QUICK!!! Let’s hurry up and eat something healthy before our bodies know what we’re doing!!! I’ve resolved to be better to my body this year. It hasn’t happened yet, meaning: I’ve not set one foot into a gym to date. I’m good with me, though, because I have been drinking the hell outta some water annnnnd, I said “AND“, I’ve been eating very healthy (not that I didn’t eat healthy before, just wanted to clarify that). These Cilantro-Lime Bulgur Bowls with Roasted Sweet Potatoes have become one of my favorite lunches. Oddly enough, for the longest time I wasn’t a fan- at all– of sweet potatoes. That’s been changing, though, slowly but surely.
What’s so great about these Cilantro-Lime Bulgur Bowls?
One of my favorite things about these cilantro-lime bulgur bowls is their versatility. If you have a wheat allergy you can substitute rice, farro, or quinoa. You can also use couscous if you just want to switch up the type of wheat. Make this vegan by using vegetable stock (or water) in place of the chicken stock, and omit the fried egg. I’m making the sweet potatoes a Mexican-spiced deal because it’s one of my favorite combos, but you can totes use any other spice blend you fancy. I would try this Middle Eastern Spice Blend or this Garam Masala Blend for a nice change of pace. I’ll recommend some toppings to suit those flavors a little later.
Here’s what you need to make the Cilantro-Lime Bulgur bowls:
These cilantro-lime bulgur bowls contain bulgur- shocker. Bulgur is a grain of wheat that’s been cracked and partially cooked to make preparing it at home a little easier. This little nugget is packed with fiber and it’s low in calories- hello, beach body!! Since it is wheat, you won’t be able to indulge if you have a gluten allergy, but there are the substitutions I’ve mentioned above. Also in this bowl are sweet potatoes. When I’m shopping for the ingredients to make this recipe, I like to plan for one-half of a large sweet potato (about a half-pound) per person. I want the vitamin-packed potato to be a prominent ingredient in the meal. We’ll also be using garlic, lime (zest and juice), chicken stock, my Mexican Spice Blend, and whatever toppings your precious heart desires.
To make a complete lunch that will hold me until dinner, I top my bowl with a fried egg. The Soldier gets two eggs. If you want to keep this vegan, toss some firm, pressed tofu in with the spice blend and roast it with the potatoes during the last fifteen minutes of cooking. Good stuff! Hummus is also a great topping. In fact, black bean hummus would be great for this Mexican version.
Preparing the Sweet Potatoes
Earlier, I mentioned that, in the past, I have never liked sweet potatoes. I used to give them the ol’ Heisman whenever someone would offer one to me. Maybe it’s the sweetness that I don’t like, but sweet potatoes were definitely not on my list of edible items.
One thing about sweet potatoes- they’re hard. Unlike the regular tuber, these orange wonders are more dense and, therefore, harder to cut through. After using a vegetable peeler to peel them, I cut them into half-inch thick slabs. When you know you’re going to be cutting quite a few ingredients, it’s best to work on a pretty large cutting board. It saves you the time of repeatedly washing a smaller board, or from having to transfer ingredients off of the board to make room for others. With a large board, you can slide your cut items to the side while you work on other things. Of course, this doesn’t apply with foods that can cross-contaminate others (i.e, raw poultry and fresh veggies don’t jive).
After you’ve sliced your potato planks, cut them into half-inch thick sticks, then cut those sticks into half-inch thick cubes. Now, you can eyeball it- they don’t have to be exactly half-inch cubes- but you do want them to be bite-sized, as well as uniform in size. When cutting veggies for recipes like this, uniformity is the key to everything cooking at the same rate.
What to Season With…and How?
I perused the fridge to find the flavor inspiration for this bowl and when my eyes alighted on a jar of my salsa fresca, I knew I wanted to go South of the Border. You can find my Mexican Spice Blend here, or you can use a store-bought blend. I’d avoid any seasoning that contains cornstarch or flour as you’ll probably taste remnants of it post-roast. As I mentioned earlier, if you want to switch up the flavors of this bowl, all you need to do is use an equal amount of your desired spice blend.
