Sweet Potato Tofu Bowls

Why You’ll Love Sweet Potato Tofu Bowls

If you’re looking for a delicious meatless meal to add into the rotation, I think you’ll love these sweet potato tofu bowls! Here are just a few reasons to love them:

• They’re high in protein and fibre to keep you full and fueled.
• Great for meal prep. These bowls can be made up to 4 days in advance and enjoyed reheated or cold.
• The creamy herb hemp seed dressing balances the spicy roasted sweet potato.
• The tofu, quinoa and lentils all all protein, fibre and texture.
• They’re vegan, gluten-free and nut-free. Great for those with allergies or other dietary restrictions.
• They’re easy to customize. From the greens to the grain, there are lots of easy ways to personalize these bowls.

Love healthy bowls? You’ll have to try these Roasted Veggie Bowls, Sweet Potato Black Bean Bowls, Harvest Bowls or Veggie Power Bowls next.

Ingredients

Below is a quick overview of what you’ll need to make the recipe and any substitutions you can make. Use the recipe card with the full list of ingredients and measurements at the bottom of the post when you’re ready to make the recipe.

• Tofu: Use extra-firm tofu.
• Soy Sauce or Tamari: You can use soy sauce or gluten-free tamari.
• Sweet Potato: The amount of sweet potato doesn’t have to be exact but you want roughly 2 heaping cups or 1 large sweet potato. Squash or regular potato work as a substitute.
• Olive Oil: For roasting the sweet potato and massaging the kale. Avocado oil or canola oil also works.
• Smoked Paprika:You can use regular paprika if that’s what you have.
• Kale: Use any variety of kale or substitute arugula, spinach or mixed greens. Kale is best if you’re making these in advance. If you’ll be eating them right away, fresh greens work too (no need to massage greens like spinach, arugula, etc.).
• Lentils: Use green, black or French lentils. You can also use canned lentils if that’s easier.
• Quinoa: Use white, red or tri colour quinoa or swap it for another grain like brown rice or farro.
• Pickled Onion: These are easy to make with red onion, vinegar and sugar.
• Cilantro & Mint: You’ll need fresh cilantro and mint. Other herbs that would work are chives or basil.

Variations

• If you aren’t into the cilantro mint dressing, here are some other delicious options: Maple Dijon Dressing, Miso Tahini Dressing, Almond Butter Sauce, Cilantro Tahini Sauce. I would recommend the cilantro tahini dressing as the best alternate.
• You can use the marinated tempeh from these Vegan Tempeh Buddha Bowl instead of tofu.
• You could do butternut squash from these Vegan Quinoa Power Bowls instead of sweet potato.
• For convenience, use canned lentils, chickpeas or black beans instead of green lentils.

How to Make Sweet Potato Tofu Bowls

Before You Start: This recipe calls for a batch of quick pickled red onions. Those need to sit for about 30 minutes so prep those first if you’re making them. You can find the pickled onion recipe here (it’s really easy). You’ll need red onion, vinegar and sugar.

Step 1: Start bringing 2 pots of water to a boil to cook the lentils and quinoa. Once they’re boiling, add the quinoa and lentils separately to each, cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes (the lentils may need 20). Once they’re cooked, drain off any excess water and set them aside for now.

Quick Tip: If you don’t want to cook lentils, you can substitute canned lentils, chickpeas or black beans. You could also just double the quinoa.

Step 2: Add the cubed tofu to a bowl and toss with the soy sauce, cayenne, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Place the cubes on a baking tray so they all have a little space around them.

Bake the tofu for 20-30 minutes until browned and crispy, flipping once halfway through (I usually skip the flipping to be honest, it still comes out crispy!).

Step 3: Add the sweet potato to the same bowl you used for the tofu and toss with the oil, chili flakes, salt and pepper and smoked paprika.

Spread it out on a baking tray and bake along with the tofu for 20-25 minutes.

Step 4: Add all of the dressing ingredients to a small blender or mini food processor and blend until completely smooth. If it seems a little chunky at first, keep blending until you have a very smooth consistency.

Quick Note: This dressing is delicious but with ingredients like fresh mint, cilantro, lime and hemp seeds, it’s a little more elaborate than some of my other bowl dressings. You’ll find some alternative sauces listed above if you don’t have these ingredients on hand and want to make this recipe.

Step 5: Tear or cut the kale into bite-sized pieces and add it to a mixing bowl. Add 2 tsp olive oil and massage it with your hands until softened.

Step 6: To assemble the bowls, start with the massaged kale, dividing it between 6 servings. Divide the rest of the ingredients and top with a drizzle of scoop of the dressing.

Storing Instructions

• If you’ll be storing leftovers or making these for meal prep, store the dressing in a separate container and add to the bowls just before serving and leave the avocado off until serving.
• The bowls without the avocado and dressing will store well for 3-4 days in a sealed container in the fridge.
• You can reheat them in the microwave (leave dressing & avocado off until you’ve reheated) or eat them cold.