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 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). 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
*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.
Gina says
Thank you for this recipe.
Thanks so much for the support, Gina!
Valerie Rius says
My family and I Absolutely Love this recipe!! It’s filling and delicious! I have been making this recipe for my family for about 8 years. Still whenever I make this, everyone loves it. I have made it for Thanksgiving before and have also prepped it for my husbands work lunches. When it comes to the sauce I usually play with ingredients until I get something I like. I have also experimented with SILK original soy milk vs Almond Breeze unsweetened original almond milk to thin out the sauce. I prefer the soy (and water) because it makes it a bit more creamy and gives it a bit of sweetness. I also usually add double the amount of herbs because I prefer it that way. So grateful for this recipe! Enjoy!! (:
We’re so glad you and your husband enjoy it, Valerie! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing all the additions. xo
Katelyn says
I made this … but… it wasn’t the worst thing I’ve ever made, but it definitely was up there. The hummus/garlic sauce just doesn’t hit the mark. This is my first recipe review because I just can’t understand how off the rating is.
So sorry you didn’t love the flavors, Katelyn!
Cathy says
A friend made me this as a post-surgical meal after çoming home from hospital. Seriously one of the best meals I had received.
Aw, we’re so happy to hear you enjoyed this one, Cathy! Wishing you a speedy recovery! xoxo
Bella says
I love this recipe, have made it many times and it always gets a lot of compliments! I’m wondering if you have any suggestions about meal prepping this recipe?
Hi Bella, it is best when fresh, but you could prep each component and store them separately, then reheat the sweet potatoes and chickpeas either in the oven, on the stovetop, or in the microwave. The sauce keeps well, so that can definitely be prepped in advance without impacting the result!
Chaviva Gordon-Bennett says
These were absolutely stunning — visually delicious and edibly delicious! I’m struggling to not make them on a weekly basis so we don’t get tired of them. No changes!
Whoop! We’re so glad to hear you’re enjoying this recipe, Chaviva. Thank you for the lovely review! xo
Julie says
Hi.
I just made your Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potato.
It was absolutely delicious!
Tasty and flavoursome.
Thanks for this fabulous recipe.
I shall definitely make it again but won’t fan-bake the chick peas, though it did add a “crunch” to the meal.
Thank you for sharing your experience, Julie! We’re so glad you enjoyed the dish! xo
Zandra says
Made to recipe with toppings of tomatoes and red onions, it was so delicious! Great flavours and textures.
Will definitely making this often.
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed this dish and will be making it often. Thank you for the lovely review, Zandra! xo
Bee says
I love this recipe, but for some reason every time I bake chickpeas they go as hard as rocks(inedible). I just fry them with spices. Don’t know what I’m doing wrong🤪
Oh no! Are you using a fan-assisted/convection oven? That could cause the chickpeas to crisp up too soon! It sounds like for some reason they’re getting over-baked, so you could try adding them later in the cooking process.
Jenny says
This dish was the star of the show at last night’s dinner. I swapped the tahini sauce with a garlic aioli due to a nut/sesame allergy. 10/10 flavor between the sweetness of the potato, savory chickpeas, and herby tomato topping. Will definitely be making again soon!!
That swap sounds wonderful! Great thinking! Thank you for the wonderful review and for sharing your modification, Jenny! xo
Traci S says
Most excellent! For once a recipe that I did not have to modify in any way. Make as is. Perfection!!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe exactly as written, Traci. Thank you for sharing! xo
Julie Jones says
This was amazing! I made it with the optional toppings and used tahini since I didn’t have hummus. Also I cubed and roasted my sweet potatoes. It was just perfect! Thank you!
Yay! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Julie. Thank you for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications! xo
Pau Lala says
Thanks for the recipe directions and inspo!! I have modified some parts and the result was really good:
Ommited the cinammon in the chickpeas (too sweet for me, the potato is sweet enough) and added turmeric, bit of raa el hanout spice and a hint of cayenne.
Reduced the garlic amount in the hummus sauce and added fresh thyme and sriracha for a kick.
Did not do the tomato-parsley salad, instead I used some leftovers I had in the fridge: ruccola and sweet paprika. Insanely good combination of creaminess and crunchyness all together :)
Wonderful! We love your creativity with it, Pau. Thank you for sharing!