These Moroccan stuffed sweet potatoes are a great hearty but healthy option for weekly meal prep. The sweetness of the potatoes are a perfect balance for the savory Moroccan spices.
Sweet Potatoes – Most varieties of sweet potatoes will work for this recipe. If you cannot find small sweet potatoes, you can use medium or large ones cut in half after baking. If using larger potatoes keep in mind that they will take longer to bake.
Black Lentils – I prefer black lentils due to their hearty texture in comparison to other lentils. A good substitute would be green or french lentils, but any lentil variety can be used.
Tempeh – Tempeh is a great neutral vegetarian protein option, but you can easily substitute ground chicken or turkey. If using ground meat, just brown the meat in the pan as the first step, set aside, and add back in pan with the apricots in step 9.
Harissa Seasoning – Harissa Seasoning can be found at most grocery stores in the spice aisle. For this recipe I use Frontier Co-Op Organic Harissa Seasoning.
Harissa Paste – Harissa Paste in also called Harissa Sauce and can be found at most grocery stores in the international food section. For this recipe I used the mild Mina Harissa Red Pepper Sauce, but if you like a little heat try the spicy version.
Dried Apricots – I used Turkish dried apricots, but any type will work well in this recipe. If unavailable, try substituting a 1/3 cup of golden raisins for the extra pop of sweetness.
Optional Garnish
Lemon Tahini – This simple, creamy, slightly acidic tahini adds the perfect amount of richness to this recipe and is well worth the few extra minutes it takes to whisk up.
Mint – Out of all of the herbs I use for garnish on this dish, this one adds the most depth and would be the go to if I could only have one herb to garnish the Moroccan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes.
Parsley – Any variety of parsley will do, but I do prefer the texture and slight difference in flavor of curly-leaf parsley.
Cilantro – I love cilantro on almost anything, but if you’re not a fan, this dish is just as good without.
Slivered Almonds – Adds a nice texture variation in comparison to the soft sweet potatoes and lentils.
Moroccan Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients
- 6 Small Sweet Potatoes
- 1 cup Black Lentils
- 8 oz Crumbled Tempeh
- 1 tsp Cumin
- 1 tbsp Harissa Seasoning
- 1 ½ tbsp Harissa Paste
- 4 Cloves of Garlic Minced
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Cinnamon
- 1 tsp Paprika
- ½ tbsp Grated Ginger
- 1 Yellow Bell Pepper
- 1 Medium Onion
- 14.5 oz Diced Tomatoes
- ½ cup Diced Dried Apricots
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
Lemon Tahini
- 1/2 cup tahini
- Juice of 1 large lemon
- 3 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
- ½ tsp Salt
Garnish
- Mint
- Parsley
- Slivered Almonds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Scrub sweet potatoes and wrap each individualpotato in foil. Bake in oven until soft(approximately 40 min for small sweet potatoes)
- Cook lentils per package instructions
- Whisk all ingredients for lemon tahini together.It will appear to be watery and separated at first but continue to whisk until combined to form a smooth texture.
- Heat olive oil on medium heat, dice onion and pepper.
- Sauté onion and pepper on medium heat until onions are translucent.
- Add the garlic and ginger, sauté for 3 more minutes.
- Add the dried spices (cumin, cinnamon, salt, paprika,harissa seasoning) and sauté for a minute.
- Add the harissa paste and sauté for another minute.
- Add the crumbled tempeh and diced apricots.
- Deglaze the pan with the diced tomatoes and let simmer on medium low heat for 10 minutes.
- Add spinach, remove from heat once wilted
- Slit potatoes down the center. Place a scope of lentils in, then a largescope of the Moroccan tempeh mixture.
- Garnish with mint, parsley, cilantro and almonds. Drizzle with tahini and serve.
