Friends, it’s been a while.
How have you been? Do you love this time of year? I do. What have you been eating these days? Salads? Chocolate? Are you getting outside in this lovely, brisk weather? Are you feeling well? I’d love to know.
Fall makes me all emotional and introspective. I once cried for an hour after a scenic drive when the leaves were turning. We were listening to Greg Laswell. I got all grateful and started weeping. Fingers crossed it’s an annual occurrence. Sometimes you just need a good cry.
Lately I’ve been eating lots of plants and less sugar. And I’ve been walking and running a lot. And books! I’ve finished a lot of books recently, which isn’t typical for me, this one being my favorite.
I’ve also been listening to a lot of podcasts. Podcasts always impact me. Especially this one on sustainability, this one on hospitality, and this one on minimalism. Good stuff.
Speaking of good stuff, how about them sweet potatoes?
For me, one of the most difficult parts of eating a plant-based diet is getting creative with meal ideas. Left to my own devices, I’d eat chips and guac for every meal. Clearly, that isn’t healthy or sustainable.
So, recently I’ve been trying to branch out and experiment with more well-balanced meals, such as these Mediterranean Sweet Potatoes.
The concept is simple:
Baked sweet potatoes – cut in half to shorten cooking time
Seasoned, roasted chickpeas
Garlic-herb sauce
Parsley-tomato salad for garnish
The result is a 30-minute lunch or dinner that’s both satisfying, savory and sweet, and seriously healthy.
This is my new favorite way to do Mediterranean. This dish is:
Savory
Sweet
Fresh
Smoky
Warm
Comforting
Seriously healthy
Filling
Customizable
& Simple
I love how the sweetness of the sweet potatoes blends perfectly with the chickpeas and garlic sauce, and the lemony parsley-tomato salad provides a zesty fresh finish. Friends, I’m in love.
If you try this dish – and you must – let us know! Leave a comment or take a photo and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram or @minimalistbaker on Twitter! Or, share it with friends on Pinterest. We’re convinced people need this in their lives.
As always, thanks for supporting what we do. Cheers!
More Vegan Sweet Potato Recipes
- 8-Minute Sweet Potatoes
- Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas
- Vegan Sweet Potato Butternut Squash Tortilla
- Garlicky Sweet Potato Noodle Pasta (8 Ingredients)
Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes
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).
- 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
*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.
Kristy says
I loved this recipe. It was fun to make.I am new to Mediterranean cuisine. The sauce was definitely favorite part. Very creative recipe. The only bad thing was the chickpeas came out really dry. Not sure if that is how they are or I missed something. Thank you for the recipe.
Thank you for sharing, Kristy! We’re so glad you enjoyed it overall! Baking the chickpeas for less time will make them less dry. Another idea would be to use parchment paper instead of foil. Hope that helps for next time!
Tina Pecheos says
We will definitely be making this again!
We pealed the baked sweet potatoes and sliced them before removing from the pan. Then we added a bed of shredded cabbage to the bowl before placing the potatoes slices on top. I accidentally doubled the spice measurements but the chickpeas were great and the lemon garlic Tahini sauce was the star of the dish!
Thank you for a spectacular meal!
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Tina. Thank you for sharing! xo
Deborah says
I just made these today and they were delicious. I followed the recipe as it was and my taste buds couldn’t be more satisfied.
We’re so happy you enjoyed it, Deborah! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
MB says
Amazing sweet potatoes! Our new favourite recipe!
Thanks so much! We’re so happy you enjoy the recipe! xoxo
Karen Alvarez-Delfin says
I love it!!!!!! I made it yesterday, and I really enjoyed this meal. A change: I used a Greek yogurt-base sauce that I had already made the day before (Greek yogurt, salt, pepper, garlic, lemon, dry mint, and olive oil.) I loved some much how the garbanzo beans turn out; I think next time I will roast two cans, so I can have plenty.
I will make it again and again, for sure!
Amazing! Thanks so much for sharing, Karen! xo
Renée St-Germain says
This is THE dish my very carnivorous son ASKS for!!! Served it to vegetarian friends and they said it was as good as eating in a restaurant! Full of different textures and flavors!!! The only thing I never get right is the hummus sauce. I always have to add water because it’s to thick and a dab of maple syrup (From Quebec, I add a touch of it every where! ;-) )because mine is always bitter. Maybe it’s the type of tahini I buy…
Thank you for all your wonderfull recipes!
Amazing! We’re so glad your son enjoys it. Thank you for the lovely review, Renée! xo
Angel says
Can I meal prep this? Is it good for heating up for atleast 3 days?
Hi Angel, like with most dishes (except soups/stews), it is best when fresh. But this one does reheat well too!
alyssa says
Hi, can i boil the potatoes instead of baking them? thank you
Baking adds more flavor, but you could!
Sherry says
Made this for dinner tonight. Followed the recipe exactly, and wow!… it was easy, so flavorful, satisfying and filling! A new favorite!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Sherry. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Natasha says
This was absolutely delish! I made the microwave hummus also, and just WOW! I loved it so much and will be making this a routine meal. I appreciate you for sharing =)
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Natasha. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Juliana says
Amazing! The only thing I have changed – added a feta (mixed with olive oil and zaatar) on the potatoes just in the end… So not vegan anymore – but so testy ! Thank you for the idea – saved my family dinner!
