Few things say “heaven” more than a loaded sweet potato. What’s not to like? The sweet potato is subtly sweet and is the perfect blank canvas for whatever you want to put on top. In this case, I added some crispy roasted chickpeas with paprika, brown rice, chopped almonds and chives.

The original recipe calls for baking the sweet potato for 25 to 30 minutes. But I had a massive sweet potato that was the size of my face, so it took around an hour to cook. I could have left it in even longer, but I got too impatient and hungry after the 60 minute mark.

Feel free to get creative with toppings. A scoop of Greek yogurt or labneh with olive oil and paprika would be delicious.

Loaded Sweet Potato with Roasted Chickpeas (from The First Mess)

Ingredients

1 sweet potato
cooked chickpeas
oil of your choice
smoked paprika
salt + pepper
1/3-1/2 cup cooked brown rice
6-7 almonds, chopped
3-4 blades of chives, ripped up

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Pierce the sweet potato a couple times with a fork, wrap it extra good in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, toss the chickpeas in enough oil to coat, salt and pepper to taste and a little smoked paprika. Spread them out on a parchment lined baking sheet and roast in the 400 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until crispy and golden. Set aside to cool.

To serve: Split open the sweet potato and season the flesh with salt + pepper. Place the cooked rice, some of the chickpeas and chopped almonds on top/inside. Garnish with the chives and an extra sprinkle of smoked paprika.