nutty snap of a tlayuda folded in half for the walk home. She learned by watching—first her tías, then her abuela—picking up the small, practical rules that never made it into written recipes: how to tell when the garlic is *just* right, how to rescue a too-spicy salsa, and why you always taste the broth before you add the salt. Now in Brooklyn, Mari cooks the food she grew up on while raising two little kids and juggling real-life time limits. Her style is “real flavor, real life”: traditional Oaxacan and everyday Mexican dishes—moles, caldos, frijoles, enfrijoladas, salsas, and crispy tlayudas—made weeknight-friendly with smart shortcuts, brighter salsas, and more vegetables without losing the soul of the dish. She’s not precious about rules, she’s big on swaps, and she’s on a mission to prove that you can cook deeply flavorful Mexican food with what you can actually find at a normal grocery store (and still get dinner on the table before a meltdown). Mari’s recipes read like a friend texting you from the produce aisle: clear, funny, and unpretentious, with a side of abuela wisdom. If there’s a hard-to-find ingredient, she gives you a realistic alternative, tells you what will change (and what won’t), and keeps the focus where it belongs—on food that tastes like home, even when home is a small Brooklyn kitchen.