These colorful sweet potato bowls burst with Mediterranean flavors—tender shawarma-spiced chicken, caramelized sweet potatoes, crispy chickpeas, and a bright, herby tahini dressing all piled over hearty whole grains.
Sweet Potato Bowls are My Reset Meal
- Eat a rainbow! Big flavor, balanced nutrition, and lots of color in every bite.
- Meal prep-friendly! Make-ahead components mix and match easily.
- Totally customizable! Easy to make it vegetarian or gluten-free, and each person can customize their bowl with the toppings they prefer.
When my body tells me I’ve been overindulging, I build myself a sweet potato bowl. A little bit of prep means I can mix and match elements all week long.
I start with a whole grain, and za’atar-spiced crispy chickpeas, which I roast alongside sweet potato wedges. While those elements bake, I sauté shawarma-spiced chicken on the stove for additional protein.
Since we all eat with our eyes, I compose the bowls with individual piles of colorful toppings. Bright pink pickled onions, a handful of chopped pistachios, briny crumbled feta, and a drizzle of tahini-based Green Goddess Dressing make these bowls a visual feast.
Key Ingredients
- Sweet potatoes: orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (sometimes called garnet yams) turn caramelized on the outside and creamy on the inside when roasted.
- Whole Grains: Farro is ancient grain has a nutty flavor and likeable chew. The fiber-rich grain freezes well, so batch cook a whole bag and stash some away for future bowls. You can substitute cooked barley or freekeh, or for a gluten-free option, quinoa. Aim for about 1/2 cup of cooked grain per bowl, depending on your appetite, or add more greens to make it lower in carbs.
- Chicken thighs: I cut the chicken into quick-cooking strips and toss them in a quick marinade of olive oil, shawarma spice, and lemon. Chicken breast can be substituted.
- Shawarma spice: It’s easy to mix up with spices yourself. It’ll keep for months in a cool airtight container. Feel free to use baharat or ras el hanout instead.
- Crispy Roasted Chickpeas add texture and flavor thanks to their coating of za’atar, sumac, and harissa.
- Pickled Red Onions: quick pickled in red wine vinegar and herbs, these add vibrant color and crunch. Substitute shredded red cabbage in a pinch
- Green Goddess Tahini Dressing: this tahini based dressing adds herbal creaminess to the salad. But you can dress sweet potato bowls with any of these easy homemade salad dressings.
How to Make Sweet Potato Bowls
With a little bit of prep, this filling bowl delivers a delicious meal in no time. Multitasking by roasting the sweet potatoes while sauteeing the chicken will get lunch or dinner on the table faster.
- Get ready. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Prep dressing and pickled onions, if necessary.
- Marinate the chicken. Combine 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch wide strips, 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 1/2 teaspoons Shawarma Seasoning Blend, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Toss to coat the meat and then set aside to marinate for 10 minutes or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the sweet potatoes. Peel 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes. Cut them in half lengthwise. Cut into 1/2-inch thick half moon slices and mound on one of the prepared baking sheets. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, and toss to combine. Arrange in an even layer.
- Prepare the chickpeas. Drain, rinse, and dry 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas. Spread the chickpeas on the second prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil and season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss chickpeas and make sure they are well-coated with the olive oil. Spread them out well on the sheet.
- Roast the sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Roast the potatoes and chickpeas, stirring with a spatula once or twice, until the potatoes are tender and caramelized in places, 25 minutes, and the chickpeas are a deep golden brown, about 35 minutes. Once you take the chickpeas out of the oven, immediately season them with 1/2 teaspoon za’atar, 1/2 teaspoon sumac, and 1/2 teaspoon shawarma seasoning blend.
- Cook the chicken. Meanwhile, sauté the chicken. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, reduce heat to medium, and cook without stirring until deeply browned on one side, 6 minutes. Flip with tongs and cook on the second side until no longer pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes more. Set aside.
- Build the bowls. Put 1 cup mixed baby salad greens in each bowl, spreading them out to the sides of the bowl. Put 3/4 cup of cooked farro in the center of each bowl. Top them with the chicken, chickpeas, Pickled Red Onions, chopped roasted salted pistachios, and crumbled feta cheese in small piles around the sides of the bowl. Drizzle with Green Goddess Tahini Dressing and serve immediately.
