Description
This stuffed sweet potato recipe features caramelized sweet potatoes, crispy spiced chickpeas, and a creamy lemon-garlic tahini sauce. It’s a plant-based, gluten-free meal that’s easy to make, full of flavor, and perfect for any occasion.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 medium sweet potatoes (about 8–10 oz each), scrubbed and pierced with a fork
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (for rubbing the skins, optional)
- 1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- Optional: pinch of cayenne for heat
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about half a lemon)
- 1–2 tablespoons water (to thin as needed)
- 1 small garlic clove, minced (or 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder)
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- Optional: 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped (optional topping)
- Sliced green onions or chives (optional topping)
- Toasted sesame seeds (optional topping)
- Pomegranate arils (optional topping)
- Crumbled feta (optional, if not vegan)
- Hot sauce or chili flakes (optional topping)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Scrub sweet potatoes, pat dry, and poke each several times with a fork. Rub skins with olive oil if desired for crispiness.
- Place sweet potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet or rack. Bake for 45–55 minutes, turning halfway, until fork-tender and skins are slightly wrinkled.
- While potatoes bake, blot rinsed chickpeas dry with a towel. In a mixing bowl, toss chickpeas with 1 tablespoon olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and cayenne (if using). Spread in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
- Roast chickpeas in the oven (can use a lower rack with potatoes) for 25–30 minutes, shaking the pan every 10 minutes, until golden and crunchy.
- In a small bowl, combine tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and maple syrup or honey (if using). Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, whisking until smooth and pourable. Adjust lemon, water, or salt to taste.
- When sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, slice each open lengthwise (not all the way through) and fluff the inside with a fork.
- Divide crispy chickpeas among the potatoes, pressing some into the flesh. Drizzle generously with tahini sauce.
- Add desired toppings: fresh herbs, green onions, pomegranate, feta, sesame seeds, or hot sauce. Serve warm.
Notes
For extra-crispy chickpeas, leave them in the turned-off oven with the door cracked for 10 minutes after roasting. The tahini sauce can be made ahead and thinned with water if it thickens in the fridge. Sweet potatoes can be baked and chickpeas roasted up to 3 days in advance for meal prep. Customize toppings and spices as desired.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 stuffed sweet potato with chickpeas and sauce
- Calories: 375
- Sugar: 13
- Sodium: 420
- Fat: 11
- Saturated Fat: 1.5
- Carbohydrates: 60
- Fiber: 9
- Protein: 11
Keywords: stuffed sweet potato, crispy chickpeas, tahini sauce, plant-based, gluten-free, vegan dinner, healthy meal, easy recipe, meal prep, vegetarian