We are living our best bowl life this week. Seasoned sweet potato wedges and chicken meatballs or rotisserie chicken all piled onto a plate with a little puddle of punchy green avocado mojo sauce. Yes, wow, repeat.

This is a brand new recipe that’s part of our Spring 2023 SOS Series – in other words, EASY recipes! View our full collection of SOS recipes here.

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Lindsay’s Notes

Want to watch your family melt into a puddle of happiness? Make a pan of these sweet potato wedges.

Yes, the sauce, too. I am never not licking every last drop out of the jar.

But the fries, man. They are my husband, kids’, and office neighbors’ greatest joy right now. I swear I am never more loved than when I am pulling a pan of these out of the oven.

And they’re not wrong about the fries – they are strangely simple and just divine. But for me, it’s also about the layering here. Can we all agree that we should definitely be eating more meals where dipping things into a punchy green sauce is just BUILT RIGHT IN? This method of sauce-on-the-bottom will be my guiding light for bowl-building this summer.

You grab your cilantro, some vinegar, some garlic. You make a mojo-inspired sauce (with avocado! yum!) and you pour it on the plate. Yes. Sauce on plate. It’s fun.

Then: everything you love in the world gets piled right on top. You get the crispy bits from the roasted sweet potato, you get the golden brown caramelized spots on those yummy little meatballs that (if you’re me) you picked up at Costco thank you very much, and you swipe each bite generously through that electric sauce.

It’s a meal for flavor lovers, easy lovers, and sauce lovers. And luckily I am all three.

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We are living our best bowl life this week. Seasoned sweet potato wedges and chicken meatballs or rotisserie chicken all piled onto a plate with a little puddle of punchy green avocado mojo sauce. Yes, wow, repeat.

Avocado Mojo Sauce:

The Stuff for the Bowls:

1. Sweet Potatoes: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel and cut the sweet potatoes – I like to cut them into wedges because they feel like thick, happy fries and my family loves them, but any shape will work. Place on a large baking sheet and toss with the oil and taco seasoning until coated.
2. Onions: Peel the onion and cut it into thin wedges. Tuck them onto the baking sheet in and around the sweet potatoes.
3. Roast: Transfer the whole pan to the oven and bake for a total of 35 minutes. I usually take them out at 20 minutes to flip the pieces and add my meatballs. *If using store bought pre-cooked meatballs, you can just scoot everything over and add your meatballs so they get those last 15 minutes of bake time.
4. Sauce: While the sweet potatoes are roasting, blend up the sauce ingredients – I use my Ninja mini chopper (affiliate link). Taste, adjust, and set aside. (Or at least try. It’s so good.)
5. Serve: Pour some sauce on a plate or bowl. Pile it up with meatballs, sweet potatoes, and onions. Total comfort food with saucy dipping built right in!

Notes

If you like more of a creamy sauce, you can add the mayo to it! Sauce will last for two days in the fridge. 

As written, the sauce is not spicy but it would be really good with a jalapeño thrown in there. 

Try This Next Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes with Parmesan Orzo Recipe

If your taco seasoning does not have corn starch or corn flour listed in the ingredients, I would suggest adding just a light sprinkle (1 teaspoon) with the taco seasoning – this just helps the sweet potato fries develop that more crispy golden exterior.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Category: Bowl
• Method: Roast
• Cuisine: Caribbean-Inspired

Keywords: mojo sauce, meatball recipe, avocado sauce

What Is Mojo?

Mojo refers to a sauce that is found in many cultures around the world – Puerto Rico, Canary Islands, Cuba, and the Caribbean. I first had it in Puerto Rico as a dipping sauce for fried plantains, but my understanding is that it’s often served with meat, like pork, to add a citrusy, vinegary flavor (and sometimes heat). You can read more about the roots and variations of mojo here.

Is It Spicy?

No, as written this one is not spicy. But if you WANT it to be spicy, it would be amazing with a jalapeño in there! I just keep it mild for my kids.

What Protein Is Best?

The two things I’ve been using are chicken meatballs or rotisserie chicken. I also served this with shredded pork once and really enjoyed it (but that makes it non-SOS because it takes a bit more time to make).

Meatballs: I’ve been kind of on a run with the Amylu chicken meatballs lately, and both the teriyaki pineapple and the mango jalapeño ones are delicious here. We also love the POY baked chicken meatballs, obviously!

Rotisserie Chicken: Needs no explanation. My family loves a juicy, roasty, piping-hot rotisserie chicken and SO DO I.

What Do You Use To Blend Up The Sauce?

I LOVE my Ninja mini chopper (affiliate link). It’s not meant for sauces necessarily, but I use it for all kinds of quick sauce blends – it’s so great. I’ve always been a die-hard food processor fan, and still am, but I would say 75% of the time I am reaching for this little guy when I just need to make a quick sauce!

How Can You Make This Dairy-Free and Gluten-Free?

It should be dairy-free and gluten-free as is!

Things to double-check: your taco seasoning and your meatballs or rotisserie chicken for any added dairy or gluten.

How Can You Make This Vegetarian?

