Sweet Potato Chickpea Rice Bowl

One of my staple meals that I make when I really want my kids to eat a healthy dinner is what we simply call “sheet pan dinner.” I chop up sweet potato, dump out a bag of frozen broccoli, and cube up some super firm tofu. I toss it all with a little avocado oil and salt and pepper and roast it. My kids eat it up reliably.

This Sweet Potato Chickpea Bowl is a version of that, but with some deliciously-seasoned chickpeas instead of tofu. Serving it with rice and the yummy tahini dressing make it into a heartier meal.

This recipe is whole food plant-based eating: simple, whole ingredients made into a scrumptious bowl. It’s full of color, variety of texture, fiber, and micronutrients.

How to Make It

First, you’ll cook rice (if you want rice–you could skip it).

Then, start roasting a pan of sweet potato and broccoli.

Next, saute chickpeas in lots of yummy spices so they are golden brown and fragrant.

Then, whisk together the easy tahini sauce. I don’t love tahini but in this recipe it’s good! And it’s just so easy–you don’t have to get a blender out.

Let everyone assemble their bowl and voila!

Do I Have to Roast the Sweet Potatoes and Broccoli?

There’s something about roasting, or any type of slow cooking, that really brings out the flavor in a way that an instant method never can. The sweet potatoes and broccoli have a deeper, sweeter flavor and better texture than steamed or microwaved, and they shine in this rice bowl.

However, if you’re more in a pinch and don’t necessarily care about deep flavor, you could steam broccoli quickly and microwave the sweet potatoes for about 5 minutes each, then scoop them out of the skins and cut them up. You could use a bag of instant brown rice and it would be a 15 minute meal instead of 30!

Here are even more bowl and sweet potato recipes you might enjoy:

Sweet Potato Black Bean Bowls with Chipotle Sauce

Sushi Bowl with “Spicy Mayo”

Teriyaki Tofu with Broccoli and Mushrooms

Roasted Broccoli and Tofu Bowl with Peanut Sauce

Sweet Potato Chickpea Rice Bowl

These savory chickpeas are seasoned and scrumptious! Enjoy this simple, high-fiber, nutrient-dense bowl!

Author: Faith Ralphs

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Course dinner, lunch, Main Course

Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

Vegetables

• 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 large head broccoli (or 16 oz frozen broccoli florets)
• 1 TBSP avocado oil or olive (optional)
• salt and pepper

Seasoned Chickpeas

• 1 tsp avocado or olive oil (optional)
• 1 can chickpeas, drained
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder

Tahini Dressing

• 1/4 cup runny tahini
• 2 TBSP lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 TBSP maple syrup
• 1-3 TBSP hot water (depending on how thick your tahini is/how thin you want the dressing)

Rice

• 1 cup brown rice (I love brown basmati or brown jasmine rice)
• 2 cups vegetable broth (or water for low sodium)

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Start by cooking the rice, either on the stove, rice cooker, or Instant Pot. For the Instant Pot, I use 1.5 cups water per cup of rice, and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. You can also skip the rice for a vegetable bowl.
• Get out a sheet pan, and place the chopped sweet potatoes on one half and the broccoli on the other. Spray or toss with some olive or avocado oil, or 2 tablespoons of vegetable broth for oil-free. Season well with salt and pepper. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender.
• In a medium-sized bowl, toss the drained chickpeas with the seasonings. Heat a skillet over medium heat and spray with a little bit of oil, or pour in one teaspoon. A little bit of oil makes these chickpeas so yummy, but you can skip it and dry saute them. Saute the chickpeas for about 8-10 minutes until they are golden brown and the spices are fragrant. Remove from heat. It's hard to resist eating them all right out of the pan!
• Next, whisk the tahini dressing together in a small bowl. Transfer it to cup with a spout or a squeeze bottle for easy pouring.
• Let everyone assemble their bowl with rice, roasted vegetables, chickpeas, and sauce. Top with chopped cilantro, sliced green onions, red pepper flakes, sesame seeds, or hot sauce if you'd like.

Keyword buddha bowl, chickpea buddha bowl, sweet potato chickpea bowl

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