Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes recipe filled with a Mediterranean Quinoa using sun-dried tomatoes, olives, spinach and tons of flavor! Super healthy and easy!
It's getting to be that time of year where my body starts craving comfort foods. Heavier foods. Foods that warm you up, keep you full and make you feel all cozy inside.
You know, things like pasta, potatoes, chili, stews. Basically just all things warm and carby.
Out of all the foods that make me feel that way, sweet potatoes are definitely towards the top of the list. I probably eat sweet potatoes at least 3 – 4 times per week and they never get old. Typically it's just simple side of roasted sweet potatoes, but today I'm going to share a way for you to make sweet potatoes the star.
Ingredients for Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
The first vegan stuffed sweet potatoes I made were way back in 2012. I had never had one before – unless you count potato skins – and as soon as I made it, I knew it was going to be a staple for me.
I've since made them numerous times – and even made a breakfast version – and I still can't get enough. Since we've gone down the Mexican flavor route before, today we're taking things in a different direction. A Mediterranean direction. And I think you're going to love it!
These vegan stuffed sweet potatoes are just a few main ingredients:
- sweet potatoes
- quinoa
- chickpeas
- spinach
- olives
- sun-dried tomatoes
From there we're going to add a little more magic with spices and a tahini dressing, but otherwise, they're pretty darn simple!
The Perfect Mediterranean Quinoa Filling
I've said this a million times before and I'll say it again: one of the things I love most about quinoa is its versatility. You can literally turn it into any flavor you want!
Since I've made other quinoa stuffed sweet potatoes on the blog, I wanted to go in a flavor direction that I knew would be a bit different but also super tasty. One of my favorite recipes on the blog is my One-Pot Mediterranean Quinoa, so I used that as inspiration!
We're starting with some cooked quinoa, then sauteing that with spinach, chickpeas, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, and spices. It's honestly SO good! It's got the brininess and salt from the olives, the roasted sweetness from the tomatoes and the herbs are there to just round it all out.
And as I imagined, it pairs perfectly with sweet potatoes!
How to Make Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
The base of stuffed sweet potatoes is the sweet potato of course! And we make that by baking them.
When you're making stuffed sweet potatoes, I think there are a few tricks to follow:
- Go small(ish). Pick a sweet potato that is on the smaller side. Since this is going to be one serving, you want one that isn't too big so that you can actually eat it. I say a small(ish) one is best.
- Use your fork. Before you bake your sweet potato, prick it all over with a fork. This is going to help with the cooking process and speed it up a bit!
- Leave them be. Once they're in the oven, just leave them be. There's no need to turn, flip, rotate, etc. They'll cook perfectly as is!
- Use foil. Sometimes sweet potatoes can ooze a bit as they're baking so I recommend laying down a piece of parchment or aluminum foil on the baking pan so it makes the clean up a bit easier!
Otherwise, once you've got your sweet potatoes baked, you can just stuff them with that quinoa mixture and you're off to the races!
The BEST Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
These are honestly one of the best ways to eat sweet potatoes. We're getting protein from the quinoa and beans, complex carbohydrates from the sweet potatoes and quinoa, tons of fiber, some greens and some healthy fats too!
It's one of those meals that you'll come back to over and over again.
And best of all? These vegan stuffed sweet potatoes can be made ahead and prepped for lunches or dinners for the week ahead. Simply heat them up in the microwave or oven (covered with foil in the oven) until they're heated through, then drizzle them with some tahini. So simple and SO delicious!
More Easy Vegan Dinner Ideas to try:
- Quinoa Flour Pizza Crust
- Quinoa Mac & Cheese
- Vegan Jackfruit Enchiladas Verdes
- Vegan Red Curry Noodle Bowls
- Butternut Squash Vegan Lasagna
- Meal Prep Chipotle Tofu Quinoa Bowls
Vegan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with Mediterranean Quinoa
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups spinach
- 1/2 cup canned chickpeas
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes (chopped)
- 2 tablespoons kalamata olives (chopped)
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
to garnish
- 1 tablespoon tahini
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 - 2 tablespoons water to thin
- chives
- red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Puncture the sweet potatoes with a fork and place them in a baking dish. Bake until soft, and knife slides into the flesh easily, about 35 – 45 minutes depending on the size.
