An easy Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Bowl drizzled with a zesty Cilantro Lime Crema. This fresh vegetarian meal is filled with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, quinoa, roasted red peppers and corn. It’s a flavorful quinoa bowl loaded with nutrients – perfect for a quick dinner recipe!
Looking for more Quinoa Bowl Recipes? Try out my Crunchy Thai Quinoa Salad, my refreshing Tabbouleh Quinoa Salad or my Buffalo Chicken Quinoa Bowls.
My Favorite Easy Quinoa Bowl
Yes, I’m still on that vegetarian meal kick. If I’m being honest, it’s harder than I thought. Probably because I’m so use to picking a protein and then making sides with it. So, to be intentional about not choosing a Chicken, Beef or Seafood has been difficult. But I’m up for the challenge. Luckily, sweet potatoes and beans have literally been my best friend. A couple weeks ago I made a Sweet Potato Chickpea Curry and OH MY GOSH!
These Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Bowls are actually an old recipe that I’m resurfacing. Y’all know I’m all about tex-mex recipes but I forgot how delicious these were! The sweet potatoes are covered in a spice blend then roasted in the oven to bring out their natural sweetness. Then tossed with black beans, quinoa, more veggies and topped with a fresh zesty Cilantro Lime Crema that you need to double!
What does Quinoa taste like?
Well, if you’re my husband you’d say it taste like nothing. But to me it’s a bit more nutty in flavor. The best way to describe the taste and texture of quinoa is, it’s like brown rice and oats had a baby. It’s fluffy, crunchy and somewhat nutty, all rolled into one. Quinoa is very versatile and can be prepared several ways – some of my favorite ways to use quinoa is in quinoa bowls! It adds a crunchy to any dish as well as fiber!
How to make Quinoa?
Quinoa is very easy to prepare. Rinse it before use. Then add 1 cup of quinoa to a small sauce pan along with 2 cups of water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to a slow simmer. Simmer for about 15 minutes, covered. Once water is evaporated, fluff quinoa with a fork and serve.
What to put in Quinoa Bowls?
There are a lot of variations you can make when it comes to quinoa bowls. Here are a few ideas to use when trying to add more quinoa to your diet:
- Roasted Vegetables are a great way to add more vegetables to your diet and go great with quinoa. They basically transform your quinoa bowl into a little salad that is divine and so flavorful!
- Protein – Every quinoa bowl needs a good sidekick. Think shredded chicken, grilled steak, pan seared shrimp or even roasted chickpeas! This adds flavor, a crunch and helps fill you up.
- Sauce – Quinoa Bowls can be really dry if you don’t have some sort of sauce to pull everything together. You could use a simple lemon vinaigrette, a spicy poblano dressing, a thai inspired peanut dressing or something like this cilantro lime crema. Just know that you NEED a sauce or dressing in the mix or you’ll feel like you’re eating “rabbit food.”
- The Extras – I kind of think of quinoa bowls as a cheese board, and a cheese board has all those extra ingredients on it that totally take that board over the top. I loved adding roasted nuts, fresh herbs, pickled onion or fresh citrus to my quinoa bowls for that extra “pop” of flavor!
How to make Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Bowls?
- Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, add olive oil, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Add seasoning to diced sweet potatoes and toss to coat. Spread the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
- In the meantime, rinse quinoa and then add water and quinoa to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is evaporated. Then fluff quinoa with a fork.
- To a small food processor add fresh cilantro, greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, honey, dijon mustard, red pepper flakes, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic clove, salt and a pepper to taste. Blend until smooth and cilantro is finely chopped.
- Assemble the Quinoa Bowls: Add Quinoa, sweet potatoes, black beans, roasted red pepper, red onion, avocado, corn and then drizzle with crema. (optional sliced jalapenos)
Everything about these Quinoa Bowls is dreamy! There spiced roasted sweet potatoes add so much flavor and pair perfectly with the earthly black beans, corn, roasted red pepper and creamy avocado. But the kicker is totally the cilantro lime crema, it ties everything together and completes the dish. I guarantee you will fall in love with this bowl and won’t even miss the meat!
Bon Appetit friends!
