This hearty, Moroccan Chickpea & Sweet Potato Salad is full of amaaaaazing flavor and incredibly simple and easy to make – with only 20 minutes of actual hands-on time! Make it ahead for midweek lunches, or bring it to your next fall gathering or potluck!
Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes. ~Alan Watts
I’ve said it a million times. This is my favorite time of year. I love the breezy cool sunny days of early fall in the Northwest. The light shifts, the relaxed angle of the sun softens the hard edges of summer and I feel this sweet gentleness hover over me when I’m outside. I can’t get enough of it. Balm for the soul.
Here’s a simple, make-ahead, vegan salad that was inspired by our trip to Morocco last fall. Some of my favorite days there were spent in the spice markets. Wandering down the narrow stone alleyways in the souks, getting wonderfully lost… it was a feast for the senses. I’ll never forget it.
Here, sweet potatoes are diced and roasted, then tossed with fragrant Moroccan spices, chickpeas and lots of fresh herbs. It’s served over shredded kale for an added burst of nutrients.
Sweet potatoes, when roasted, are lovely in fall salads, keeping their shape well. Plus, they only take 15-20 minutes in the oven! And they are loaded with powerful antioxidants.
And, have I told you how much I love them?
I do, I seriously do. And I feel like they love me back. It’s not my imagination.
Shredded, massaged lacinato Kale makes the base of the salad- boosting the overall nutrient factor. Di you know, kale is one of the most nutrient-dense foods on the planet?
Chickpeas add healthy plant protein.
And all together, not only is this nutritious, energizing and filling….. I really love the flavors! The moroccan Spices really compliment all the other ingredients well.
One thing that surprised me while in Morocco, were all the healthy veggies Moroccans consumed. There was some meat, but a typical plate was 75% vegetables. Which I loved!
Hope you enjoy this roasted Moroccan Chickpea & Sweet Potato Salad! Healthy, vegan and gluten-free, it is so EASY to make! You can totally do this. Let me know what you think below!
Here are more VEGAN MAKE AHEAD SALADS!
xoxo
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Moroccan Chickpea & Sweet Potato Salad
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 ½ cups
- Category: main, vega, salad
- Method: baked
- Cuisine: moroccan
Description
Moroccan Chickpea & Sweet Potato Salad is bursting with flavor! Healthy, vegan and gluten-free, it is very EASY to make! Can be made ahead! Perfect for midweek meals or bring it to a fall gathering.
Ingredients
- 2 yams or sweet potatoes, diced into 1/2-inch cubes, skins OK (about 4 cups)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
generous pinch salt and pepper
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
2–3 scallions, sliced at a diagonal
1 bunch cilantro, chopped ( or sub Italian Parsley)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple (or honey) - 1 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne or Aleppo chili flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Optional: 5-6 lacinato kale leaves, thick bottom stem removed.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425°F
Place the diced yams on a parchment lined baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss to coat well. Spread the yams out so they have lots of space to crisp. Place in the oven and roast 15 minutes, toss, and continue roasting until tender and slightly crispy, about 10 more minutes. You don’t want them overly soft.
Meanwhile, place the chickpeas, scallions, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar, maple, orange zest, cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne in a medium bowl and toss to combine.
When the sweet potatoes are tender, let them cool for 10 minutes, then add to the bowl and season the salad with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve this on its own or over lightly-dressed greens or massaged lacinato kale ribbons.
Note: To make the lacinato kale ribbons, remove any tough veins, stack 5–6 leaves, and finely slice across the grain into thin ribbons to create a “slaw.” Drizzle lightly with olive oil, sprinkle a pinch of salt, and massage the oil into the kale ribbons with your fingers until the kale ribbons become tender and glossy. For an extra lovely touch, add 1–2 teaspoons orange zest and massage this in too.
Salad will keep 3-4 days in the fridge (keep the kale slaw separate).
Notes
Keywords: chickpea salad, moroccan chickpea salad, sweet potato salad, sweet potato salad recipes, roasted sweet potato salad, moroccan sweet potato salad, best sweet potato salad, vegan sweet potato salad
A wonderful light meal. Don’t skip the orange zest, it adds a lot of flavor!
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Thanks Susie!
One of our favorites (ok we have many favorites)! When I can get my hands on purple sweet potatoes I use a mix of yellow and purple and the dish comes out gorgeous. And I just throw in the orange slices too after zesting them. I sometimes char the kale in oven when we don’t feel like eating completely raw. 25 min @ 425 for the chickpeas are perfect for them to come out crunchy.
