Name: Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potato
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 4 sweet potatoes, washed and scrubbed clean (skin on); 1 15 ounce can chickpeas, drained; 1 teaspoon cumin; 1 teaspoon smoked paprika; 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon turmeric; 1 teaspoon coriander; 1 teaspoon sea salt; 1/4 cup tahini; 1/3 cup water; 1 lemon, juiced; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional); salt and pepper to taste; 1/2 cup chopped parsley

When I am planning meals for the week, there are days we are overly busy with little to no time. But, we still have to eat. To avoid eating fast food on the run, I always have a few sweet potatoes baked and ready to go for quick and easy meals. And, nothing is more delectable than a vegan stuffed sweet potato.

Now, there are a lot of ways to stuff a sweet potato, but my favorite way is to give it a Mediterranean flair and fill it with my favorite goodies. With that said, for a quick and easy vegan stuffed sweet potato, it needs to be simple yet satisfying.

As with many of my recipes, I prefer savory over sweet, but vegan stuffed sweet potatoes are the perfect combination of sweet and savory.

THE EASIEST WAY TO BAKE SWEET POTATOES

Although this is a quick meal, sweet potatoes take approximately 45-50 minutes to cook in a 425-degree oven. Of course, baking potatoes ahead of time, when you do have time, is the key to this quick and simple meal.

So, here are a variety of other ways I like to baked sweet potatoes:

THE SLOW COOKER (CROCK-POT):

For those of you who know me, I am old school and love my crockpot. And what I love most about my crockpot is I can spend 5 minutes getting it ready, and then I walk away.

Also, if you meal prep, you don’t take up space in your oven while you are cooking other yummy vegan treats!

Wash and scrub sweet potatoes completely to remove any dirt and debris (of course we want to eat the skin)
Then, poke holes in each sweet potato with a sharp knife, so our sweet potatoes don’t implode.
Next, simply wrap each sweet potato in foil, toss them in the slow cooker, and walk away for 2-3 hours on high or 4-5 hours on low.

THE OVEN:

First, pre-heat the oven to 445 degrees
Wash and scrub sweet potatoes completely to remove any dirt and debris (of course we want to eat the skin)
Then, poke holes in each sweet potato with a sharp knife, so our sweet potatoes don’t implode.
I always use a silicone mat and place the potatoes on a baking pan to avoid a sticky mess in the oven.
Next, bake them for 45-50 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.

INSTANT POT:

Although I own an Instant Pot, the truth is I barely use it. I can’t seem to get the timing down in terms of how long it will take to depressurize, etc. Because I rely on a lot on timing, I do not use the Instant Pot often, but I do know how to bake sweet potatoes.

Wash and scrub sweet potatoes completely to remove any dirt and debris (of course we want to eat the skin)
Pour 1 cup water into the Instant Pot
Using a steamer basket, place the sweet potatoes inside the basket
Secure the lid and turn the valve to seal.
Manually, turn the Instant Pot on HIGH
And set the timer for 15 minutes.
Again, this is not my forte, but I estimate around 10 additional minutes for the Instant Pot to depressurize.

THE MICROWAVE:

Despite the controversy of using a microwave at all, sweet potatoes can be cooked in the microwave oven. Without a doubt, most people use microwaves, so here are directions on how to make a perfect sweet potato in the microwave.

Wash and scrub sweet potatoes completely to remove any dirt and debris (of course we want to eat the skin)
Then, poke holes in each sweet potato with a sharp knife, so your sweet potatoes don’t explode.
Place sweet potato on a microwave-safe plate, and cook on high for 5 minutes.
Depending on the size of the potato, additionally, cook in 30-second increments until the sweet potato is fork-tender.

Even though I prefer the crockpot, you choose the method that makes sense with your schedule. Regardless of how you choose to cook your sweet potatoes, they will last 3-4 days covered in the refrigerator.

WHAT TO STUFF INSIDE YOUR SWEET POTATO

In order to make it as simple as possible, I chose 3 main ingredients for my vegan stuffed sweet potato.

Mediterranean roasted chickpeas
Lemony Tahini Sauce
Parsley

Again, I chose simple ingredients because I wanted a mixture of sweet and savory!

ROASTED CHICKPEAS FOR VEGAN STUFFED SWEET POTATO

Often, I use roasted chickpeas in salads and dips, such as my Vegan Layered Greek Dip. Instead of unhealthy chips,l roasted chickpeas are a great snack alternative. Again, roasted chickpeas can be made ahead of time in order to make dinner quick and easy.

Then, it’s all about how you want to flavor your chickpeas for a particular recipe. For vegan stuffed potato recipe, I went with several Meditteranean spices to make it savory and delicious.

Cumin
Coriander
Smokes Paprika
Tumeric
Garlic Powder
Sea Salt

Even though most recipes call for oil for roasting chickpeas, it isn’t necessary. The aquafaba, for example, provides enough moisture for the seasonings to stick to the chickpeas without adding extra fat and calories.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE LEMONY TAHINI SAUCE!

Again, I am obsessed with lemon tahini sauce. And, I put a little cayenne in my recipe, just to give it a little warmth against the savory and sweetness of the lemon. Honestly, I could eat tahini sauce very day.

Since a little sauce goes a long way on a dish like this, I suggest drizzling rather than pouring. Because there are a lot of flavors going on in the vegan stuffed sweet potato, a little dab will do it.

LOOKING FOR OTHER SWEET POTATO RECIPES?

4 servings