Grab a large, lightweight mixing bowl (you’ll see why lightweight is a must in a minute) and throw your cubed sweet potatoes inside. Drizzle some olive oil over the potatoes and add the spice blend. Gently toss the sweet potatoes in the bowl by giving your wrist a quick flick. Now, if you’re like my husband (zero coordination) go ahead and use your hand, or a large spoon to toss the potatoes in the spices. You want to make sure the all of the potatoes are well-seasoned.
Once you’ve seasoned the sweet potatoes, arrange them in a single layer on a sheet pan. Make sure they’re not over-crowded on the pan because you want them to have room to roast, not steam. The oil you added earlier will help crisp up the potatoes while keeping them from sticking too terribly to the pan. Place the sheet pan into an oven that’s been preheated to four hundred degrees, then roast them for thirty minutes, or until tender.
Make the Cilantro-Lime Bulgur
Cilantro-lime bulgur is a pretty easy dish to prepare. I’d highly recommend using it for other meals and not just this one. There have been times when I’ve replaced my cilantro-lime rice with this bulgur version and topped it with stewed black beans- it was perfection! Anyway, because bulgur can be very earthy, I not only want to flavor it heavily with the cilantro and lime, but with a nice kick of garlic, as well. Instead of sauteing the garlic at the beginning of the cooking process, I add it to the chicken broth I’m using to create a kind of garlic-vegetable soup and infuse that flavor into the bulgur.
Combine the stock, bulgur, garlic, and spices together in a four quart sauce pan, then crank the heat up to medium-high and bring the stock to a boil. Once the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat to low (you want it down to a simmer) and stir in the zest of two limes. Save the juice for later. Cover the pot with a lid and allow the bulgur to simmer for twelve minutes.
Once the cooking time has elapsed, check to see that all of the liquid has evaporated. If it hasn’t, strain it off and return the bulgur to the pot and allow the residual heat from the pot to dry out the bulgur. Stir in the lime juice and a tablespoon of chopped cilantro, then allow the bulgur to settle down and dry out for a few minutes. Give the bulgur a fluff with a fork just before you spoon it into your bowls.
Building ALL Sortsa Bowls
Before your bulgur has even begun cooking, I’d advise you to start prepping whatever toppings you want to add to your bowls. Unless you’re adding a fried egg to the bowl. I would wait until the potatoes are done roasting, and the bulgur is done cooking, before beginning to fry the eggs. There’s nothing yummy about a cold egg. Just keep both the potatoes and the bulgur warm in the oven or on the stove.
Cilantro-lime bulgur bowls should, clearly, have both cilantro and lime toppings. Chop or slice them to add to the cilantro-lime bulgur later. For this particular bowl, I added cherry tomatoes, which I sliced in half; as well as sliced avocados, sour cream, salsa fresca, sliced jalapeños, and my egg. If you don’t want to do the cilantro-lime version, be sure to omit those flavors from the bulgur during the cooking process.
Here are some other ways to customize this recipe:
Mediterranean Bowls
- Middle Eastern Spice Blend flavored sweet potatoes
- garlic bulgur (omit the cilantro-lime combo)
- fried egg (optional)
- tahini sauce or tzatziki
- red onions
- tomatoes
- pomegranate arils
- spinach
- feta cheese
- kalamata olives
- cucumbers
- hummus
Asian Bowls (spicy)
- potatoes tossed in Chinese five spice or Gochujang paste
- omit cilantro-garlic combo, instead use dashi flakes with grated ginger and garlic (one teaspoon of each)
- fried egg
- firm, pressed tofu
- cabbage kimchi
- bean sprouts
- cucumbers
- daikon radish
- dried nori
Indian Bowls
- toss potatoes in Garam Masala Spice Blend
- omit cilantro-lime flavor combo, flavor bulgur with minced ginger and garlic (one teaspoon each) and a half-teaspoon of the Garam Masala Spice Blend
- fried egg
- sliced mango or Amba Sauce
- plain Greek yogurt
- paneer
- chickpeas
- fresh cilantro and mint
Top and Serve
I told you this recipe was versatile, but you didn’t believe me! Isn’t it a treasure-trove of possibilities?!? Yes, I know it is. You can gaze upon the magnificence of my bowl, but it’s better if you make your own. The sweetness of the sweet potatoes and the earthy cilantro-lime bulgur are a combination that should be more popular. This is also one of those situations that’s great for meal prep because it all tastes just as good cold- well…except the fried egg. If you’re prepping it for the next day’s lunch, I’d switch that out for a boiled egg, instead.
