This sweet potato breakfast bowl is a savory plate with Japanese sweet potatoes, roasted broccoli and perfectly seasoned tofu.
The more I attend to this blog, the more I realize I like to deconstruct recipes. Make life simple. Live off of leftovers and make food super automatic. Surprisingly, I’m finding myself not spending as much time in the kitchen, but being smarter about my food prep (and leftovers reign in my kitchen ~ cook once, eat many times). With simplicity in mind, this sweet potato breakfast bowl is my idea of the perfect breakfast: easy, filling, whole, and delicious.
It was another one of those recipes that I thought I shouldn’t include, because it’s so easy, but because it is significant to me I thought it may be helpful for you as well. And I like recipes to be easy, and I hope you do too.
I can eat this breakfast on repeat, and I often do. Just reheat leftovers and you’re good to go!
A Not So Fancy Idea: Roast It All Together
Roasting everything together is not really a super fancy idea, but it will save you some time. And perhaps given that many of us are still working from home, it allows us the indulgence of slowing down to prepare a breakfast that may take a little longer than usual. But trust me, it’s worth it. And as I mentioned before, makes good leftovers for repeated breakfasts to come.
The sweet potatoes take the longest to cook (30 min). Next goes the tofu (20-25 min), and lastly, the broccoli (about 20). If you just keep an eye on everything, they’ll roast together beautifully.
Just note, the timing of your veggies really does depend on the size of your cuts. I tend to do medium cuts for both the sweet potatoes and broccoli. If you make them smaller or larger, just adjust the time.
Tips on Broccoli
To get the perfect sear on the broccoli, make sure that you cut through some of the stems of the florets (or even the head) to expose a flat surface. When this flat surface lays on the parchment paper or cooking sheet, it will cook evenly and start to brown, which imparts a lovely flavor. If the stem isn’t cut and it has a peculiar shape, it may not touch the sheet and therefore not brown. Cut sides are truly awesome.
Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl Recipe
Grain: 2 medium Japanese sweet potatoes
Veggie (replaces fruit): 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
Protein: One 14-oz block firm, extra firm (or sprouted) organic tofu, cubed
Extras, for flavor:
- 1/3 cup organic tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) or soy sauce
- 1 large garlic clove, grated using a microplane
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated using a microplane
- Drizzle of toasted sesame oil, optional
- Chili flakes
- Wedge of lemon
- Salt to taste
Recipe Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
First, prep the sweet potatoes. Wash them well, and cut off any aging or brown spots. Keep the peel on and first slice them into rounds, and then cut those rounds into about 1/2 inch pieces. Spray them with a little bit of oil, and add salt and pepper. Use your hands to coat them all well, and place them in the oven on a parchment paper lined cooking tray. Don’t let them overcrowd the tray, otherwise they will steam and not brown. They will need about 30 minutes to cook.
Next, prepare the tofu. In another baking pan that can hold some liquid, add the tamari, sesame oil (if using), ginger, and garlic. Mix everything together. Then get to cutting the tofu. No need to drain it, just pat it dry and cut it into slices, batons, then cubes. It will need about 20-25 minutes in the oven. Keep an eye on the liquid so it doesn’t burn (top rack works well for this).
Lastly, tend to the broccoli. Cut the head of broccoli into almost 2 inch florets, making sure one side of the floret has a flat cut side that can brown. Spray the broccoli with a little bit of oil, a pinch of salt, and then add it to the tray of sweet potatoes. Make sure they are all in one layer and not crowded, otherwise they’ll steam and not brown. If you need to use another tray, feel free. These will need about 20 minutes to cook.
After 30 minutes, pierce the sweet potatoes to see if a knife enters in easily. Check on the underside of the broccoli to make sure they’re brown. The tofu should have absorbed all of the liquid.
Put it all together: Weigh out your portion of grain, veggie and protein, and save the rest for another breakfast (all you need to do is heat it up!) Drizzle the broccoli with lemon, add some chili flakes to the tofu, and serve.
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Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl
Ingredients
Grain
- 2 medium Japanese sweet potatoes
Veggie (replaces fruit)
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
Protein
- 1 14-oz block firm, extra firm (or sprouted) organic tofu, cubed
Extras (for flavor)
- 1/3 cup organic tamari (gluten-free soy sauce) or soy sauce
- 1 garlic clove, grated using a microplane
- 1/2 inch piece of ginger, grated using a microplane
- drizzle of toasted sesame oil, optional
- chili flakes
- wedge of lemon
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
First prep the sweet potatoes
- Wash them well, and cut off any aging or brown spots. Keep the peel on and first slice them into rounds, and then cut those rounds into about 1/2 inch pieces. Spray them with a little bit of oil, and add salt and pepper. Use your hands to coat them all well, and place them in the oven on a parchment paper lined cooking tray. Don’t let them overcrowd the tray, otherwise they will steam and not brown. They will need about 30 minutes to cook.
Next prepare the tofu
- In another baking pan that can hold some liquid, add the tamari, sesame oil (if using), ginger, and garlic. Mix everything together. Then get to cutting the tofu. No need to drain it, just pat it dry and cut it into slices, batons, then cubes. It will need about 20-25 minutes in the oven. Keep an eye on the liquid so it doesn’t burn (top rack works well for this).
Lastly, tend to the broccoli
- Cut the head of broccoli into almost 2 inch florets, making sure one side of the floret has a flat cut side that can brown. Spray the broccoli with a little bit of oil, a pinch of salt, and then add it to the tray of sweet potatoes. Make sure they are all in one layer and not crowded, otherwise they’ll steam and not brown. If you need to use another tray, feel free. These will need about 20 minutes to cook.
Put it all together
- After 30 minutes, pierce the sweet potatoes to see if a knife enters in easily. Check on the underside of the broccoli to make sure they’re brown. The tofu should have absorbed all of the liquid.
- Weigh out your portion of grain, veggie and protein, and save the rest for another breakfast (all you need to do is heat it up!) Drizzle the broccoli with lemon, add some chili flakes to the tofu, and serve.
Please don’t shy away from sharing these deliciously simple recipes. They are so inspiring! I love my usual breakfast, but this combo looks so exciting I’m going to give it a go.
You are so kind, thank you for saying that! 🙂