These Mediterranean Sweet Potatoes will help you achieve the most perfect caramelized and soft sweet potatoes. Then spruce it up with all of the Mediterranean toppings to take these potatoes from side dish to a full and hearty meal.
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About these Potatoes
I come with another vegetarian recipe for all of my people out there! I had a strong request for a baked sweet potatoes recipe this fall, and I absolutely LOVE this one because of how much of a MEAL it can be!
This is more than your average sweet potato. It's topped with toasted chickpeas, fresh herbs, feta cheese, tzatziki sauce, and more altogether for an absolute Mediterranean explosion in your mouth!
You don't have to go the Mediterranean route here, though.
You can build these sweet potatoes up however you want! The goal of this recipe is to help you achieve that perfectly roasted, soft, and caramelized sweet potato. And I provide some fun suggestions below on how you can dress them up into the most delicious Mediterranean Sweet Potatoes.
If you love sweet potatoes, you're also going to obsess over these Roasted Sweet Potato Fries, this Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes, or this Sweet Potato Fettuccine, too!
Recipe Ingredients
- Sweet Potatoes: I just love how you can dress these up and turn them into a full meal. This recipe calls for 3 medium sized sweet potatoes.
- Chickpeas: A great source of fiber and protein. They also get nice and crispy in the oven and add wonderful texture to our soft sweet potatoes.
- Paprika: A little smokey flavor goes a long way here.
- Dill: The earthy, citrusy flavor pairs well with our potato and chickpeas. We'll be using both fresh dill and the ground seasoning in this dish.
- For garnish: I recommend truffle salt, tzatziki sauce, feta cheese crumbles, fresh dill, spicy honey, and roasted chickpeas. However, you can use whatever you want!
See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions and Variations
This baked sweet potatoes recipe is the perfect blank slate to play with a variety of toppings! What you put on top really influences the type of dish you'll end up with.
For example, I went down the Mediterranean Sweet Potatoes route by adding tzatziki sauce, feta cheese, cucumbers, and dill. These bright and citrusy flavors pair so well with the sweetness of the potato.
However, there are a variety of other ways you can garnish these potatoes for a delicious meal. Here are a few ideas:
- Taco Sweet Potatoes: Top your sweet potatoes with ground beef, chicken, or turkey seasoned with taco seasoning, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions for a Tex-Mex inspired meal.
- Buffalo Sweet Potatoes: Stuff your sweet potatoes with shredded buffalo chicken, sprinkle with bleu cheese crumbles, and drizzle with ranch or bleu cheese dressing. You can even enjoy celery and carrots on the side.
- Pizza Sweet Potatoes: Add tomato sauce to the slit in your sweet potatoes and top with shredded or fresh mozzarella cheese. You can also add mini pepperoni or crumbled sausage.
- Breakfast Sweet Potatoes: Scramble some eggs with cheese and veggies and stuff them inside your sweet potato. What a delicious way to enjoy breakfast!
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Prep Chickpeas
First, let's prepare the crunchy chickpeas. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas in warm water. Place a bowl underneath the strainer and let the chickpeas soak for 20-30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
After soaking, it's time to remove the skin. You can eat chickpeas with the skin on, but a lot of people prefer them with the skin off. To remove it, hold each chickpea between your thumb and index finger. Then, pinch the skin off with your thumb and index finger on your other hand.
Place skinned chickpeas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then, coat with cooking spray or olive oil and toss with paprika and dill seasoning.
Bake for 25 minutes, mixing them up 2-3 times to prevent burning.
When the chickpeas are finished, set aside and lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
Step 2: Prep Potatoes
Next, we'll prep the potatoes. Wash and dry the potatoes and use a vegetable peeler to scrape off any blemishes.
Heat up water in a 5-qt Dutch oven over high heat. Once boiling, place the sweet potatoes in the water. Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes on high. Then, turn the stove off and let them sit in the pot for another 5-10 minutes.
Remove the sweet potatoes from the water and cut them ⅔ of the way through. Then place a tablespoon of butter in each slit.
Grab your baking sheet and place the potatoes on it. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 25-35 minutes or until sweet potatoes are caramelized and the potato is soft on the inside. You can use a fork or knife to determine this.
Step 3: Add Toppings
When the sweet potatoes are cooked, use a spoon to fill each one with roasted chickpeas. Then add tzatziki to hold them in.
