Med-Style Baked Sweet Potatoes (Easy & Healthy Dinner ready in under an hour)

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Table of contents:

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How to Make Med-Style Baked Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

For the baked sweet potatoes

• 3 large sweet potatoes
• 1 jar chickpeas (drained and rinsed) 
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

For the toppings

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• ½ red onion (optional), diced fine
• ½ cup pitted black olives
• 1 tablespoon of capers
• Chickpeas (save ¼ from above for toppings)
• Juice from ½ a lemon
• Handful of fresh parsley

For the Med-Style dressing

• 1 small tub natural yogurt (6oz./175g)
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1-2 garlic cloves (minced) 
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• Salt to taste

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Equipment needed

• 1 large baking sheet/oven tray
• Cooking tongs
• Small bowl (for mixing the dressing)
• Medium-sized bowl (for the toppings)
• Large sharp kitchen knife and cutting board
• Garlic crusher

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Method

Step 1 – Prepare sweet potatoes and chickpeas

• Preheat oven to 375°F /190°C.
• Add a splash of oil to a large baking sheet.
• Cut the sweet potatoes lengthways and place them on the baking sheet cut side down.
• Scatter around ¾ of the chickpeas around the sweet potatoes. 
• Drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Bake for 30-40 minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft.

Meanwhile, make the dressing and prepare the toppings.

Step 2 – Make the dressing

• Add the dressing ingredients to a small bowl and carefully mix well until all ingredients are combined. The dressing should be quite thick but still fall off a spoon. 
• Note: If the dressing is too thick, add a splash of water or more olive oil to achieve the desired consistency. 

Step 3 – Prepare the toppings

• Quarter the cherry tomatoes and add to a medium-sized bowl. Slice the black olives into rings and add them to the bowl.
• If using, finely dice the red onion and add it to the bowl. 
• Add plenty of chopped fresh parsley.
• Drizzle with juice from half a lemon, mix well, and season to taste. Set aside for use later. 

Step 4 – Serving

• Once sweet potatoes are cooked, the flesh should easily break apart with a fork. 
• To serve, flip the baked sweet potato using kitchen tongs, break up the fleshy middle parts to make a well, then load with roasted chickpeas, the fresh chickpeas, toppings, and a good drizzle of the dressing. 
• No extra seasoning is required, just sprinkle with a little freshly chopped parsley and you’re good to go! Enjoy!

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Cooking tips:

Choose medium-sized sweet potatoes that aren’t too fat. A good size is around 14 oz./400g. Once cut in half, this size sweet potato will roast in around 30-40 minutes. 

Use good quality extra virgin olive oil for this recipe.

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Purchasing and Prep for Sweet Potatoes

Most local supermarkets will stock sweet potatoes year-round, however, the most flavorful will be found in season between Fall/Autumn and Winter. Sweet potatoes are a root vegetable and will have a firm orange skin with a few dimples or bumps on the surface. 

When purchasing sweet potatoes, ensure they are firm to the touch and do not have any cuts or marks on the skin. Supermarkets tend to clean any dirt and grit from the skin, however, it’s always best practice to inspect the skin and give it a scrub with some freshwater before cooking with them. 

If purchasing from a local farm or fresh food market, the sweet potatoes will often still contain dirt or grit. Don’t worry, it’s easy to remove. Use a soft-bristled scrubbing brush and some lukewarm water to remove any dirt. Be careful not to scrub too hard as the skin may break or tear.

How Healthy Are Baked Sweet Potatoes? 

Some more excellent news. Sweet potatoes are very healthy, and baking them is one of the healthiest ways to prepare and enjoy them. 

Sweet potatoes contain beta-carotene, a known antioxidant that the body transfers to Vitamin A. Sweet potatoes are also high in fiber and potassium, a great source of Vitamin C, and Vitamin B6. Read about more sweet potato nutrition facts.

The humble sweet potato is also lower in calories and carbs compared to the normal potato. So, no issues with having second helpings of this sweet potato recipe! 

With an average sweet potato having 4 grams of plant-based fiber, they help lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and other chronic diseases.

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Prepared vs Dried Chickpeas: What’s best for this recipe? 

Both work well, however, for convenience, the jarred (prepared) variety of chickpeas is our preference, simply when looking for convenience and speed. All you need to do is rinse and drain the chickpeas and they are ready to be eaten or baked (we do this just to crisp some of them up).

Dried chickpeas are cheaper, but do require some preparation in advance before they can be used in recipes. 

Dried chickpeas preparation instructions:

If you’re using dried chickpeas, then allow some extra time to prepare the dried chickpeas. 

• Soak the dried chickpeas in some fresh water overnight (or at least for 8 hours). The chickpeas will expand around twice their size so add a ratio of (2:1) water to chickpeas (2 cups water to 1 cup chickpeas).
• Once they have rehydrated, drain them from the water and add them to a pot with some fresh water. Bring them to a boil then reduce heat and cook them on a low simmer for around 2 hours for them to soften up.

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Toppings and Med-Style Dressing Ideas

We have offered up some of our favorite topping combinations and we have kept things pretty simple and used ingredients that are easy to find and feature in the Mediterranean diet. 

The beauty of these BSP recipes is that ingredients can be easily added or omitted to suit your own taste. Here are a few suggestions that work well together:

• Spinach leaves, kale, sweet corn, and, cherry tomatoes. 
• Feta cheese, dates, shaved lettuce leaves, and diced piquillo pepper.
• Rocket, feta cheese, raisins, and pine nuts. 
• Tomato, mini Mozzarella cheese balls, green pesto. 

The dressing is also a favorite. It’s easy to make and requires no special equipment (just a bowl, a spoon, and a garlic crusher). It uses good-quality ingredients and tastes incredible. It’s sweet, smooth, tangy, and rich, all at the same time!

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The Healthy Happy Mediterranean Diet 

It’s no secret that we at the Happy Mediterranean are BIG fans of the Mediterranean diet, and for good reason. The Mediterranean diet is just soooo good for you. And the best thing, it’s very easy to incorporate it into your diet and routine. 

In essence, the Mediterranean way of eating focuses on fresh produce, whole grains, olive oil, nuts, lean protein sources (seafood, poultry, beans, legumes), herbs, and spices. Red meat and desserts are found in the Mediterranean too, however, they are consumed to a much lesser extent. 

Explore different articles on the Mediterranean Diet and how to incorporate it in your life:

• The role of olive oil in a healthy diet
• Herbs and spices used in Mediterranean cuisine
• 10 reasons why the Mediterranean diet is best for your health
• The Mediterranean Diet: A recipe for a healthy and happy lifestyle
• Why Mediterranean cuisine should be your go-to diet
• Fish and Seafood: Health Powerhouses of the Mediterranean Diet
• How olive oil can help you lose weight

Nutrition Facts 

Serving size: 300g
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	298
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5.4g	7%
Saturated Fat 1.4g	7%
Cholesterol 1mg	0%
Sodium 9856mg	429%
Total Carbohydrate 53.5g	19%
Dietary Fiber 14.4g	51%
Total Sugars 12.7g
Protein 14g
Vitamin D 0mcg	0%
Calcium 173mg	13%
Iron 12mg	67%
Potassium 1026mg	22%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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