Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes
Simple, 30-minute baked sweet potatoes topped with roasted chickpeas, a simple garlic-herb sauce, and a parsley-tomato salad. Delicious, fresh, healthy, and naturally vegan and gluten-free.
Servings 4
Ingredients
- 4 medium (~1/3 lb each) sweet potatoes*
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
- 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp each cumin, coriander, cinnamon, smoked (or regular) paprika
- 1 pinch sea salt or lemon juice (optional)
GARLIC HERB SAUCE
- 1/4 cup hummus (or tahini)
- 1/2 medium lemon, juiced (1/2 lemon yields ~1 Tbsp juice)
- 3/4 - 1 tsp dried dill (or sub 2-3 tsp fresh per 3/4-1 tsp dried)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (3 cloves yield ~1 1/2 Tbsp or 9 g)
- Water or unsweetened almond milk (to thin)
- Sea salt to taste (optional // I didn’t need any)
TOPPINGS optional
- 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes (diced)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley (minced)
- 3 Tbsp finely chopped red onion
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- Chili garlic sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (204 C) and line a large baking sheet with foil.
- Rinse and scrub potatoes and cut in half length wise. This will speed cooking time. Otherwise leave whole and bake longer (approximately double the time (45 min - 1 hour).
- Toss rinsed and drained chickpeas with olive oil and spices and place on a foil-lined baking sheet.
- Rub the sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil and place face down on the same baking sheet (or another baking sheet depending on size). Transfer to the preheated oven and bake until the sweet potatoes are fork tender and the chickpeas are golden brown – roughly 25 minutes.
- While the sweet potatoes and chickpeas are roasting, prepare your sauce by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine, only adding enough water or almond milk to thin so it’s pourable. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add more garlic for more zing, salt for savoriness, lemon juice for freshness, and dill for a more intense herb flavor. I found mine didn’t need anything else.
- NOTE: If you don’t have hummus, tahini (which you can DIY!) will make a great base substitution for the sauce - just adjust the seasonings to accommodate the lack of flavor tahini provides.
- Also prepare the parsley-tomato topping by tossing tomato, parsley, and red onion (optional) with lemon juice and set aside to marinate.
- Once sweet potatoes are fork tender and the chickpeas are golden brown - roughly 25 minutes - remove from oven.
- For serving, flip potatoes flesh-side up and smash down the insides a little bit. Then top with chickpeas, garlic herb sauce, parsley-tomato salad, and chili garlic sauce (optional). Serve immediately.
- Additional side ideas might include Hummus, Pita Chips, Baba Ganoush, or Persian Eggplant Dip. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
*Adjust number of sweet potatoes per person, and buy organic when possible for best quality and flavor. And slice into quarters instead of halves to speed cooking time if on the larger side.
*This recipe is inspired by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. Learn about the origin of hummus here and tabbouleh (parsley salad) here.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
*This recipe is inspired by Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines. Learn about the origin of hummus here and tabbouleh (parsley salad) here.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated without optional ingredients.
Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)
Serving: 1 serving Calories: 308 Carbohydrates: 54.7 g Protein: 10.9 g Fat: 6.1 g Saturated Fat: 0.7 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.8 g Monounsaturated Fat: 2.2 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 400 mg Potassium: 609 mg Fiber: 11.9 g Sugar: 10.4 g Vitamin A: 18597 IU Vitamin C: 7 mg Calcium: 115 mg Iron: 2.5 mg