Then, garnish them with your toppings of choice. I used feta cheese, truffle salt, diced cucumber, fresh dill, avocado and spicy honey. Grab a fork and knife and dig in!
Recipe FAQs
Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep the avocado separate to avoid browning.
A good way to cut down on baking time for sweet potatoes is to boil them in water first. This softens them up, eases the cutting process, and allows for a quicker roasting time.
Yes, they're perfectly OK to eat! They're actually contain large amounts of fiber and vitamins! Because this vegetable does grow in the ground, however, it is important to scrub your sweet potato well before cooking to rid them of any unwanted dirt or debris.
Most bean varieties can work here. Black beans and sweet potato are a delicious combo. In fact, my Turkey Sweet Potato Chili Recipe takes advantage of this pairing. However, you could also swap for meat-based protein alternatives like shredded chicken or ground beef.
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Recipe
Mediterranean Sweet Potatoes
Equipment
- 5-qt or larger Dutch oven
- Cutting Board
- Knife
- Baking sheet
- parchment paper
- strainer
- Mixing Bowl
- Vegetable peeler
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 3 medium-sized sweet potatoes
- 1 can chickpeas
- extra virgin olive oil or olive oil spray
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp dill seasoning
- 3 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- pinch truffle salt, optional
- ½ cup tzatziki sauce, optional
- ½ cup diced cucumber, optional
- ½ cup feta cheese crumbles, optional
- 1 tbsp spicy honey, optional
- 1 avocado, sliced, optional
Instructions
- First, let's prepare the crunchy chickpeas. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas in warm water. Place a bowl underneath the strainer and let the chickpeas soak for 20-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- After soaking, it's time to remove the skin. You can eat chickpeas with the skin on, but a lot of people prefer them with the skin off. To remove it, hold each chickpea between your thumb and index finger. Then, pinch the skin off with your thumb and index finger on your other hand.
- Place skinned chickpeas on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then, coat with cooking spray or olive oil and toss with paprika and dill seasoning.
- Bake for 25 minutes, mixing them up 2-3 times to prevent burning.
- When the chickpeas are finished, set aside and lower the oven temperature to 350°F.
- Next, we'll prep the sweet potatoes. Wash and dry the sweet potatoes and use a vegetable peeler to scrape off any blemishes.
- Heat up water in a 5-qt Dutch oven over high heat. Once boiling, place the sweet potatoes in the water.
- Boil the sweet potatoes for 10 minutes on high. Then, turn the stove off and let them sit in the pot for another 5-10 minutes.
- Remove the sweet potatoes from the water and cut them ⅔ of the way through. Place a tablespoon of butter in each slit.
- Grab your baking sheet and place the sweet potatoes on it. Bake in the oven at 350°F for 25-35 minutes or until sweet potatoes are caramelized and the potato is soft on the inside. You can use a fork or knife to determine this.
- When the sweet potatoes are cooked, use a spoon to fill each one with roasted chickpeas.
- Then, garnish them with your toppings of choice. I used feta cheese, truffle salt, diced cucumber, tzatziki sauce, fresh dill, avocado and spicy honey.
Nutrition
Notes
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I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. It’s my passion to create dishes that can be shared with others. Tell me something you loved or just say hi!
Savannah Allen says
This recipe is so easy and soooo yummy. We substituted chickpeas for chicken, but used all the same seasoning and it was great. We decided to do cucumbers and tzatziki on ours and it was an amazing dinner. You rock Court 🙂
Savannah Allen says
Oops meant to say substituted chicken for chickpeas!
Katrina says
Okay to start off, thanks for taking my recommendation and turning it into such an amazing recipe. My favorite part is how customizable this is. For anyone who is gluten free and dairy free this recipe is AMAZING. I made it my own but removing the cheese, getting protein from the chickpeas and i added some cranberries and chicken. This never gets old as you can always change it up!
Courtney Paige says
I love this accommodation! Thank you for the wonderful inspiration, XO
Sydney says
I loaded up these sweet potatoes and have never been more satisfied with a meal. Such nourishing toppings that courtney suggests and so so delicious. The extra baked potatoes were also a great vessel for eggs the next day
Katherine powers says
So so good!!
Courtney Paige says
The honey meets sweet potato is a perfect match! So delicious.