Baked Chickpea Sweet Potato Curry

I’ve been loving making curries in a casserole dish. It’s hands free and less active time! Today is this creamy Chickpea Sweet Potato curry. Unbelievably easy to make, comforting, and 1 Pan! Are you loving these casserole dishes?!

The chickpeas’ meaty texture really shines in this baked curry – all tender and enveloped in the rich, creamy sauce. Baked cubed sweet potatoes add substance and act as sponges to soak up all the delicious curry gravy.

The gravy of this baked curry is made with coconut milk and enriched with peanut butter. Peanuts in savory dishes are amazing, trust me!  And don’t worry. It won’t be too overwhelmingly sweet but perfectly balanced by the hum of garlic and ginger, the fragrant spices and the acidity of the tomatoes.

MORE INDIAN COMFORT FOOD

• Baked Madras curry Tofu
• Baked vegetable Curry Casserole
• Baked Balti Veggies
• Butter Tofu
• IP Tikka Masala Simmer Sauce
• Tofu in Spinach Curry
• Vegetable Jalfrezi

more

Ingredients:

• onions, minced ginger, and garlic are added to the casserole dish and  form the base of our gravy
• spices: coriander, cumin, paprika, cinnamon, curry powder or berbere spice or dry harissa spice or 2 teaspoons garam masala,  black pepper
• coconut milk makes this a rich and creamy curry. For a coconut-free  version, use cashew milk
• canned diced tomatoes lend sweetness, acidity, body, and color to the tofu curry sauce
• cooked chickpeas, drained or 1 1/4 cup of cooked chickpeas for added protein
• cubed sweet potatoes or about 2 1/2 cups
• peanut butter or almond butter for thickening or use sunflower seed butter for nut-free
• well-packed fresh baby spinach

Tips & Substitutions:

• To make this nut-free, you can use some sunflower seed butter. You can also use 3 tablespoons of split red lentils (masoor dal) instead. Just add them with the chickpeas. They will cook and thicken the sauce.
• You can also use fresh tomatoes, pureed instead of canned tomatoes.
• Instead of spinach, you can use chard or mustard greens.
• Use other veggies such as cauliflower,  potato, butternut squash or a combination
• Use other non dairy milks such as cashew milk or oat milk

How to make Baked Chickpea Sweet Potato Curry:

In a 9×11 or a similar size baking dish, add the oil and spread evenly. Then add the onion, garlic, and ginger on one side and the sweet potato on the other side.

Mix all the spices except salt in a bowl. Mix well and sprinkle all over. Mix the onions a little bit and mix sweet potatoes to coat the spices but keep the onions and sweet potatoes separate. Sprinkle some splashes of water while mixing if needed to help the spices stick.

Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit(206 c)  for 15–16 minutes or until the onions are golden.

Then remove the baking dish from the oven then add in the coconut milk and peanut butter and mix in.

Mix the peanut butter into the coconut milk until it’s mixed in otherwise, it will just stay in one corner of the dish.

Then add in the tomato, chickpeas, salt, water, and mix really well.

Put the dish back in the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked to preference and the sauce has thickened.

Remove from the oven and immediately add in the spinach and mix in. The spinach will wilt with the heat of the sauce.

Taste and adjust salt and flavor then garnish with cilantro, red pepper flakes, and lime juice and serve with rice or flatbread.

Storage: refrigerate for upto 3 days. Freeze for upto a month