Cilantro Lime Slaw Bowl with Roasted Sweet Potatoes

This cilantro lime slaw bowl is tossed in a creamy dressing then topped with crispy roasted chickpeas and sweet potatoes. Easy to make sheet pan meal.

I’m super glad cabbage is getting more of the recognition she deserves because she’s a true queen. It’s cheap, packed with nutrients and makes for some incredible slaw. But one cannot live on slaw alone, so why not turn it into a full meal?

This slaw is dressed in a delicious cilantro lime sauce and topped with some roasted chickpeas and sweet potatoes for the ultimate nourish bowl.

Why You’ll Love This Cilantro Lime Slaw Bowl

• Simple to assemble. The potatoes and chickpeas are seasoned with simple spices then baked in the oven. While that bakes, you just combine the cabbage ingredients, toss together, portion your plates and you are done. It’s that simple.
• Made with affordable ingredients. Regardless of how much the world changes, the one constant I can always rely on is the fact that cabbage is still unproblematically cheap. And you can say the same for chickpeas and potatoes. Combine them together with the right flavors and you still get a delicious and satisfying meal.
• Packed with nutrients. All together you are getting a load of nutrients from all the plant based ingredients in this meal including protein, iron, folate, vitamin C, vitamin A and a host of different antioxidants.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

• Sweet Potatoes: They provide a nice balance of natural sweet and savory to this dish. You can swap for baby potatoes or fingerling potatoes as an alternative.
• Chickpeas: I recommend using canned chickpeas for convenience. If you use freshly cooked chickpeas, measure out 1 1/2 cups to use. If not a fan of chickpeas, you can also roast some cooked French lentils. Do note, lentils only need at most 15 minutes to roast.
• Cabbage: I used green cabbage, but purple cabbage or even thinly shaved brussels sprouts work really well here too. For ease, use a pre-shredded coleslaw bag mix to avoid any chopping.
• Seasoning: I used a combination of smoked paprika, onion powder and garlic powder to help season both the chickpeas and potatoes. You can add more or less spices based on preference.
• Cornstarch: This will help to give you a crispier exterior to the potatoes when they roast. You can swap for arrowroot starch.
• Jalapeno: Some peppers can be spicy, so if you are sensitive to spice, feel free to remove the seeds and membranes. This will help minimize the spiciness.
• Yogurt: I used a vegan unsweetened plain yogurt. Use the brands you love, but if you need a reference, I made this dish using Forager Project.
• Cilantro: This is my favorite herb, but if you can’t tolerate cilantro, swap for a mix of parsley and dill.
• Avocado: Make sure it is ripe before using. If you need a quick swap, use some extra yogurt to help blend everything together.

How to Make a Cilantro Lime Slaw Bowl

Preheat oven to 425F. Place the rinsed chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel and pat them dry. Place the chickpeas on a baking sheet with 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tbsp oil and a generous pinch of salt. Toss to evenly coat then spread out in a single even layer on the tray. Place in the oven to bake for 30 minutes, tossing half way.

Add your cubed sweet potatoes directly to a sheet pan and top with the cornstarch and remaining paprika, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Drizzle 1 1/2 tbsp oil on top then toss to evenly coat and spread the potatoes out on the tray into an even layer cut side down, giving space between the potatoes for roasting.

Place the potatoes in the oven for 30-35 minutes, making sure to flip the potatoes every 10 minutes to help them evenly roast.

Add all of the cilantro jalapeno dressing ingredients along with a generous pinch of salt to a blender cup and blend until smooth.

Place your shredded cabbage in a large mixing bowl and top with half the blended dressing. Toss the cabbage together and add additional dressing as desired until fully coated then set aside.

When ready to assemble, serve a portion of the cabbage topped with the sweet potato and chickpeas then enjoy.

Expert Tips

• Avoid overcrowding the pan. When roasting the chickpeas and sweet potatoes, make sure that you spread them out in an even layer on the baking tray. Allow space between the pieces so they have room to roast properly. Overcrowding the pan will cause the potatoes and chickpeas to steam and come out mushy.
• Toss your potatoes frequently. I recommend giving the sweet potatoes a toss every 10 minutes while it’s baking so that they can evenly develop a nice crust to them as they bake.
• Add enough oil. The amount of oil recommended in the instructions was based on the potato size I used. You may need less or more oil depending on the size you use, so adjust as needed. The goal should be that the potatoes are evenly coated with oil and that there are no dry visible patches of cornstarch on the potatoes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Extra Nutrient Additions

This salad is nourishing on it’s own as it provides a good amount of vegetables per serving from the cabbage and sauce, complex starches from the potatoes, and protein from the chickpeas. However, you can load it with even more nutrition:

• Baked Tofu or tempeh for extra protein
• Sprinkle the slaw with extra hemp hearts for another boost of protein
• Add more veggies like shredded carrots and radishes for extra color and antioxidants
• For more crunch and minerals, top your bowl with some toasted pepitas

More Nourishing Salad Bowls to Try

• Roasted Cabbage Noodle Salad
• Broccoli Crunch Salad
• Smashed Cucumber Avocado Salad
• Herby Avocado White Bean Salad
• Balsamic Glaze Marinated Chickpea Salad

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★ Catherine

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