More Quinoa Recipes you’ll love:
- One Pot Quinoa Stuffed Pepper Recipe
- Crock Pot Quinoa Vegetarian Chili
- Creamy Goat Cheese Asparagus Quinoa Salad
- Healthy One Pot Cheesy Quinoa Taco Skillet
- Vegetarian Thai Quinoa Salad with Peanut Dressing
Easy Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Bowls with Crema
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: Vegetarian
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Description
Easy Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Bowls drizzled with a zesty Cilantro Lime Crema. This fresh vegetarian meal is filled with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, quinoa, roasted red peppers and corn.
Ingredients
- 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups of water
- 1 cup dry quinoa
- 1 cup low sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup no salt sweet corn, drained and rinsed
- 2 roasted red peppers, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup red onion, thinly sliced
- optional: jalapeno, sliced
- 2 avocado, sliced
Cilantro Crema:
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro
- 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
- 3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 garlic clove
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a small bowl, add olive oil, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix together.
- In a large bowl, add sweet potatoes and the olive oil seasoning. Toss to coat the potatoes with the mixture.
- Spread the sweet potatoes on a baking sheet in a single layer.
- Bake for 20 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- In the meantime, rinse quinoa with water. Then add 2 cups of water and quinoa to a small sauce pan. Bring to a boil. Then cover and reduce to simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is evaporated. Remove from heat and fluff quinoa with a fork.
- To a small food processor add fresh cilantro, greek yogurt, red wine vinegar, lime juice, olive oil, honey, dijon mustard, red pepper flakes, ground cumin, smoked paprika, garlic clove, salt and a pepper to taste. Blend until smooth and cilantro is finely chopped.
- Assemble the Sweet Potato Bowls. To a large bowl add quinoa, sweet potatoes, black beans, roasted red pepper, red onion, avocado, corn and then drizzle with dressing. (optional sliced jalapenos)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl + crema
- Calories: 529
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 484 mg
- Fat: 21 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 73 g
- Fiber: 15 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 1 mg
Filed Under:
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61 comments on “Easy Sweet Potato Black Bean Quinoa Bowl with Crema”
Fantastic recipe. However, I had to make a few adjustments as I didn’t have greek yogurt, and I also added grated carrot. Taste awesome!
Awesome, love the change up to work with what you had!
Hands down the best recipe I’ve tried in years. Absolutely delicious and a favorite with the whole family. Thanks so much!
Well, tickle me pink! Such a huge compliment, and I am thrilled the entire family loved it!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it several times. I take it for lunch at work and eat it all week!
The best compliment ever! I am thrilled you love this recipe as much as I do!
I am thrilled you love this recipe as much as I do! Thank you for the review!!
Delicious. The sweet potatoes by themselves are a treat.
Agree! It’s like dessert for dinner!
Cannot thank you enough for this delicious recipe! My entire family enjoyed it and they have NEVER enjoyed a quinoa bowl recipe. Well done. Will definitely be on the regular menu in my house.
This is a huge compliment! I am so glad it was a hit!
Just made this for me and my daughter. It was delicious healthy and so easy. My daughter does not usually like bowls for dinner but she said this was a 10 out of 10 !! Have pinned so I can make again.
I love this review! Thank you, and so glad it was a hit! Bowls are always my go-to and a crowd pleaser!
I just made this for dinner. It’s delicious! My only question was this: does roasted peppers mean the jarred kind or fresh roasted peppers with the sweet potatoes? I had jarred peppers so I just popped those on top of the salad.
I used fresh red peppers I roasted on the grill, but jarred red peppers work too! I love all things quinoa bowls and glad you enjoyed this recipe!
The cilantro lime crema doesn’t have any lime. (Bowl is even better with roasted pepper and onion. Black beans and corn are good with a little roasting, too.)
eek.. I forgot to add it. It’s in there now! (hand to forehead) haha silly mistake!
Should this bowl be served hot or cold?
I like to serve it warm.
This is the bomb! Entire family loved it! Will be making again forsure! Double the dressing, it is awesome!
Great! My husband and I loved this! Wonderful combination of healthful ingredients and flavors. Very straightforward and easy to make.
