This sweet potato tofu nourish bowl makes an amazing busy-day lunch. Meal prep the sweet potato and tofu for a to-go salad or bake it right before eating.
Making lunch can feel like such a chore sometimes.
Even if you love cooking, making a healthy lunch can feel unnecessarily time-consuming and complicated . . . not to mention the clean-up and dishes afterwards.
Nourish bowls are a great solution to this problem, whether you're cooking lunch while working from home or meal-prepping food for the office. Simple, quick and healthy, nourish bowls pack a nutritional punch but create minimal mess. This sweet potato tofu nourish bowl is the perfect example.
All you need to do is chop up some sweet potato, bake it with some tofu, and then add everything to a big bowl of kale with avocado. So simple, so good.
Though it may sound pretty basic, using marinated tofu and well-spiced sweet potato for a beautiful mix of flavours that work perfectly together. It’s slightly sweet, well-spiced, and perfectly salty all at once. Crispy tofu and creamy avocado bring richness and textural variety, while a squeeze of lemon juice keeps things feeling fresh.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Kale: Tuscan and curly kale both work here so feel free to use whichever you prefer. If you don't like kale, use any green leaves you like such as spinach, rocket or lettuce.
- Tofu: Tofu brings extra protein to this meal, making it a satiating lunch. Using a store-bought, flavoured tofu (like this one) adds a lot of flavour without much effort. Teriyaki-marinated tofu works wonders in this dish, but any satay or chilli option would also taste great. If you prefer to use plain tofu, definitely drain the excess liquid first (by squeezing it between paper towels or using a tofu press) then season it with a little soy sauce or salt for extra flavour.
- Oil: We used high-quality olive oil here, but you can swap it for your cooking oil of choice. Sesame oil will add a nice nutty flavour. For a neutral option, try avocado oil.
- Spices: The sweet potatoes in this recipe are seasoned with cinnamon and paprika. If you like a bit more spice, you can also add black pepper or chilli flakes.
- Sweet Potatoes: Sweet potato is always a delicious addition, and it really doesn’t disappoint in this recipe. Cut it into small cubes so it bakes quickly, and season it with cinnamon and paprika for a punch of flavour. If you don't like sweet potatoes, swap them out for any roasted veggies of your choice.
- Avocado: Half an avocado goes a long way in this dish. If you don't like avocado, you can achieve the same creaminess by swapping it for a simple peanut sauce, tahini or dollop of hummus.
- Lemon juice and olive oil: To make a delicious sauce for this bowl, we combined lemon juice and olive oil. Feel free to swap this for any homemade sauce of your choice. Rice vinegar, garlic powder, sriracha and maple syrup are all nice additions, depending on what flavour you hope to achieve. Add a little bit of this or that, tasting as you go until you're happy with your dressing.
FAQ's for This Recipe
There are many names for nourish bowls ('Buddha bowls' or 'power bowls') but the term simply means a mix of cooked and fresh vegetables combined to make a healthy meal. Maple and Mango have the best definition: “A nourish bowl is a well-balanced, healthy meal containing a variety of nutrient-dense ingredients (veggies, healthy fats, quality proteins and carbs).” Basically, it's a fancy salad bowl.
This is really up to you! We left the skin on here, but if you prefer peeled potatoes, go for it! 's quicker.
Of course! This lunch is so perfect for prepping the night before. All you need to do is bake the sweet potato and tofu. Then, assemble everything in a container and store it in the fridge until you're ready to eat.
If you still feel you need a bit more substance, try adding some extra whole grains to your bowl. Cooked white rice, brown rice or quinoa would be especially good. Or keep things simple by eating some toast on the side.
📖 Recipe
Sweet Potato Tofu Nourish Bowl
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 1 nourish bowl 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
This sweet potato tofu nourish bowl makes an amazing busy-day lunch. Meal prep the sweet potato and tofu for a to-go salad or bake it right before eating.
Ingredients
- 2 handfuls kale
- ½ large sweet potato (diced)
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- ½ teaspoon paprika, ground
- 1 serving teriyaki tofu
- ½ avocado (diced)
- ½ lemon (juiced)
Instructions
- Rinse and chop your kale. Add to bowl or container if making in advance and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 180° C.
- Dice the sweet potato, and place on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle ½ tablespoon of olive oil onto the sweet potato, ensuring each piece is coated. Sprinkle cinnamon and paprika over the sweet potato and bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven.
- While the sweet potato is baking, cut your marinated tofu into bite-sized pieces. If not using a pre-flavoured tofu, feel free to marinade your tofu in a mixture of soy sauce and neutral oil.
- Once 15 minutes have passed, remove the baking sheet. with sweet potato from the oven. Using a spatula, push the sweet potato to the side, making room to place tofu on the baking sheet. Return to oven and bake until the tofu is crispy around the edges and the sweet potato is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Once the sweet potato and tofu is perfectly cooked, remove baking tray from oven. Let the sweet potato and tofu cool slightly while you slice the avocado.
- Add avocado into bowl with kale, and top with the sweet potato and tofu.
- Finish the nourish bowl with a squeeze of lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil (I used about ½ tablespoon more) and salt and pepper to taste.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Salad
- Method: Salad
- Cuisine: Australian
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Jen says
This has become my. new favourite lunch. Thanks!