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So pretty! Sounds amazing Bowie!
Oh my goodness…this is the bomb….love this salad so much. I added fresh pomegranate when I took it to a party…the colour was sensational and the juicy burst was bliss on a hot summers night..
★★★★★
Love the addition of pomegranate! Brilliant! And very Moroccan. 🙂
Lovely, as are all the recipes I have tried from this site. It’s the depths of winter here so I adapted it slightly to make it a warm side dish- roasting the canned chickpeas sprinkled with some olive oil and cumin alongside the sweet potato. The Cavolo nero (I use in place of Lacinto Kale) is quite leathery so I steam/stir fried ribbons of it a bit to soften it up. It worked well as a warm side dish – I’m vegan but my husband is a carnivore so he had some Cod sprinkled with ras el hanout and preserved lemon baked at the same time as the sweet potato. Served it with some harissa paste on the side.
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Caro- Love how you adapted t make this warm!
Made this for a Potluck, was absolutely a hit! Delicious
★★★★★
My husband and I loved this recipe and it was satisfying enough for a vegetarian main course with a bit of fruit and some vegetables on the side. I made the cilantro / honey / Aleppo pepper version.
As for the website, I typically use an iPad and I have issues with ads and the page spontaneously reloading, requiring me to scroll back down to where I left off. I’ve tried using Reader View to get around it, but for some reason that eliminates the ingredient list. Sometimes I’ll just hit the Print button on the recipe, which brings it up in another tab in Safari without ads. Other times, I’ll just print it out as I enjoy cooking without scrolling. 🙂 The recipes are so good, that I’m okay with finding workarounds!
★★★★★
Sorry about that Sherie. Whenever there are updates to the website, which seem to be happening daily lately- it kicks people off and reloads. I will experiment with the site on my iPad so I can see what you are dealing with.
I’m OBSESSED with this salad. I’ve made it a few times, and I do prefer cilantro over parsley, and I use maple syrup, not honey. I’ve subbed lemon zest for the orange zest as well when I didn’t have an orange, and it was so good still! I do like to squeeze some fresh lemon juice on it as well. I’ve eaten it on top of a salad and do prefer it on its own as a side. 10/10 recommend!
★★★★★
Thanks Katie! So happy you are enjoying this!
The recipe is great.
But I won’t be returning to your website. There are just too many commercial message cluttering up the pages. It ends up being a major distraction.
Food is sensuous, its all about smell, taste, texture and look. The first three aren’t possible online, and the ads completely overshadow the last. And any sense of aesthetic that you might want on your site is pretty much lost.
You might want to question your priorities. Is that trade-off worth the money? Can you have less ads, recover the aesthetic and you still make a profit?
Cheers,
Hi Tom- I hear you and you are right, and yes, I know the ads are annoying. I will see where we can cut them back. There is a skip to recipe button at the top of each post that will help mitigate the ads. Can I ask, what are you on? phone, tablet or desktop? Just curious.
Hi! I just made this today and it was spectacular. I just wanted to say that I used my phone and computer for this recipe and the ads were not an issue at all…. So maybe there’s another problem on their end. Anyway, hope to see more vegan and vegetarian stuff!
★★★★★
Oh thank you, Jillian! Appreciate the feedback and am glad you liked the salad.
I do see Tom’s point. The pop-up ads AND pop-up prep videos are a distraction from your wonderful recipes & info. Thanks for ‘skip to recipe’. I’m on an iPhone. Love your site! suggestion.
Made this recipe last night and loved it! I had some fresh mint leftover from another recipe that needed a home soon and I thought that would fit the Moroccan profile so I added that, too. Eating leftovers today in a Buddha bowl! Thank you for the constant inspiration!
★★★★★
I have been looking for new ways to eat chickpeas! Thanks so much. This was easy and tasty!! They say to eat chickpeas at least once a week! So now I have more ideas:)
★★★★★
Loving all of your vegan recipes! Thanks! Vegan January may go into Feb…
★★★★★
Omg if you have doubt about this recipe forget them. This was the best surprise ever. I’ll love this dish!
★★★★★
I’ve made this recipe multiple times for my husband and I and for guests who loved it too! The flavors are so great together and it’s full of healthy ingredients! It’s filling and can be a meal in itself.
★★★★★
This look delicious! Perfect for a winter day. Can’t wait to try it. Ordering groceries now!
★★★★★
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it! I have loved everything I have made of yours:).
Nice post. I was checking constantly this blog and I’m impressed!
★★★★★
A favorite with my husband. It keeps in the fridge for snacking.
★★★★★