After all the festival food and carb and sugar binges, it felt like the right time to shift back to some clean eating and simpler recipes.
This chickpea and sweet potato salad was a tip from my cousin, who in turn tried it from the Minimalist Baker blog. She described it as a super satisfying salad—and she was absolutely right.
This salad hits that perfect balance: hearty, zesty, not too salty, not too sweet, and yet incredibly satisfying.
I added roasted beets to the original recipe, and I think it only enhanced the overall flavor—especially fitting for the season. I also swapped out the tandoori masala from the original recipe and used MDH Tava Fry Masala instead. The result was an Indian-style roasted chickpea flavor, almost like a chana jor garam vibe (that classic Bombay street-food-style roasted and spiced chana) woven into the salad.
While the original Minimalist Baker photos do this salad more justice, I still wanted to capture the final result before I devoured it for lunch today. This recipe is perfect for a one-person lunch, though it can easily be scaled up for more.
Ingredients – Chickpea Sweet Potato Salad (Serves 1)
- 1 large sweet potato, sliced into thin rounds (skin on)
- 1 medium beet, sliced into rounds
- Soaked and boiled chickpeas
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or extra-virgin olive oil
- 2–3 tbsp MDH Tava Fry Masala
- ⅛ tsp sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tsp coconut sugar
- ¼ tsp turmeric
- 2 cups chopped kale, massaged with lemon juice
- Optional: 2–3 tbsp roasted, lightly salted or unsalted pumpkin seeds
Dressing
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- Juice of 1 small lemon
- 1–2 tbsp hot water, to thin (if needed)
Method
Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Add the chickpeas to a small mixing bowl and toss with 1 tbsp oil, tava fry masala, salt, coconut sugar, and turmeric (optional). Spread them out on one half of the baking sheet.
Brush the sweet potato and beet rounds with the remaining 1 tbsp oil, sprinkle lightly with salt, and arrange them in a single layer on the other half of the baking sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes, then stir the chickpeas and flip the sweet potatoes and beets to ensure even browning. Bake for another 10–15 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned and the chickpeas are firm and crispy.
While everything bakes, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Thin with hot water as needed and adjust seasoning to taste. Set aside.
Let the roasted ingredients cool slightly.
To serve, start by massaging the kale. I added the juice of half a lemon and used my fingers to massage the leaves until they softened. This breaks down the cellulose and really brings out the flavor of the kale.
Top the kale with the roasted sweet potatoes, beets, chickpeas, and pumpkin seeds (if using). Drizzle with dressing or serve it on the side.
It looks delicious. For a non cook I am even tempted to try it. Hopefully I will not make a big mess.
Thanks Ruby! It’s quite simple and a forgiving recipe so mess is good:). Let me know how it turns out.