This roasted sweet potato bowl is hearty vegetarian dinner. The roasted sweet potatoes are tossed with cauliflower rice, black beans, and topped with cashew cream. This sweet potato bowl recipe is an easy dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes!
When it comes to dinner, healthy is best. Fast is desirable.
So when I came up with this 30-minute sweet potato bowl recipe that’s both healthy and quick I did a little happy dance. And it’s filling. Oh and it’s delicious.
Checking. All. The. Dinner boxes.
Ingredients To Make This Sweet Potato Bowl (with cauliflower rice and black beans)
- Limes – You are going to use lime 2 ways. One lime will be used in the cashew cream. And then we also squeeze a little over the finished bowl before serving. It’s a wonderful zip and freshness.
- Cashews – You are going to soak your cashews in hot water for 1-2 hours to make the cashew cream.
- Oil – We recommend using coconut, avocado, or grapeseed oil.
- Sweet Potatoes – You want 2 large and you want to cube these. We peeled them but you could leave the skin on for more nutrients.
- Cauliflower – You could buy pre-made cauliflower rice, but I’ll show you how easy it is to take a head of cauliflower and make your own.
- Onion – One onion that’s diced. Yellow or white works.
- Spices – We used a combination of cumin and chili powder so it gives this a smoky heat.
- Black Beans – About 1 ½ cups or 1 can of black beans. But you could also cook your own.
- Cilantro – We love sprinkling on fresh cilantro at the end.
How To Make This Vegan Sweet Potato Bowl
-
Prepare cashew cream – place drained cashews and juice of 1 lime into a blender. Puree until smooth, adding a little fresh water as needed until creamy and smooth. Add salt to taste, about ¼ teaspoon. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. (You will have more than is needed for this recipe. Leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge, or several months frozen.)
-
Roast The Sweet Potatoes. Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the sweet potato cubes with a little of the coconut oil (melted, if solid) and season well with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 20-25 minutes. Keep warm until ready to add to other ingredients.
-
Prepare The Cauliflower. While sweet potatoes are roasting, remove outer leaves and core from cauliflower. Roughly chop. Working in batches if needed, place cauliflower in food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed.
-
Make The Rice. Heat the remaining coconut oil in a large skillet. Add the diced onion and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5-10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30-60 seconds more. Add the chili powder and cumin. Cook for another 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring often to prevent burning, for 10 minutes or until just cooked through. If it starts to stick to the bottom, add a little bit of water, but not too much. Add the black beans and roasted sweet potatoes; stir to combine.
-
Finish and Serve. Remove from heat and squeeze lime juice over the top. Spoon out onto plates and add a dollop of cashew cream on top and sprinkle with cilantro.
Cauliflower Rice
If you haven’t made cauliflower “rice” it’s so, so easy to do. You just need a food processor or blender and a head of cauliflower.
The outer leaves and core are removed, the florets chopped a bit, then they go into the food processor or blender to be pulsed until finely chopped. The important thing is to not chop the cauliflower too much, or you’ll have mush instead of a rice-like texture.
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Roasting the sweet potatoes really brings out their natural sweetness. They also add a nice creamy and soft texture to this bowl recipe.
Simply peel and dice the sweet potatoes, then toss them in your preferred oil (I use coconut oil in this recipe), and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then roast them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, in a 425 degree oven, for 20 minutes. You end up with lightly browned and perfectly softened sweet potatoes.
Cashew Cream
I am 100% in love with cashew cream too. It’s such a great whole food replacement for sour cream. I add plenty of lime juice so it’s nice and tangy.
If you forget to soak the cashews overnight like I always seem to, you can fake it by soaking them for a shorter time in boiling water.
The longer they soak, the smoother the cream will be. You’ll have more cream than you need for this recipe – it’s easier to blend larger batches.
Just pop it in the fridge in an airtight container and it will keep for a few days, or it can be frozen for a few weeks. (It’s really good with fresh fruit and a sprinkle of granola for breakfast.)
Tips For Making This Sweet Potato Bowl
- Peel Or Not To Peel? – I recommend peeling the potatoes, but you don’t have to. And it will save you some time.
- Make The Cashew Cream Ahead Of Time – This will keep in the fridge for a few days so it’s a perfect make ahead for this recipe. You can also freeze it for several months.
- Don’t Chop Too Much. The cauliflower rice that is. The important thing is to not chop the cauliflower too much, or you’ll have mush instead of a rice-like texture.
- “Fake Soak” Your Cashews. If you forget to soak the cashews overnight like I always seem to, you can fake it by soaking them for a shorter time in boiling water.
More Vegetarian Dinner Recipes To Enjoy
Tools Needed To Make This VEGETARIAN Sweet Potato Bowl
- Blender
- Baking Sheet
- Food Processor
- Skillet
LET’S CONNECT!
Follow along with me on Instagram! And if you make this recipe be sure to tag me @howe.we.live so I can see! I love seeing what you’re making!
Roasted Sweet Potato Cauliflower Rice with Cashew Cream
Ingredients
- 1 cup raw cashews soaked in hot water for 1-2 hours and drained
- Juice of 2 large limes divided
- 2 Tablespoons coconut avocado or grapeseed oil
- 2 medium sweet potatoes peeled and cubed
- 1 medium-large cauliflower
- 1 large onion diced
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 ½ cups cooked black beans (about 1 can)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Prepare cashew cream - place drained cashews and juice of 1 lime into a blender. Puree until smooth, adding a little fresh water as needed until creamy and smooth. Add salt to taste, about ¼ teaspoon. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use. (You will have more than is needed for this recipe. Leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge, or several months frozen.)
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Toss the sweet potato cubes with a little of the coconut oil (melted, if solid) and season well with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on the baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast for 20-25 minutes. Keep warm until ready to add to other ingredients.
- While sweet potatoes are roasting, remove outer leaves and core from cauliflower. Roughly chop. Working in batches if needed, place cauliflower in food processor or blender and pulse until finely chopped, but not pureed.
- Heat the remaining coconut oil in a large skillet. Add the diced onion and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5-10 minutes. Add the chili powder and cumin. Cook for another 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the cauliflower and cook, stirring often to prevent burning, for 10 minutes or until just cooked through. If it starts to stick to the bottom, add a little bit of water, but not too much. Add the black beans and roasted sweet potatoes; stir to combine.
- Remove from heat and squeeze lime juice over the top. Spoon out onto plates and add a dollop of cashew cream on top and sprinkle with cilantro.
Notes
- Peel Or Not To Peel? - I recommend peeling the potatoes, but you don't have to. And it will save you some time.
- Make The Cashew Cream Ahead Of Time - This will keep in the fridge for a few days so it's a perfect make ahead for this recipe. You can also freeze it for several months.
- Don't Chop Too Much. The cauliflower rice that is. The important thing is to not chop the cauliflower too much, or you'll have mush instead of a rice-like texture.
- "Fake Soak" Your Cashews. If you forget to soak the cashews overnight like I always seem to, you can fake it by soaking them for a shorter time in boiling water.
Erica M says
Made this last night, so easy and delicious! I already had roasted sweet potato left over from another meal so prep went super fast.
Courtney says
It says to see the note next to cooked black beans. Where would I find the note?
Thanks!
.c
Lindsey | Cafe Johnsonia says
Courtney – Sorry about that! Not sure how it was left off. The note was going to say that 1 1/2 cups is equal to 1 can. I cook my own, so I also wanted to share a link to my blog that shows how I cook them in a slow cooker.http://cafejohnsonia.com/2013/02/how-to-slow-cooker-black-beans.html