These 30-Minute Sweet Potato Taco Bowls are the perfect healthy weeknight meal. A budget-friendly, plant-based meal, sweet potatoes are mixed with rice, black beans, and all of your favorite farmers market vegetables.
My husband and I purchased our first home earlier this year and it has been all well and good aside from the fact that we encountered a few unexpected expenses. We decided to tighten our budget a bit for the rest of the year in order to get back on track. Being on a budget does not mean that you are relegated to unhealthy, processed meals. I am a firm believer in eating healthy no matter what your budget.
How can you eat healthy on a budget?
Eating healthy on a budget does require a little bit of planning and creativity. I love to keep a few inexpensive staples on hand at all times and combine them with nutrient-rich veggies to create balanced meals that don’t skimp on flavor. Taco bowls are a great budget-friendly meal because they are so versatile. You can combine any number of ingredients, a few spices, a couple veggies, and you’ve got a hearty meal. These Sweet Potato Taco Bowls are just that; healthy, vegetarian, gluten free, and ready in under 30 minutes!
Why sweet potatoes?
Sweet potatoes are a great ingredient to incorporate into your budget meals. They’re hearty, filling, and you can pick up a couple pounds of them for a few dollars. Sweet potatoes are high in antioxidants, like beta carotene, as well as fiber, protein, and Vitamins A, C, and E. They can be baked, boiled, fried, roasted…the possibilities are endless.
I personally love to roast them. It takes only 20 minutes or so and they become so flavorful. The sugars caramelize a bit, the edges get crispy, and the insides remain soft.
Rice is the perfect budget-friendly ingredient!
Another important component to these Sweet Potato Taco Bowls is the rice. Rice is a perfect inexpensive ingredient to keep in the pantry. Adding a little bit of rice to a meal helps to make it more filling. I love to eat rice with stir-fries, chicken dishes, and stuffed peppers.
Add black beans for protein!
Black beans are another ingredient that works well with dishes like this one and they take only minutes to prepare. They are an economical way to add more protein to your diet. Dried black beans are great, but they do take longer to prepare so I always keep a few cans of them on hand for quick meals like this one.
Time to assemble the Sweet Potato Taco Bowls!
The main components of this meal are ready at this point and all that’s left is to assemble them!
- Start with a couple spoonfuls of rice. You can add as much or as little as you like to the bowl.
- Top the rice with a few spoonfuls of black beans and a heaping portion of the sweet potatoes.
- You can customize the Sweet Potato Taco Bowls as you like. I love to add sliced avocado, some greens like spinach or spring greens, and some radishes. You can use any veggies that you’ve got in your fridge!
- Feel free to top it off with a dollop of sour cream, hot sauce, salsa, or pickled jalapeños. There’s no wrong way to make a taco bowl.
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes (yields 4 cups)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp Adobo seasoning
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt (adjust to taste)
- 1/4 tsp pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 cup white rice
- 1 can black beans
- Additional toppings: Avocado, Spring Greens, Radishes, Sour Cream, Hot Sauce, Salsa (optional)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400ºF.
- Thoroughly wash and scrub 2 large sweet potatoes. Dice them into cubes using a knife. Make sure the pieces are relatively the same size to ensure that they cook evenly.
- Place the diced sweet potatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle them with 2 tbsp of olive oil and stir until they are coated (but not saturated) in the oil.
- Sprinkle the sweet potatoes with 1 tsp of garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1/2 tsp ground cumin, 1/2 tsp Adobo seasoning, and 1/4 tsp of kosher salt and pepper. Stir until completely coated in the spices.
- Place the baking sheet in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, stirring the potatoes around with a wooden spatula around the 10-minute mark to prevent them from sticking to the pan.
- Remove the pan from the oven and set aside when finished.
- Add 2 cups of water and 1 cup of white rice to a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes. The rice should be soft, but not mushy, when finished.
- Pour 1 can of black beans into a small sauce pan. Bring to a low boil and cook until heated through. Remove from heat when finished.
- Place a few spoonfuls of cooked rice in a bowl. Add a few spoonfuls of black beans and a heaping spoonful of sweet potatoes.
- Garnish with sliced avocado, fresh greens, and any kind of veggies you like. Top with sour cream and/or hot sauce if desired.
Notes
Home Chef Tip: This is a great 'clean out the fridge' recipe. Feel free to use any veggies you have on hand - bell peppers, cabbage, radishes, greens. It can be customized to your liking and is perfect if you've got a vegetable garden in the summer.
We hope you enjoy this 30-Minute Sweet Potato Taco Bowl recipe from SoFabFood Home Chef, Christine from The Rustic Foodie. If you love this budget-friendly comfort food, you can find more like it by visiting our Vegetarian Section. For daily recipe inspiration, subscribe to our newsletter, like us on Facebook, and follow us on Pinterest. Enjoy!
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