Nava Atlas’s Sweet Potato Tzimmes

Published February 4, 2015

Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(216)
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In Yiddish, “tzimmes” means a big fuss or commotion. Fortunately, this signature holiday dish, a mélange of sweet vegetables and dried fruits, is not much of a fuss to make. Karen Barrow

Featured in: A Vegan Passover

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil or other healthy vegetable oil

  • 1 large red onion, quartered and thinly sliced

  • 3 large carrots, sliced

  • 3 large sweet potatoes, cooked or microwaved, then peeled and sliced

  • 1 large pear, peeled, cored, and sliced

  • ½ cup chopped dried prunes

  • ¼ cup chopped dried apricots

  • ⅔ cup orange juice, preferably fresh

  • 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

  • 2 teaspoons minced fresh or jarred ginger

  • 1 teaspoon salt

  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (or ½ teaspoon freshly grated)

  • ⅓ to ½ cup finely chopped walnuts for topping, optional

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

34 grams carbs; 205 calories; 3 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 8 grams fat; 6 grams fiber; 345 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 16 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until translucent. Add the carrots and continue to sauté until the onion is golden. Combine with the remaining ingredients except the walnuts in a mixing bowl and stir until thoroughly mixed. Don’t worry if the potato slices break apart.

  3. Step 3

    Oil a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Pour in the sweet potato mixture and pat in evenly. Sprinkle the optional walnuts over the top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the top begins to turn slightly crusty. Serve hot.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
216 user ratings
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Comments

Can you make this ahead?

same question!

Finally, a Jewish holiday recipe worth adding to the permanent repertoire for holidays - not just Rosh Hashanah (these are really fall flavors), but also Thanksgiving (beats my previous attempts at doing something interesting with sweet potatoes). I substituted cranberries for prunes because that's what I had, and topped with walnuts. The balance of sweetness with the tart notes of ginger, cranberry, nutmeg and savory red onion, combined with the satisfying walnut crunch, was just perfect.

This turned out well though I made some tweaks, attempting to make it a *little* less sweet and bring in some Sephardic influences. I think most significantly I used a combination of TJ's carrot & turmeric juice, fresh-squeezed orange juice, and red wine for the liquid (~1 1/3 c), seasoned with the ginger and cinnamon (and cumin and turmeric), and let that simmer while prepping the onions and carrots. I soaked dates and cranberries in that liquid too. Added orange zest to brighten it up.

I thought this was quite good with 2 caveats. I think a 2 quart shallow pan is too small and am glad I used a larger one. Secondly, i grated fresh ginger and found 3 rather than 2 teaspoons was perfect.

I’ll confess to skipping the step of precooking the sweet potatoes. I cubed them instead and mixed them into the rest of the ingredients. This recipe is delicious and a terrific side dish for the Jewish New Year or Thanksgiving!

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Credits

Adapted from Nava Atlas’ “Vegan Holiday Kitchen”

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