Very delicious!! I roasted cauliflower with the sweet potatoes and added julienned carrots, lettuce and radishes as additional crunchy elements. I heated the beans and corn. I recommend doubling the dressing – the quinoa and other ingredients soak it up and it is really tasty.
I will definitely add this to my Meatless Monday repertoire !!
My mom made this for me and it was incredibly delicious! Will make again for sure.
Very yummy! Al the flavors go well together. A balance of sweetness combined w spicy.
I absolutely love your recipe! I am writing vegetarian recipe round ups on my blog in 2018 (to encourage people to try meatless monday- everyone has to start somewhere) and would love to feature you. You can check out my blog (for beginner environmentalists) at sunshineguerrilla.com. Is it alright if I share this link to your recipe?
I made this for lunch today, and it was ridiculously good and soooo filling! I don’t think any of us finished our bowl! It was a little more work than I expected but was worth it. Thank you for the recipe!
woohoo glad you liked it Trisha! If you prep the veggies ahead of time it comes together pretty fast and is a great lunch option throughout the week!
Love love love! Pinned to make
Hi,
I love your post sweet potato black bean quinoa bowls. I have noted your recipe on my notebook!
Please continue your writing in the future!
Thanks
thanks maria!
This recipe looks AMAZING and I can’t wait to try it. And the murder mystery party sounds so incredible! I threw one recently but the stories were nowhere near as elaborate as this! I’d love to know, was the game purchased or was it made up by the hosts? We got ours from Shot In The Dark Mysteries but I’m curious to know alternatives! Thank you!
How many calories is there per serving?
Hey Amona, I just updated the recipe to show the calorie counts.
That’s was amazing! Just had it for dinner. Thanks for the delicious recipe.
hurray!!! so glad you liked it Kimberly, it’s definitely a favorite of ours too!
I just made this last night and it was AMAZING. It was also a hit with my husband and 2 year old (no jalapenos for her though).
With your 2 year old too… now that’s saying something! Hurray! Glad everyone liked it Becky!
Oh my gosh! I made this for dinner tonight! It is soon good! Zero guilt but totally full!
Hurray! Glad to hear it Diane!
i made this today for lunch & it is delish!! My husband and I both loved it. Keep posting yummy recipes!!
OH, thank you so much Vi! So glad you guys liked it! 🙂
I just love this bowl, and that dressing? I’m allllll about it! Not only does it sound delicious, but it’s beautiful and colorful, too! What a great meal. I’ve always wanted to go to a Murder Mystery event — how fun!
This is my “eat the rainbow” bowl… and it takes ridiculous amazing too! Especially covered in that dressing. YUM!
You totally need to host one of those murder mystery dinners.. it’s a blast!
That murder mystery dinner sounds like so much fun! I am loving this healthy bowl with so many great flavors.
It was a blast Sandi!
These look super tasty, girl!
thanks chica!
What a great Fall vegetable bowl! So vibrant and delicious!
Eat the rainbow. 🙂 hehe
Loving the flavors in this healthy and filling dinner idea!
Thank you Anna! 🙂
mmmm…this bowl has my name written all over it!! Sounds incredible!!!
Right!? So tasty!
That sounds so fun! The only thing I know about murder mystery dinners is what I learned in Saved by the Bell. 😀
I love that dark background! Did you make it? Or buy it? The food looks great, too!
haha… ahhh good old saved by the bell! Best show ever!
Thanks Erin! I purchased the background from Erickson Woodworks. 🙂 I love their stuff!
These bowls look so delicious and comforting!!! And don’t even get me started on this cilantro dressing…next time I make some burrito bowls I’m keeping all of these toppings in mind!
haha.. the cilantro dressing is AH-MAZING!
I have always wanted to host one of those murder mystery dinners, they sound like so much fun. and I am pretty sure my mac and cheese monday kids would LOVE these bowls for meatless monday instead 🙂 Happy Halloween
It is seriously a blast. I think we’re gonna do another one in February that will be a flapper one. 🙂 soooo excited!
Hi! What other kinds of dressing would you recommend with this bowl if someone doesn’t like cilantro? 🙂
You could do ranch, just gonna be more calories. I’d keep it to 2 tablespoons if you do it. 🙂