Lovely! Thanks so much for sharing, Juliana!
Yiva Black says
Delicious, filling and clean tasting. I used hummus, didn’t have dill but it didn’t need it. The salsa on top is a must – brings it all together .
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Yiva! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Jamie says
This is so good and so filling! I used just one large sweet potato and made 2 larger portions as a meal… I left out the tomatoes and it was still perfect. I will definitely be adding this to my rotation of vegetarian meals!
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jamie. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Rebecca says
I love this unique combination of flavors! However, I’m not used to the strong flavor of raw garlic and will probably try garlic powder instead next time. Thanks for sharing your creative recipes!
Thanks so much for sharing, Rebecca!
Tyler says
Loved the recipe but the video shows adding a red onion to the topping which makes everything so much better. Unfortunately it’s left out of the ingredients, and I would have missed it entirely if I didn’t watch the video. It’s such a small request, but I’d love to see it added so when I come back to the recipe in the future I’ll be able to shop accordingly.
Thank you for the great recipe and the matching video!
Hi Tyler, we’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe! We’ll get that adjusted.
Kelly says
This was wonderful! Only change I will make in future is to reduce the cinnamon a little bit. Thank you so much for kindly sharing your amazing recipes MB! I love your enthusiasm; always very inspiring and interesting. 😊
With great appreciation always,
Kelly in BC, Canada
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Kelly. Thank you so much for your kind words and support! xo
Sandra says
This looks delicious. But I am allergic to sesame so cannot use hummus in the garlic herb sauce. Can you recommend a substitution?
Hi Sandra! You could make our white bean dip without the serrano peppers to mimic hummus!
Danielle says
This is a really simple, straightforward recipe that tastes good. I didn’t have time to cook our raw chickpeas so those didn’t get added, and we decided to skip the chili sauce. This is great as a main dish if you can add some tofu and veggies somewhere otherwise perfect for a side dish. I have never roasted sweet potato so quickly!
Ava says
This is one of my all-time favorite recipes! I make it many times a year and have been making it for ages since I first tried it years ago. It just has such a good balance of flavors, textures, and colors + it’s healthy and nutritional, just everything you need in a meal.
I personally always use the tahini in the sauce instead of hummus and it’s so good I could marry it! Also usually I skip the parsley from the tomatoes and just use green onions for the topping but it’s just as nice.
This also made me change my mind about dill which I am so grateful for! Dill has become a staple in many of my dips and marinades because of this recipe. Great job and many thanks!
Amazing! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Ava!
Christina says
Made this tonight for dinner. It was so so good! My husband said he was going to put the hummus-sauce in his coffee, he loved it so much. Thx for the great recipe!
Love it! We’re so glad you and your husband enjoyed them. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Bec says
Absolutely delicious and easy to cook.
Yay! Thanks, Bec!
Emilie says
Hey,
I lived your site but now really too many adds… it’s getting really annoying. I counted 10 adds in one page.
I understand you want to make money but with this approach, I won’t consult your recipes anymore.
Hope it helps,
Emi
We’re so glad you enjoy many of our recipes! Thank you for your honest feedback and sorry for any inconvenience, Emilie. We always try to optimize for user experience, while also having ads to keep the content free and high quality.
Sara says
Really enjoyed this one! I topped with tomatoes, cilantro, pickled onions and vegan feta. Yum! I’ll definitely keep this one in rotation.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Sara. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Nicole-Marie says
Wow! This was absolutely delicious. All the parts come together for one amazing outcome. The garlic hummus sauce balances out the sweetness of the potato while the roasted chickpeas add a yummy crunch. I love the tomatoes on top for a blast of freshness. 10/10 Will make again.
Whoop! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Nicole-Marie! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Alyssa says
I’ve made this probably a dozen times now and I love it every time. It is so comforting, filling, and fresh. Thank you!!
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe, Alyssa! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Bailey says
This is one of my staple dinners. I love this recipe! Easy to make, very flavorful and easy to prep so all you have to do I bake the sweet potatoes.
We’re so glad you’re enjoying it, Bailey. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Christian S. says
This was a fun meal to prepare and, I thought, an interesting new use for sweet potatoes. I wanted the potatoes to have more of the seasoning flavor that was on the chickpeas. Could I coat the potato halves with the seasoning mix before I put them face down on the prepared baking sheet? Or maybe add the seasoning halfway through the baking process? Wondering if that is a bad idea.
Coating the sweet potatoes with the spices should work well! We do something similar in this recipe.
ML says
This is such a great recipe that is quick and easy to make. The garlic herb sauce is sensational. I felt full and content after eating this tasty meal. I didn’t have any parsley so used coriander instead and was still delicious :) Thanks for sharing!
We’re so glad you enjoy this recipe! Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Dana B says
This was fantastic! I used tahini and added the cherry tomatoes and parsley. WOW! Definitely felt like some out of an Yotam Ottolenghi cookbook but so much easier. I will make this again and again and again for my vegan and non-vegan friends/family.
We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Dana. Thanks so much for the lovely review! xo
Ella says
This is delicious but I can’t decide if it’s a main or a side dish. Found myself getting hungry again shortly after eating… any recommendations on what I could add to make it a bit more filling?
Absolutely gorgeous flavours and so so easy to make, definitely coming back to this one
Hi Ella, so glad you’re enjoying it. To make this more filling we recommend pairing it with hummus. Hope that helps!