Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Tahini Ranch is the perfect dish for Meatless Monday or a jazzy desk lunch. Which, these days, a desk lunch could mean working from home. Whether for lunch or dinner, if you’re a fan of sweet potatoes, I think you’ll love this recipe!
Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Tahini Ranch is one of those great recipes that can be enjoyed as a vegetarian main or served as a side dish.
You can also batch-cook in advance to enjoy throughout the week. Just keep the potatoes, quinoa and sauce components separate and assemble just before enjoying.
Let’s get down with the recipe…
The star of this dish is the oven-roasted sweet potato fries. But the quinoa and an herby vegan “ranch” dressing are the supporting stars. Bring it all together and you have a hit.
For this plant protein-packed meal you’ll need the following:
- sweet potatoes
- quinoa
- Tahini Ranch recipe
- sunflower seeds
- fresh herbs
- greens, such as watercress, arugula, etc.
And of course salt + pepper and whatever cooking oil you have in your kitchen.
Oven-roasted sweet potato fries
Once you have your mise en place (fancy way of saying ingredients prepped), time to get cookin’!
First, make the sauce, which is an herby vegan Tahini Ranch that pulls it all together. It’s optional, but I highly recommend making this tasty and versatile sauce. It may become your new fave way to jazz up dinner!
What is tahini, you ask? Tahini is ground sesame seeds, which is used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisine. I like Seed + Mill tahini.
Make a batch of my Tahini Ranch to make this dish zing!
Once your sauce is made, make the quinoa. Never made quinoa? I can help!
Quinoa cooking tips…
Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah” for the uninitiated) adds some plant protein to this dish, making it a complete protein and little more filling as a main.
I like to keep cooked quinoa on hand at all times, as it’s a great high-protein grain to add to salads, grain bowls, etc. And I am sharing my top tips to get fluffy quinoa every time!
- rinse quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer to remove bitter saponins (unless your brand is pre-washed)
- if you rinse first: heat a small saucepan over medium heat, add quinoa and allow water to evaporate, then add salt and spices and “toast” until spices are fragrant (cumin, oregano, etc.)
- if you don’t rinse first: heat a small saucepan over medium heat, add quinoa, then add salt and spices and “toast” until spices are fragrant (cumin, oregano, etc.)
- add about double the amount of water as quinoa, so if you are cooking 1/2 cup raw, add about 1 cup water
- cover and simmer 15 minutes, then turn off heat and let steam 5 minutes
- fluff with a fork then serve
Quinoa adds some extra protein to the dish
Once the quinoa is cooked, make the potatoes.
You’ll see in the recipe notes below that I recommend roasting with the skins on, which adds texture and even more nutrients. Once cleaned, roasting the fries is as easy as 1-2-3.
- cut potatoes into french fries
- toss with oil, salt + pepper
- roast on 450° 20-25 minutes
I use avocado oil for all cooking purposes, so I recommend using it here as well. And I like the brand La Tourangelle.
This makes a perfect vegetarian lunch
Time to assemble and dig in!
Finally, to assemble this dish, add a swoosh of the ranch on a plate or in a shallow bowl (this allows each bite to have some of the saucy sauce!). Then top with quinoa, sweet potatoes, greens of choice, and toasted sunflower seeds.
And it never hurts to drizzle a little more sauce on top if you’re feeling it! Enjoy dish warm or at room temp for a hearty lunch or side dish at dinner.
If you make this Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Tahini Ranch recipe I’d love to hear your feedback so feel free to drop a comment below. And be sure to check out my Instagram page for more recipes and cooking tips!
Like this recipe? Check these out…
Quinoa, Egg + Arugula Bowl (DF, GF)
Quinoa + Black Bean Fajitas (vegan, GF)
| Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Cook Time | 25 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 2 each medium sized sweet potatoes unpeeled, skins scrubbed clean
- 2 scant tbsps avocado oil or olive oil
- to taste sea salt + pepper
- 1 generous sprinkle flake sea salt
- 1 recipe Tahini Ranch see blog post for link
- 1 cup cooked quinoa see blog post for cooking tips
- 2 cups greens of choice such as watercress, arugula or baby kale
- 2 tbsp roasted sunflower seeds
Ingredients
|
|
- heat oven to 450° and line a large sheet pan with parchment baking paper
- slice sweet potatoes lengthwise into about 1” thick oblong pieces; then lay each of those pieces flat and slice again lengthwise into large “french fry” shape
- toss fries with a scant 2 tablespoons of avocado oil, plus salt + pepper to taste; roast potatoes 20-25 minutes, flipping halfway through; add a little bit of flake sea salt to potatoes
- optional step: while potatoes roast, make Tahini Ranch recipe; you will likely not need all of it for this recipe, so save the rest for another use
- assembly: to each plate add some of the Tahini Ranch, then divide the quinoa and sweet potatoes evenly; top with watercress or other greens of choice, then toasted sunflower seeds, enjoy warm or at room temp
**Recipe can be batch-cooked in advance, just keep components separate and assemble just before enjoying
Recipe serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com