Pita halves filled with roasted sweet potatoes, chickpeas, onion, spinach and garlic and (in some cases already) topped with a tasty yogurt/lemon/garlic sauce. It combined for a great taste and satisfying textures.
Mark Guydish | For Times Leader
The ingredients for roasted sweet potato and chickpea pitas
Mark Guydish | For Times Leader
We had some leftover pitas from a pack partly used for sandwiches on a hiking excursion (they don’t crush, like most bread), and as I habitually do ever since I started writing these Test Kitchen articles in 2020, I immediately saw them as an opportunity to try a new recipe. An online search found a bunch of recommendations for pita fillings on tasteofhome.com, many of which looked great. I expect I will try more of them in the future.
I picked this one because it is meatless yet promised great texture (thanks to the use of chickpeas and roasted sweet potatoes) paired with a dressing of Greek yogurt, lemon juice and some Indian-spice influence.
As usual, I added an extra clove of garlic (despite there being only two in the picture of ingredients). Being less usual, I actually used a red onion as called for. Long-time readers may have noticed I usually just use a yellow onion because that’s what we stock in our kitchen.
Despite having a fairly broad array of spices on the lazy Suzan in one corner cabinet, garam masala has never been in the mix. According to the web, it’s a blend of other spices, some of which we do keep at hand. So I mixed some curry, cumin and allspice as a substitute.
We loved this, as did MT’s mom when she got a sample, and neighbor Roger who immediately picked up on the cumin. The filling was still warm, contrasting perfectly with the cooler dressing, and the flavors melded amazingly well.
Full disclosure: I opened the pack of leftover pitas and found hints of mold in places not visible through the plastic bag. My bad. I meant to make these earlier; failing that, I I should have refrigerated them. So MT went out and got a new pack — still whole wheat, of course.
Dobru chut!
Roasted Sweet Potato and Chickpea Pitas (tasteofhome.com)
2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1-1/4 pounds), peeled and cubed
2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained
1 medium red onion, chopped
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
2 teaspoons garam masala (I mixed some curry, cumin and allspice)
½ teaspoon salt, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
2 cups arugula or baby spinach
12 whole wheat pita pocket halves (six pitas), warmed
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
Heat oven to 400°. Place potatoes in a large microwave-safe bowl, cover, and microwave on high 5 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and onion; toss with 2 tablespoons oil, garam masala and ½ teaspoon salt.
Spread into a 15 by 10 inch pan. Roast until potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly.
Place garlic and remaining tablespoon of oil in a small microwave-safe bowl; microwave on high until garlic is lightly browned, 1 to 1½ minutes. Stir in yogurt, lemon juice, cumin and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Toss potato mixture with arugula. Spoon into pitas; top with sauce and cilantro.
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