These easy Baked Sweet Potatoes w/ Chickpeas & Broccoli Pesto make a delicious vegan meal or side dish!
Every once in a while, I decide to get away from my easy overnight oats and power bowl recipes and do something fancy. “Fancy”. It doesn’t happen very often because, well, life. And also because I come from the microwave generation where the world of real cooking is a foreign and difficult concept. Please don’t judge me! I still love and so appreciate amazing cooking, but sadly it just doesn’t fit into my everyday reality.
But today, I decided to get all fancy pants on ya! Not that this meal is complicated in any way whatsoever, but at least it looks fancy, right?
It turns out these super easy Baked Sweet Potatoes w/ Chickpeas & Broccoli Pesto can be made in under 30 minutes!
Now about this creamy, savory broccoli pesto situation. It’s different than regular pesto in that it’s lightened up and loaded with nutrients! Simply blend broccoli, basil leaves, and a little bit of oil. Olive oil is traditional, but in this case I used avocado oil and loved it!
A few things about this recipe: be sure to spray your baking pan with a little bit of oil to keep the sweet potato halves from burning on the bottom. Trust me! I may or may not have set my fire alarms off the first time I made this. Don’t worry, a little bit of oil will save the day!
Also, feel free to play around with the spices! I added a little bit of cumin and paprika to the chickpeas, but I think that turmeric would also be a wonderful addition!
Baked Sweet Potatoes w/ Chickpeas & Broccoli Pesto
Vegan, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free
Ingredients
- 2 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 7-10 basil leaves
- 2 Tbsp avocado oil
- 3/4 cup chickpeas
- 1/2 tsp coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/4 tsp paprika
- 1/4 cup red cabbage, chopped
- 1 tsp pine nuts
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
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Spray a baking sheet with a little bit of oil, then cut sweet potatoes into halves and place skin-side down.
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Bake 20-25 minutes, or until soft.
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While the potatoes are baking, blend the broccoli, basil, and oil to create the pesto. Set aside.
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Cook the chickpeas over medium heat with coconut oil, cumin, and paprika for about 5-10 minutes.
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Top each sweet potato with chopped red cabbage, chickpeas, pesto, and pine nuts. Serve warm and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Each serving is 2 sweet potato halves.
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Great recipe ! I really love the combo of sweet potatoes and the broccoli pesto. I made it today with a couple changes, instead of the raw cabbage I decided to cook the cabbage and season it with rosemary, red wine vinegar some salt and a tiny bit of sugar. I also added some garlic to the pesto and it was so so delicious !
Thanks, Catherine! So glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂 The garlic in the pesto sounds amazing!
Do you use canned or dry chickpeas?
Hi, Johanna! I always used canned chickpeas, but either should work. Enjoy the recipe!
Currently making this and another similiar recipe combined since I didnt have all the ingredients. Looks so good! Although my sweet potatoes have been in the oven for 25 minutes already and are pretty much raw still :/
That’s awesome, Layna! Oh no, I’m sorry! Different ovens and sizes of potatoes could affect them. I hope you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi Christine!
I’m so happy I found you, I love your recipes and overall health perspective! Hoping to help you spread the word and share your recipes on Pinterest.
Thank you for great content!
Sincerely,
Ida Borneskog
Thank you, Ida! Thanks so much for the shares! 🙂
I always choose sweet potatoes instead of the white one. This recipe is so mouth-watering! Great job!
These really do look so fancy, Christine! So glad I stumbled upon your recipe. They sound downright delicious!
Thanks, Gabriella! 🙂
Is the broccoli cooked or raw before blended?
I recommend steaming them a little bit to make them easier to blend! But keeping them raw should work great, too. Enjoy! 🙂
Are the chickpeas canned or … ? This looks delicious and I’m super keen to make it 🙂
Hi, Lauren! Yes, I always use canned chickpeas since they’re a little bit easier to deal with. I hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Love everything about this dish!! It’s beautiful, the flavors I love, and that broccoli pesto looks so darn good!!! Saving this for sure!
Thank you, Jenn! 🙂 Enjoy!