This chickpea stuffed sweet potato with maple tahini sauce has become a weekly staple in my home, and I have the evidence to prove it. Last week, given the choice between dining out after the hockey game or coming home to these, my partner chose the chickpea stuffed sweet potato. Voluntarily. That tells you everything you need to know.
If you are looking for a perfect example of never judging a book by its cover, sweet potatoes are your vegetable. Their exterior is lumpy, often asymmetrical, occasionally what I would describe as aggressively deformed. But what is on the inside is genuinely spectacular. Sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese, and fibre, and they have a naturally sweet, starchy flesh that holds up beautifully to bold flavours like tahini and chili crisp.
All the beauty is on the inside.
One of the best things about this recipe is how budget-friendly it is, which feels increasingly relevant given that Canadian grocery prices have entered a realm I can only describe as audacious. Sweet potatoes, chickpeas, spinach, and a jar of tahini. That is the whole shop. You will make a meal that looks and tastes like you put in considerably more effort than you did, and it reheats so well that making it for two means lunch is already handled.
Why Chickpea Stuffed Sweet Potato Works So Well
Sweet potatoes and chickpeas are one of those pairings that make complete nutritional sense without requiring any thought on your part. The sweet potato brings complex carbohydrates and that naturally sweet, starchy base that holds up to bold flavours. The chickpeas add protein and fibre, which is what turns this from a side dish into an actual meal. The spinach wilts down to almost nothing visually but adds iron and folate along the way.
And then there is the maple tahini sauce, which is honestly the whole point. Tahini is sesame paste, and if you have never cooked with it before, consider this your gateway recipe. It has a nutty, slightly bitter richness that balances beautifully against the sweetness of the maple syrup and the acid from the lemon juice. The result is a sauce that tastes like it took far more effort than it did. Buy the big container. You will be looking for other things to put it on before the week is out.
Make It Gluten Free
This recipe is naturally gluten free with one simple swap: use tamari instead of soy sauce in the maple tahini drizzle. Tamari is brewed without wheat and tastes nearly identical in this application. If you are cooking for someone with celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, double-check your tahini label as well, since some brands are processed in facilities that handle wheat.
Make Ahead and Storage Tips
This is one of those recipes that is genuinely better the next day once the flavours have had time to settle. A few things worth knowing before you start:
The sweet potatoes can be baked a day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat in the oven at 350F for about 15 minutes or in the microwave until warmed through.
The maple tahini sauce thickens considerably in the fridge. Before using it again, add hot water a tablespoon at a time and whisk until it reaches a drizzle consistency. It comes back together easily.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days. This also makes an excellent packed lunch, reheated or eaten at room temperature.
A Few More Notes Before You Proceed
I’ve called for four cups of spinach but honestly, have you met spinach? Use as much as you want. It will cook down to practically nothing anyway.
I’m a saucy person, so I always double the tahini sauce and use the rest for Buddha bowls or pour it over roasted cauliflower later in the week. Just remember to thin it out with hot water before using it again.
The spicy chili crisp at the end is not optional in my house. It adds a heat and a depth that ties the whole thing together. If you do not have it, a drizzle of sriracha works, but put chili crisp on your list for next time.
Stuffed Sweet Potato with Spinach and Chickpeas in Maple Tahini Sauce
Fast, nutritious, and delicious. This Baked Sweet Potato with Spinach and Chickpeas with a Maple Tahini Sauce is the perfect weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 4 sweet potatoes
- olive oil
Maple Tahini Sauce
- 6 tbsp melted butter
- 1/3 cup tahini
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- hot water
Spinach and Chickpea Stuffing
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and dried
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp spicy chili crisp
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400°F
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Wash and dry sweet potatoes. Puncture sweet potatoes with a fork all over.
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Rub each sweet potato with olive oil and place in an oven proof dish or on a sheet pan.
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When oven comes to temp, add sweet potatoes to oven, between 50 and 60 minutes, or until tender all the way through.
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In a small bowl add tahini sauce, soy sauce, maple syrup, lemon juice, and melted butter. Whisk until blended. Add hot water by the tablespoon until drizzle is consistency you like. Note, if sauce thickens up again, simply add more hot water, a tablespoon at a time and whisk until liquid.
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When potatoes are cooked through, drizzle a tbsp of olive oil in a non-stick pan and heat over medium heat.
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Add chickpeas and stir until cooked through.
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Add spinach and combine with chickpeas until wilted. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt.
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Cut sweet potatoes in half and gently mash insides.
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Spoon chickpea and spinach mix over top.
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Pour Maple Tahini Drizzle over top, and then add a drizzle of spicy chili oil.
Now For Dessert
You ate your vegetables. You earned this. These Browned Butter Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Blondies are the only acceptable way to end a meal this good.
Girls Gone Mild – Your Girls’ Getaway Blueprint
