Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Tahini Dressing
Baked potato bars are always a hit at my house because everyone gets to make the meal their own. This version is a new and different spin - sweet, savory, and full of flavor, plus packed with vitamin C, iron, and fiber to make sure your family stays healthy. To cut way down on the cooking time, we are using the microwave to bake the potatoes. If you prefer, you can also always bake them in the oven for 45 – 55 minutes.
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced, about 1 1/2 tsp.
- 15 oz. canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) (or use 1 1/2 cups home-cooked chickpeas for every 15 oz. can)
- 6 oz. baby spinach roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt sea salt, or other coarse salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 cup tahini (use wheat/gluten-free, if needed)
- 3/4 lemon juice only, about 3 Tbsp.
- 1 tsp. honey
Instructions
- Pierce the sweet potatoes 5 – 6 times with a fork or sharp knife. Place them on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 11 minutes, turning them half-way through the cooking time. Check for doneness by sticking them with a fork. If they are easy to pierce, they are done. If not, then continue cooking them for 30-second intervals until they are ready.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering but not smoking, add 3/4 tsp. garlic and stir until fragrant, then add the chickpeas.
- Stir the chickpeas for 1 minute and then add the spinach and cook until the spinach is wilted. Add 1/4 tsp. each, of the salt and pepper, stir well, and remove from the heat.
- To make the dressing, combine the tahini, 3/4 tsp. garlic, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper, honey, and 6 Tbsp. water. Whisk until smooth, adding more water to further thin out the sauce, if necessary.
- When the sweet potatoes are done cooking, remove them from the microwave, slice in half, and loosen the flesh of the sweet potato, or remove about 1/3 to make room for the toppings.
- Serve family-style, letting everyone use as much of the chickpea and spinach filling and the dressing as they would like.
Notes
Do Ahead or Delegate: Bake the sweet potatoes, peel the garlic, chop the spinach, prepare the chickpea and spinach filling, prepare the tahini dressing, or fully prepare and refrigerate all of the components.
Scramble Flavor Booster: Serve with crumbled feta and/or with hot sauce, such as Tabasco or Harissa.
Tip: If you have never baked sweet potatoes in the microwave, here is a formula to help you out: 5 minutes for the first sweet potato, 2 additional minutes for each sweet potato added.
Nutritional Information Per Serving (% based upon daily values): Calories 371, Total Fat: 13g, 20%; Saturated Fat: 2g, 9%; Cholesterol: 0mg, 0%; Sodium: 228mg, 10%; Total Carbohydrate: 52g, 17%; Dietary Fiber: 10g, 41%; Sugar: 9g; Protein: 15g
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