Make it Your Own
- Substitute the baby greens with shredded kale leaves or spinach if that’s what you have in the fridge.
- Swap homemade crispy chickpeas for store-bought crispy chickpea snacks instead.
- If time is tight, opt for plain sliced red onions for the pickled red onions. Marinate them in a little lemon or lime juice while everything else cooks.
- Top the bowls with a fried egg sprinkled with za’atar instead of the chicken for a vegetarian option.
- Use the roasted chopped nuts you have. Pecans, Marcona almonds, or cashews will be delicious.
What to Serve with Sweet Potato Bowls
There’s already so much going on in these bowls that they’re complete on their own. Add a refreshing hibiscus iced tea on the side as a refreshing accompaniment. Got a sweet tooth? Wrap up this meal with some easy date aramel apple slices or chocolate covered dates.
Shawarma Chicken Sweet Potato Bowls
Layers of flavor and textures come together into this hearty veggie-packed grain bowl that’s infinitely adaptable to what you have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch wide strips
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Shawarma Seasoning Blend (or store-bought)
- 1 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
- 3 cups cooked farro, barley, freekeh, or quinoa
- 4 cups mixed baby salad greens
- 3/4 cup Pickled Red Onions
- 1/2 cup chopped roasted salted pistachios
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3/4 cup Green Goddess Tahini Dressing (optional)
Crispy Roasted Chickpeas
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained, rinse, and dried well
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon za’atar
- 1/2 teaspoon sumac
- 1/2 teaspoon Shawarma Seasoning Blend
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- Marinate the chicken. Combine the chicken, 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, lemon juice, shawarma seasoning blend, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt. Toss to coat the meat and then set aside to marinate for 10 minutes or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
- Prepare the sweet potatoes. Cut the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise. Cut into 1/2-inch thick half moon slices and mound on one of the prepared baking sheets. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and remaining 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and toss to combine. Arrange in an even layer.
- Prepare the chickpeas. Spread the chickpeas well on the second prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and season with kosher salt. Toss chickpeas and make sure they are well-coated with the olive oil. Spread them out well on the sheet.
- Roast the sweet potatoes and chickpeas. Roast the potatoes and chickpeas, stirring with a spatula once or twice, until the potatoes are tender and caramelized in places, 25 minutes, and the chickpeas are a deep golden brown, about 35 minutes. Once you take the chickpeas out of the oven, immediately season them with za'atar, sumac, and shawarma seasoning blend.
- Cook the chicken. Meanwhile, sauté the chicken. Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add the chicken, reduce heat to medium, and cook without stirring until deeply browned on one side, 6 minutes. Flip with tongs and cook on the second side until no longer pink in the center, 3 to 5 minutes more. Set aside.
- Build the bowls. Put 1 cup of greens in each bowl, spreading them out to the sides of the bowl. Put 3/4 cup of farro in the center of each bowl. Add the chicken, chickpeas, red onions, pistachios, and feta cheese in small piles around the sides of the bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Calories: 468.6kcalCarbohydrates: 52.8gProtein: 23.6gFat: 19.2gSaturated Fat: 3.7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3.3gMonounsaturated Fat: 10.4gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 78.5mgSodium: 930.4mgPotassium: 845.2mgFiber: 8.5gSugar: 7.2gVitamin A: 16488.6IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 96.8mgIron: 3.7mg
Tried this recipe?
Mention @Themediterraneandish Or Tag #Themediterraneandish!
Sweet Potato Recipes We Can’t Stop Making
Mediterranean Diet Recipes
Baked Sweet Potato Fries with Za’atar and Tahini
Sides and Small Plates
Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Honey Tahini and Sesame Seeds
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
Visit Our Shop.
The Mediterranean Diet Starter Kit
The vibrant pantry essentials you need to start cooking the Mediterranean way.
I had Sunday to myself and decided it was a good time to make this for my family. There are a lot of components to put together – but each of them made it totally worth it. The green goddess dressing and pickled red onions were amazing, and I loved the shawarma spice blend. Everything was amazing together and everyone loved it. Great healthy weekend meal!