Masala Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Perfectly baked, stuffed sweet potatoes topped with tandoori masala spiced chickpeas and green chutney. Just 10 ingredients required!
Servings 3 (Servings)
Ingredients
POTATOES
- 3 small-medium* sweet potatoes (organic when possible), scrubbed clean and halved lengthwise
- ~1 Tbsp avocado oil (or sub olive oil)
- 1 pinch sea salt
- 1 tsp curry powder or green curry paste (ensure vegan friendliness // optional)
CHICKPEAS
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and dried in a clean towel
- 1 ½ Tbsp avocado oil (or sub olive oil)
- 2 Tbsp tandoori masala seasoning* (see notes for where to buy + DIY recipe)
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional // for heat)
GREEN CHUTNEY
- 2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro (~1 large bundle as recipe is written / some stems are okay)
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper
- 2 Tbsp lime juice (1 lime yields ~2 Tbsp or 30 ml)
- 1-2 tsp sweetener (maple syrup, agave nectar, or honey if not vegan)
- Water to thin (~1/4 cup or 60 ml as recipe is written)
- 2-3 Tbsp ripe avocado for extra creaminess
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C), and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. (NOTE: Depending on the size of your baking sheets and sweet potatoes, you may get away with using one baking sheet instead of two. Just be sure not to crowd the pan too much otherwise the chickpeas will steam instead of roasting — see photo example above).
- Add potatoes to one of the baking sheets and drizzle with avocado oil and sprinkle with sea salt. An optional step to infuse more flavor is to rub the potatoes with curry powder or green curry paste.
- Lay potatoes cut side down on the baking sheet and bake on a top/center rack for 25 minutes or until tender.
- In the meantime, add drained and dried chickpeas to a small mixing bowl and top with avocado oil, tandoori masala seasoning, sea salt, and a pinch of cayenne (optional). Toss to combine, then taste and adjust seasonings as needed, adding more masala blend for smokiness, sea salt for saltiness, or cayenne for heat.
- Arrange chickpeas on the other baking sheet and bake on a bottom/center rack for a total of 20-25 minutes alongside the sweet potatoes. NOTE: For crispier chickpeas, it’s best to bake the chickpeas under the sweet potatoes so they don’t steam.
- To prepare the chutney, add cilantro, garlic, salt and pepper, lime juice, sweetener, and avocado to a small blender or food processor (or use a mortar and pestle) and mix to combine.
- Add only enough water to encourage blending and make the sauce pourable. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding more garlic for spice/zing, salt to taste, sweetener for sweetness, or lime juice for acidity. Set aside.
- For serving, flip potatoes cut-side up and smash down the insides a little bit with a spoon or spatula. Top with chickpeas and chutney and enjoy immediately. Garnish with extra cilantro or lime juice if desired.
- Best when fresh. Store leftover chickpeas in a well-sealed container at room temperature up to 3 days. Chutney will keep (separately) in the refrigerator up to 3 days. To reheat, bake sweet potatoes and chickpeas in a 375 degree F (190 C) oven until hot. Top with chutney.
Video
Notes
*This recipe is not a Traditional Indian dish, but rather, Indian-inspired. We were inspired by the flavors of Tandoori Masala spice blend (explained in the post above) and by this original recipe of ours for Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes, which takes inspiration from Mediterranean flavors.
*We buy Tandoori Masala blend at Whole Foods. If you can’t find it, try this DIY blend for similar results: 3 Tbsp cumin, 2 Tbsp garlic powder, 2 Tbsp paprika, 3 tsp ginger, 2 tsp coriander, 2 tsp cardamom. Multiply as needed. Or, for a more authentic, homemade version of Tandoori Masala, you could try this recipe from Binjal's Veg Kitchen.
*Small sweet potatoes cook faster. If too large, plan on increasing cooking time or cutting into quarters instead of halves to speed cooking time.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with medium-sized sweet potatoes, the lesser amounts of maple syrup and avocado, and without optional ingredients.
*We buy Tandoori Masala blend at Whole Foods. If you can’t find it, try this DIY blend for similar results: 3 Tbsp cumin, 2 Tbsp garlic powder, 2 Tbsp paprika, 3 tsp ginger, 2 tsp coriander, 2 tsp cardamom. Multiply as needed. Or, for a more authentic, homemade version of Tandoori Masala, you could try this recipe from Binjal's Veg Kitchen.
*Small sweet potatoes cook faster. If too large, plan on increasing cooking time or cutting into quarters instead of halves to speed cooking time.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with medium-sized sweet potatoes, the lesser amounts of maple syrup and avocado, and without optional ingredients.
Nutrition (1 of 3 servings)
Serving: 1 serving Calories: 368 Carbohydrates: 49.6 g Protein: 8 g Fat: 15.1 g Saturated Fat: 1.7 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.47 g Monounsaturated Fat: 9.35 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 653 mg Potassium: 652 mg Fiber: 11.9 g Sugar: 10.1 g Vitamin A: 20200 IU Vitamin C: 12.97 mg Calcium: 130.65 mg Iron: 3.29 mg