Moroccan Baked Sweet Potatoes

These stuffed sweet potatoes are topped with warm, flavorful Moroccan chickpeas, greens, and herbed yogurt sauce, and sprinkled with toasted almonds, cilantro, and pomegranate seeds. A delicious vegetarian meal.

Sweet potatoes have been on repeat in our kitchen lately - hearty, wholesome, and oh so satisfying. We stuff them with warmly spiced Moroccan chickpeas, drizzle with herby yogurt, and finish with toasted almonds and pops of fresh pomegranate. Cozy, vibrant, and layered with Moroccan-inspired flavor - this might just be my favorite way to serve up a baked sweet potato.

Moroccan Sweet Potato Ingredients

• Sweet potatoes: Choose medium-sized sweet potatoes and leave the skin on. To prep, cut the potatoes in half lengthwise.
• Chickpeas: Use 3 cups cooked chickpeas, or for easier prep, two drained and rinsed cans of chickpeas.
• Ras el Hanout: Make our homemade Ras el Hanout spice blend or try our favorite Seattle-based brand of Ras el Hanout.
• Shallot and garlic cloves: Add aromatic, pungent flavor to the chickpeas. You can substitute half an onion for the shallot if preferred.
• Maple syrup: Adds a touch of sweetness to balance the savory spices.
• Lemon juice: Adds bright, citrus notes that enhance the overall flavor of the Moroccan chickpeas.
• Greens: Choose a tender green like baby spinach, arugula, or spicy salad greens.
• Yogurt sauce: Use full-fat plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, or a plant-based yogurt like Cocojune (our favorite!). Add cilantro, fresh mint, pressed garlic, green onions, serrano chili or jalapeño, smoked paprika, cumin, lemon zest and lemon juice, and salt.
• For garnish: Fresh cilantro leaves, pomegranate seeds, and toasted sliced almonds, pine nuts, or walnuts.

Variations

• Make it vegan! For a dairy-free version, use plant-based yogurt.
• Add cheese! A sprinkling of feta or goat cheese crumbles would be a nice addition.

How to Make Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

1. Prep. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, then brush or spray the cut side with olive oil and place them cut-side down on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Use your hands to moisten the skins with water, then rub with salt.

2. Bake. Roast the sweet potatoes for 30-40 minutes in the preheated oven, until fork tender.

3. Make the yogurt sauce. Mix yogurt, cilantro, mint, garlic, green onions, serrano chili, smoked paprika, cumin, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt in a medium bowl.

4. Make the Moroccan chickpeas. Warm olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and sauté shallots for 3 minutes, or until fragrant. Add garlic, Ras el Hanout, and black pepper to the pan. Sauté 1-2 minutes. Add chickpeas and cook for a few more minutes, then stir in maple syrup and lemon juice and turn off the heat. Feel free to stir in greens to wilt, or keep them fresh.

5. Stuff the sweet potatoes. When the sweet potatoes are done, remove them from the oven, flip them, and cut a small slice down the middle. Season with salt and pepper. Place a handful of baby spinach on top, then add a scoop of chickpea filling, gently stuffing it inside. Spoon the yogurt sauce over top.

6. Serve. Sprinkle each sweet potato with fresh cilantro, pomegranate seeds, and sliced almonds. Serve with extra yogurt sauce on the table.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the Moroccan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes on their own or with a side of whole grains, like Middle Eastern Rice, Moroccan Rice, or Fluffy Herbed Quinoa, or try our Moroccan Cauliflower Couscous!

These are also nice with a side salad, like Moroccan Lentil Salad or Moroccan Citrus Salad.

Storing Baked Sweet potatoes

Moroccan Baked Sweet Potatoes are best enjoyed immediately; however, if you have leftovers, store the yogurt sauce separately. For best results, store the baked sweet potatoes, chickpea filling, greens, and yogurt sauce each in separate airtight containers in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Reheat the potatoes at 350°F until warmed through and reheat the chickpea filling on the stovetop, then assemble. You can also reheat the sweet potatoes in the microwave, cut-side down in a microwave-safe dish, and covered with a damp paper towel, for a few minutes.

On the home front. We are in the middle of a nice, peaceful lull, between catering weddings and catering holiday parties, and time feels so luxurious. This is my favorite time of year, not only because life slows down for us, but because it is fall here, and this season, most of all, moves me to my core with its beauty.

I can’t stop marveling at all the trees and what they do each year. For a few short weeks they began dropping their brilliant colored leaves, showering the earth with their reds and golds, and the sight of this is mesmerizing, hypnotic. It settles me in a way I can’t explain.

Somehow, the whole story of life and death is contained in these falling leaves, and it feels so beautifully honest.

The beauty and joy of it, the loss and sadness too. So fleeting, this life of ours. Yet somehow it all feels so perfect and right.  All of life, just as it is, even with how hard it can be at times. And I feel teary and yet giddy, expansive, embracing like I can actually hold all of it. And of course, this is the point in our walk, where Brian looks over and sees the look on my face as I’m staring up at the trees, and asks me what drugs I am on. 😉 Perhaps we come with “built-in” drugs.

Or maybe the universe grants us moments of grace from time to time that help us integrate all our experiences into the great big wholeness.  Who knows, but I savor these moments greedily.

More Favorite Sweet Potato Recipes

Salt Baked Sweet Potato

Kyoto Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Miso Butter

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potato Fries

Thai Sweet Potato Soup

Oaxacan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

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