Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes -

Mediterranean Baked Sweet Potatoes

Oven-baked sweet potatoes loaded with a delicious mix of roasted chickpeas, creamy goat's cheese and a delicious creamy lemon and thyme yoghurt dressing

Course Lunch

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 740kcal

Author Michelle Alston

Ingredients

4 large sweet potatoes washed and dried
2 ½ tablespoon olive oil divided into 1 tablespoon and 1 ½ tbsp
1 400g can of chickpeas (1x15oz can) drained, rinsed and dried
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 ½ teaspoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon lemon zest
125 g vegetarian goat's cheese (approx 1 x 4 oz log)
4 spring onions/scallions sliced
1 tablespoon finely chopped flat-leaf parsley (as a garnish) optional
Lemon wedges and dried red chilli flakes for serving optional

For the yoghurt dressing

150 g plain natural yoghurt full-fat is best for this dressing
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon lemon zest
1 large clove garlic minced
¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
¼ teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200C/392F
Wash and dry the sweet potatoes, pierce each one of times with a fork or sharp knife tip.
Rub one tablespoon of olive oil onto the potatoes and place on a baking tray.
Bake for about 45 - 50 minutes or until cooked through.
Test with a sharp knife, the knife should come out clean.
While the potatoes are baking prepare the chickpeas.
Place the dry chickpeas on a baking tray then cover them in the spice mix rubbing the spice mix in. Drizzle over 1 and a half tablespoons of oil and toss the chickpeas again.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, I do this towards the end of cooking the sweet potatoes.
Meanwhile, make the yoghurt sauce.
Add the thyme leaves, yoghurt, garlic, thyme, lemon zest, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix well.
Leave in the fridge until you are ready to serve.
When the sweet potatoes are done, remove them from the oven, using a sharp knife cut the potatoes open, fluff up the flesh of the potatoes with a fork.
Add the chickpeas and crumble in the goat's cheese, then top with the slices of spring onion/scallions.
Serve the baked potatoes, lemon wedges and a good dollop of the thyme and lemon yoghurt and some chopped parsley if you wish.

Notes

Sweet Potatoes - Try and choose sweet potatoes of similar size, this way the potatoes will all cook at the same time. I always wash and dry the potatoes first. Don't forget to pierce the potatoes.
Chickpeas - Canned chickpeas are fine for this recipe, but if you have dried chickpeas you can, of course, use those.
Spice Mix - The spice mix is similar to za'atar, so if you have it feel free to use it. You will need about 2 tbsp.
Nutritional Information - is approximate and is calculated using an online nutrition tool. Nutritional values will change according to the size of the potatoes you use, they type of cheese you use and the type of yoghurt you use.
Measurements - I weigh all my ingredients using an electric scale, all measurements are metric. Cup measurements are approximate.

Nutrition