Vibrant and delicious Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl, piled high with quinoa, black beans, and drizzled with a zesty cilantro and parsley sauce!
Protein-Packed Vegetarian Meal
Hooked on Buddha Bowls, I created this fun variation with sweet potatoes, black beans, and a tangy herb-inspired sauce.
The result? A flavorful, veggie-packed meal loaded with plant-based protein from black beans and quinoa.
While I enjoy a hearty meat-filled dish, I also love having a few filling vegetarian recipes ready for times when meat may not be as accessible.
Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl Ingredients
- Quinoa: Any grain works in these bowls, but quinoa is my favorite.
- Sweet potatoes: I use the same seasoning from these Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
- Black beans: Canned beans make this recipe simple—just drain and rinse.
- Avocado: Optional avocado makes the bowls creamy. If you don’t like it, try goat or feta cheese instead, or add a hard-boiled egg.
Sauce Tips
- Make Ahead: Make sauce early for easy meal prep. It tastes better over time!
- Adjust Heat: Leave out red pepper flakes for mild, or add more for spice.
- Dry Herbs: Dry cilantro and parsley well to avoid watery sauce. A salad spinner works great.
- Use Good Oil: Better olive oil means better sauce.
- Keep Stems: Use most parsley and cilantro stems—they add flavor. Just trim thick ends.
Variations
Switch Things Up
- Try different roasted veggies, such as carrots, butternut squash, and beets.
- Add different fresh toppings, such as corn, raw or pickled red onion, and chopped cherry tomatoes.
- Swap out the whole grain base for brown rice, barley, or couscous.
- Top Sweet Potato Buddha Bowls with fresh herbs by adding any leftover coarsely chopped Italian parsley, cilantro, or some micro greens.
- Swap the sauce in this recipe for homemade or store-bought pesto.
Meal Prep Sweet Potato Buddha Bowls
- Divide the quinoa, roasted sweet potatoes, and black beans into meal prep containers.
- Store the sauce in a covered container or divide it into individual sauce containers.
- Enjoy: Add quinoa and sweet potato mix to a plate or bowl and warm through in the microwave. Top with a few spoonfuls of the sauce.
- Chop a fresh avocado to add in.
More Bowl Recipes
- Chicken Quinoa Bowl with a mango black bean salsa
- Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito Bowls with the best sauce!
- Chicken Fajita Bowls with guac
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp Bowls with black beans and avocado
- Taco Bowl with ground beef
Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl
This Sweet Potato Buddha Bowl is a vibrant, nutritious meal! Roasted sweet potatoes are served over fluffy quinoa, paired with black beans, and topped with a refreshing cilantro-parsley sauce.
Equipment
- large sheet pan, 15 x 21-inch
Ingredients
Herb Sauce
Quinoa
- 1 cup quinoa
- 2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Seasoned Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes about 3 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- Toppings as desired see note 1
Instructions
- Herb Sauce: In a large mason jar (see note 2), add finely chopped garlic cloves, red wine vinegar, and 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice. Add olive oil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and honey. Seal and shake to combine. Finely chop parsley to get a full 1/2 cup (some stems are fine). Finely chop cilantro to get 1/2 cup. Add the 1/2 cup parsley and 1/2 cup cilantro to the jar and stir to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I use 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Seal, shake, and place in the fridge overnight or let stand at room temperature while preparing everything else.
- Quinoa: In a medium pot, add quinoa (rinse in a fine mesh sieve first to remove saponin coating), vegetable broth, and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover with a lid. Let cook 12–17 minutes or until water is mostly absorbed. Remove from heat, keeping the lid on, and let stand 15–20 minutes. Remove lid and fluff quinoa with a fork.
- Sweet Potatoes: Preheat oven to 425°F. Peel and cube sweet potatoes into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to a large sheet pan (15×21 inches) along with olive oil, chili powder, paprika, cumin, and garlic powder. Season to taste (I add 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Toss to coat sweet potatoes, then spread in an even layer. You don’t want potatoes overlapping or they’ll steam instead of roast. Flip every 10–15 minutes, cooking for a total of 27–35 minutes. Once potatoes are crisp tender, remove from oven and pour drained and rinsed black beans on the pan. Toss to combine.
- Divide quinoa evenly among bowls. Top with the seasoned sweet potato and bean mixture. Add 1/4 of a thinly sliced avocado to each bowl, along with some lime wedges if desired. Drizzle sauce generously over bowls (you may not use it all; sauce will keep for 5 days in the fridge). Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Toppings: 1 large avocado, 1 fresh lime, optional: additional parsley for garnish).
Note 2: I like the sauce best with hand-chopped herbs, but if you’re looking to save some time, here’s how to make chimichurri in a food processor:
- Add all ingredients except the parsley, cilantro, and olive oil to a food processor; use a mini-prep processor if possible.
- Pulse to chop—you want ingredients finely minced here.
- Add herbs—again pulse to chop, but this time you want the herbs to be a little more coarse (they’ll soften as they sit).
- Drizzle in oil—while the processor is running, drizzle in the oil to help thicken the sauce and chop the herbs a little more. Again, you don’t want this sauce to be smooth as it’s best with texture.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 80.6g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 31g | Sodium: 320.1mg | Fiber: 9.2g | Sugar: 8.4g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I am eating this now and it is delicious! The sauce is especially good. I highly recommend.
So happy to hear this! Thanks so much, Jan!
This was amazing! My husband, who thinks every meal is better with meat, raved about it. The chimichurri made the entire dish pop!! Will definitely make it again.
I am so happy to hear this Vanessa! Thanks so much for your comment! 🙂