Something about pairing the naturally sweet goodness of the sweet potato with the tangy tartness of lime and slightly bitter spiciness of chili powder makes for a delightful cacophony of flavors. This Chili Lime Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Lentils recipe is vegan, plant-based, and gluten and oil free. This dish is perfect for meal prep. Cook it once and have six meals that are suitable for dinner or lunch.

This recipe for Chili Lime Sweet Potatoes with black beans and lentils was inspired by one I found on Sweet Peas and Saffron. Sweet Peas and Saffron is not a vegan or plant-based food blog; but it does have many meals that are or that can be easily adapted and is worth checking out if you are looking for meal prep ideas.

Tips and Tricks for Chili Lime Sweet Potatoes

Start with six smallish sweet potatoes. If you can only find large ones then go ahead and use those; but do be aware that if you are meal prepping, they’ll be too big for a 2 cup meal prep container and so you’ll be cutting parts off. That’s okay…you can always save the extras and use them with a little cinnamon sugar for breakfast. Go ahead and get those sweeties cooked up until they are tender at 400° for 45 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, you should prep the other ingredients so that you can easily assemble when the potatoes are done. Mix up the dressing and set aside. You’ll notice that I don’t use oil in the dressing but use a little tahini instead. Tahini is ground sesame seeds and works wonders for adding a rich taste and texture to plant-based dressings and sauces.

The Lentils

You can either buy pre-cooked lentils or cook while the potatoes are baking.
Lentils are super easy to cook if you have the prep time. You pretty much just measure them out with water, bring to a boil then simmer till done. As long as you don’t let them run dry or overcook, you can’t ruin them. You will end up using 1 cup cooked lentils so if you are starting from dry, measure out 1/2 cup and follow package directions.
Make sure that you use green or brown lentils for this recipe. Red lentils will get too mushy.

The Veggies

A quick trick I use to easily dice carrots is to start with precut carrot sticks. There are days when the idea of actually peeling and cutting and chopping is overwhelming. I’m not lazy I promise; I just don’t always have the patience for that nonsense.
Sauté your peppers and carrots in a little vegetable broth for about 5-7minutes or until tender. There is no need to use oil when sautéing vegetables. Just watch your pan and you will do just fine with vegetable broth. Add the lentils, drained black beans, and corn. Pour the dressing on top and stir around a little. This is a good time to check the flavor and add a extra salt if desired. Go ahead and turn off the heat. If you are serving right away then you’ll want to reheat the mixture in the pan before topping your sweet potato. If you are meal prepping then it can be reheated in the container along with the potato right before eating.

Putting it Together

When the sweet potatoes are out of the oven and barely cool enough to handle, open and either put each into a meal prep container or if serving right away, onto a plate.
Top with about 3/4 cup vegetable/bean mixture. Garnish with minced cilantro of top if desired.
This recipe works particularly well for meal prep. Just put one potato into each container. Make sure you save room on top for the vegetable/bean mixture. If need be, then cut the potatoes down and save the extra for another use. Add the topping and close the lid. Reheat for about 2 minutes when ready to eat.

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Chili Lime Sweet Potatoes with Black Beans and Lentils

Vegan and plant-based, these sweet potatoes topped with a mixture of black beans, lentils, and vegetables, finished with an oil-free tangy chili lime dressing, are perfect for meal prep or can be served right away for lunch or dinner.

from 2 reader reviews

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Plant-based, vegan

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 45

Total Time: 55

Servings:

Calories: 304kcal

Author: Cindy Rainey

Ingredients

6 sweet potatoes small
1 Tablespoon tahini
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons lime juice
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 cloves minced garlic
2 Tablespoon agave nectar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup lentils cooked (green or brown, not red)
1 cup bell peppers red or orange, diced
1 cup carrots diced
1/4 cup vegetable broth adding more if necessary
1 15.5 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
1 cup corn kernels fresh, canned, or frozen
salt to taste
cilantro to garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°.
Wash sweet potatoes and put in oven on a baking sheet for 45 minutes or until tender. Sweet potatoes can get messy and drip as they are cooking so use either a silicon baking mat or line your baking sheet with foil.
In a small bowl, whisk together the tahini, vinegar, lime juice, chili powder, garlic, agave, and salt. Set aside.
If your lentils are not pre-cooked, cook according to package directions now. You will need 1 cup cooked lentils and so about 1/2 cup dry.
While potatoes are cooking, chop peppers and carrots.
Line a saute pan with 1/4 cup vegetable both and sauté vegetables until tender, about 5-7 minutes, adding more broth if necessary to keep pan from sticking.
When vegetables are tender, add cooked lentils, drained beans and corn. Pour dressing on top and stir and mix together. Turn off stove and set aside. Add salt to taste if desired.
When potatoes are cooked and cooled enough to touch, place each one on a plate or in a meal prep container. Top with vegetable/bean mixture.
Garnish with cilantro.

Notes

If serving right away then you might need to heat the lentil/bean mixture to desired temperature.

If meal prepping, be aware that some sweet potatoes are quite large. Don't overcrowd the meal prep container. Cut down and save for another time or throw out if necessary.

If meal prepping, reheat for about 2 minutes before eating.

Nutrition

Chili Lime Sweet Potatoes