Recipes Dinners Dinners By Diets Vegetarian Dinners

Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowls

We love roasted sweet potatoes, especially in grain bowls like this one! Combine with quinoa, and top with avocado for a quick, one-bowl vegetarian meal.

Erin Alderson
Published October 07, 2018
Quinoa bowl with sweet potatoes and avocado
Erin Alderson

In my house, roasting sweet potatoes is one of the first criteria for celebrating the fall season. The warm, slightly sweet flavor is quintessential in our house during the fall. Plus, roasted sweet potatoes can be used in so many ways.

How I Like to Roast Sweet Potatoes

We roast cubed sweet potatoes in a bit of oil and salt ahead of time to toss in salads, frittatas, tacos and, of course, grain bowls like this one.

Sweet potatoes pair well with many kinds of flavors from spicy chipotle to this combination, which includes cinnamon, allspice, and cloves, inspired by shawarma recipes. What I love about this blend is that it takes what we often think of as baking spices and uses them into a warm, savory way.

Quinoa bowl with sweet potatoes and avocado
Erin Alderson

How to Make a Grain Bowl

For this bowl, I like to use quinoa because it’s higher in protein, but you could easily swap out the quinoa for bulgur or rice.

The avocado adds a nice creamy texture while the hummus brings everything together. I eat almost every grain bowl with a dollop of hummus. It adds protein and helps keep the quinoa in place while trying to take a bite!

How to Avoid Bitter Quinoa

Quinoa can have an unpleasant, bitter flavor. Be sure to rinse the quinoa in a strainer before cooking to help eliminate that unwanted taste in your mouth!

More Favorite Grain Bowls!

Roasted Sweet Potato Quinoa Bowls

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 40 mins
Servings 4 servings
Quinoa can have an unpleasant, bitter flavor. Be sure to rinse the quinoa in a strainer before cooking to help eliminate that unwanted taste in your mouth! Also, I use "pinches" for some of the spices used in this recipe, but pinches work just as well as 1/8 teaspoon, if you would rather measure.

Ingredients

  • For the sweet potatoes:
  • 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (roughly 1 large sweet potato)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinches of ground cloves, cinnamon, chili powder, and oregano
  • For the quinoa:
  • 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup vegetable broth
  • For serving:
  • 1 large avocado, sliced
  • 1/2 cup hummus
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method

  1. Roast the sweet potatoes

    Preheat oven to 400 ̊F. Place the sweet potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the olive oil.

    In a small bowl or ramekin, combine the sea salt, black pepper, allspice, turmeric, garlic powder, ginger, and the pinches of cloves, cinnamon, chili powder, and oregano. Sprinkle the spices over the sweet potatoes and toss until they are well coated.

    Spread into a single layer and roast until sweet potatoes are tender and starting to brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

    Sweet potato power bowl
    Erin Alderson
  2. Cook the quinoa

    While the sweet potatoes are cooking, rinse the quinoa and place in a pot with the water and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, cover, simmer, and cook for about 15 minutes, until nearly all the water is absorbed. Remove from heat and let the quinoa rest for 10 minutes.

  3. Assemble the bowls:

    Divide the quinoa into four bowls. Top with the sweet potatoes, a dollop of hummus, and a quarter of the avocado. Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.

sweet potato quinoa bowl
Erin Alderson