So! What are you waiting for? That Summer body ain’t gonna build itself, Honey-child! Pin this recipe to find it when you come back wheezing from the gym…I know that’s definitely gonna be me soon.
Cilantro-Lime Bulgur Bowls with Roasted Sweet Potatoes
at Sense & EdibilityIngredients
- 2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Mexican Spice Blend link in post
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt separated
- 2 3/4 cups vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups bulgur
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 limes zested and juiced (keep separate)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped, plus more for topping
Optional Toppings
- cotija, queso fresco, or monterey-jack crumbled
- sour cream
- cherry tomatoes
- pico de gallo
- jalapeños sliced
- lime wedges
- avocado sliced
- fried eggs omit for vegan diets
Instructions
Roast the Sweet Potatoes
- Preheat your oven to 400°F.
- Place the sweet potatoes into a large, lightweight mixing bowl and drizzle some olive oil over them, followed by the Mexican Spice Blend and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the kosher salt. Gently toss the sweet potatoes until they are all well-seasoned.
- Arrange the potatoes into a single layer on a sheet pan. Avoid over-crowding the pan (it will cause them to steam instead of roast).
- Place the sheet pan into the oven and roast them for 30 minutes, or until they're tender.
Make the Cilantro-Lime Bulgur
- Combine the stock, bulgur, and garlic together in a 4 quart sauce pan and bring the stock to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Once the liquid is boiling, reduce the heat to low and stir in the remaining salt, lime zest, cumin, and the pepper. Cover the pot and allow the bulgur to simmer for 12 minutes.
- Once the cooking time has elapsed, check to see that all of the liquid has evaporated. If it hasn't, strain it off and return the bulgur to the pot and allow the residual heat from the pot to dry out the bulgur.
- Stir in the lime juice and the chopped cilantro. Just prior to spooning it into the bowls, fluff the bulgur with a fork.
Build Your Bowl
- Once the potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven, or keep them in a warm oven until you are ready to assemble your bowls.
- If you're topping your bowl with a fried egg, wait until the bulgur and potatoes have finished cooking before frying them. Fry your egg to your preferred style.
- Spoon a cup of the cooked bulgur into your bowls and top with a heaping cup of the sweet potatoes. Add your preferred toppings and enjoy!
Notes
- Middle Eastern Spice Blend flavored sweet potatoes
- garlic bulgur (omit the cilantro-lime combo)
- fried egg (optional)
- tahini sauce or tzatziki
- red onions
- tomatoes
- pomegranate arils
- spinach
- feta cheese
- kalamata olives
- cucumbers
- hummus
- potatoes tossed in Chinese five spice or Gochujang paste
- omit cilantro-garlic combo, instead use dashi flakes with grated ginger and garlic (1 teaspoon of each)
- fried egg
- firm, pressed tofu
- cabbage kimchi
- bean sprouts
- cucumbers
- daikon radish
- dried nori
- toss potatoes in Garam Masala Spice Blend
- omit cilantro-lime flavor combo, flavor bulgur with minced ginger and garlic (1 teaspoon each) and a 1/2 teaspoon of the Garam Masala Spice Blend
- fried egg
- sliced mango or Amba Sauce
- plain Greek yogurt
- paneer
- canned or cooked chickpeas
- fresh cilantro and mint
If you're prepping these bowls for the next day's lunch, switch out the fried egg for a boiled egg, instead.
Nutrition
These kind of bowls makes for the perfect dinner, I want to try them
They’re amazing! I like the bulgur variation.