- Meanwhile, prepare the quinoa mixture by heating the oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the rest of the ingredients (spinach to salt & pepper) and saute until warm. Keep warm until the sweet potatoes are cooked.
- When the sweet potatoes are soft, remove them from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes. Once cooled, transfer them to a plate, split them open with a sharp knife and spoon the quinoa into the center.
- Whisk together the tahini, lemon, salt, pepper, and water then pour on top of sweet potatoes. Garnish with fresh chives and red pepper flakes. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
These are amazing! So very flavorful between the potato and the quinoa filling and the tahini sauce. Just perfect. Thank you for the wonderful vegan recipes you share!
So glad you enjoyed it, Tracy!! This is one of our favorites 🙂
This rwcipe was absolutely AMAZING! The flavor is phenomenal…definitely my meatless Monday go too
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Absolutely love this recipe! One of my new favs!
This is DELICIOUS!! If you like chickpeas, sweet potato, and tomatoes, this is the recipe for you! Thank you for creating his I lot it! 🙂
Woohoo!! Honestly one of my FAVE recipes on the site 🙂
Absolutely delicious! My family loved it, the tahini sauce took the meal to another level! I will have to triple the tahini sauce next time. Thank you for a healthy and satisfying recipe.
This is one of my favorites! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I will be making this. Pat
Can’t wait for you to try!
LOVED this recipe!!! Been making so many of your recipes during quarantine and this was by far my hubby’s favorite. I sautéed some garlic before adding the spinach and the rest of the ingredients to the pan. Thank you for sharing all your amazingly delicious and healthy recipes!!
WOW!! What a great review 🙂 so happy you BOTH enjoyed them!!!
This was awesome! The sweetness of the potato mixed with the nutty quinoa was so yummy. Definitely making again. I put tatziki on ours as well, which I would highly recommend!
So glad you enjoyed it! Would love for you to leave a star rating if you haven’t already 😉 xox
Delish!!
I took the skin off my sweet potato and made mine into a bowl. I used everything except for olives, it turned out great!
Sounds awesome!
We all loved this recipe!! I left out the olives and My sauce was just Greek yogurt with mint leaves and garlic. We’re trying to do more vegetarian meals. Will be making this again and again!
I’m so glad!!
This meal is amazing! Full of flavor and perfectly filling! This will be in our rotation for a long time 🙂
I’m so glad!
Stuffed sweet potatoes are some of the best meals to eat! I love mine sweet–I know it sounds weird but the combination of fruit and peanut butter with sweet potatoes is to die for! Anyhow, Mediterranean flavors are splendid so incorporating quinoa, chickpeas, and sun-dried tomatoes with sweet potatoes is fabulous–you have to try them with white sweet potatoes because they’re creamier and much tastier than orange ones (just my personal opinion but it’s amazing)!
Hi there Alyssa Made the sweet potato quinoa. I added some red pepper and mushrooms in this recipe.
It was absolutely amazing. Will make it again. can you give more variables on this recipe.
Thanks for an amazing blog
Geraldine
SOOO awesome!
I was eager to try this recipe after watching your YouTube video, but I was missing two ingredients. I’m happy to say it was worth the wait! Goodness, this was PACKED with flavor, but nothing too overpowering for my sensitive stomach. I actually didn’t top a sweet potato, but added the mix into a salad with roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts. It is by far one of my favorite flavor combinations and will be in permanent rotation! Thanks for yet another winning recipe!!
YAY!!! I’m so so glad you enjoyed it 🙂 It’s one of my favorites as well! xox