Throw more veggies on the pan with those sweet potatoes and go for an all-veg lineup! Cauliflower, zucchini, mushrooms, bell peppers… so good!

For a veg protein, we really enjoy the ALDI meatless meatballs!

How Can You Add More Veggies To This?

I am never not going to try to influence you to make this simple green salad. It is my favorite add-a-veggie-to-a-meal solution.

More Delicious Recipes To Use Up Your Avocados

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Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes with Parmesan Orzo Recipe

Shrimp laced with buttery garlic and thyme and a burst tomato sauce served on a creamy Parmesan orzo.

Juicy, succulent shrimp laced with garlic, butter, and thyme, tucked into a silky burst tomato sauce, and piled high on creamy, luscious Parmesan orzo. WHAT A DREAMBOAT DINNER. I love this recipe!

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How To Make This Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes (with Pictures)

Step 1: Blister and Smash the Tomatoes

Get the tomatoes hot and blistery; then give ’em a gentle smash with the back of a spoon or a small plate. It’s… very fun.

Step 2: Cook the Shrimp

Make a little clearing right in the center of the tomatoes where you can add your shrimp to cook for a couple of minutes. Salt it up!

Step 3: Get the Garlic and Butter Going In There

Throw in a bunch of freshly sliced garlic and a knob of butter. Stir it up a few times until it’s dreamy.

Step 4: Make a Creamy Orzo

Put a lid on the shrimp and make a quick creamy orzo – butter, Parmesan, cream, lemon, and salt.

Step 5: Put It All Together

Piping hot orzo goes on the plate first, and then we pull our shrimp and tomatoes back out to pile on top.

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Lindsay’s Notes

This recipe is in heavy rotation at the moment – and it never fails to make me feel like I’m eating at a fancy restaurant and/or generally have my life together. Is my laundry all over my table? Yes. Have I been using dry shampoo for the last 4 days? Yes. But am I also eating a kind of fancy and beautiful dinner? YES! Three cheers for doable “fancy” recipes. 10/10 recommend.

Creamy orzo with the twang of Parmesan, sweet burst tomatoes gently bubbled into a sauce, and a pile of jumbo, delicate, buttery, garlic-laced shrimp. Pass me a glass of wine and I am living my best life.

As far as family approval goes, Bjork and I love the whole big, beautiful thing – no thyme for him (a true crime and I don’t want to spend any more time talking about it), and lots of thyme, salt, and pepp for me. The girls are hit and miss with the shrimp and tomatoes, but you better believe they love the creamy Parmesan orzo which is, of course, just mac and cheese in disguise. They’ll usually eat a few of the fresh little tomatoes on the side, too. Winning for everybody!

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Shrimp laced with buttery garlic and thyme and a burst tomato sauce served on a creamy Parmesan orzo.

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Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes:

Creamy Orzo:

Popular Recipe Thai Chicken Drumsticks (Baked)

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1. Cook the Orzo: Cook according to package directions. Drain, toss with a bit of oil, and set aside.
2. Soften the Tomatoes: Add the tomatoes and olive oil to a pan over medium high heat so they can soften and get a bit blistered on the outside. I usually cover the pan to avoid extra splatters.
3. Smash the Tomatoes: Once they’re soft (5 minutes or so), give them a gentle smash with the back of a spoon or applying even pressure with a plate or similar flat object. You want the tomatoes to be partially burst / smashed so they release some juices.
4. Cook the Shrimp: Make a little clearing in the center of the tomatoes and add your shrimp right in; season them with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook for 2 minutes on each side.
5. Give it Some Flava-Flave: Add the garlic, butter, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to the pan and stir to mix it all together. Let it get saucy and bubbly; then remove from heat and cover with a lid.
6. Make the orzo: Mix the orzo with butter, half and half, Parmesan, and lemon. Stir to combine; warm it up over the heat if necessary.
7. Pile it up: Serve immediately so the orzo doesn’t get too starchy and sticky! Pile it on a plate with a big scoop of steamy shrimp and tomatoes. Top with thyme. So good!

Notes

This amount usually makes enough for just Bjork and I to finish the shrimp, with plenty of orzo for us and the girls. If you wanted to serve 4 adults, I would use 2 pounds of shrimp!

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Saute
• Cuisine: American

Keywords: shrimp and orzo, orzo recipe, shrimp and tomatoes

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Frequently Asked Questions For Garlic Shrimp and Tomatoes

What can I use instead of shrimp?

Chicken would be delicious! I would probably pan-fry the chicken first, then take it out and set aside while you build your tomato sauce, then add the chicken back in at the end.

How long do the leftovers last?

You can definitely eat this meal as leftovers for 1, maybe 2 days after you make it, but it’s one of those meals that really shines when it’s made fresh.

Can you make this vegetarian / meatless?

Use zucchini in place of the shrimp! Or, similarly, this recipe is great.

How do you make this gluten-free and/or dairy-free?

Use gluten free orzo, dairy-free butter (or olive oil), and something else creamy in place of the half and half and Parmesan – a knob of dairy-free cream cheese would be good!

Another option would be to skip the creamy orzo and serve this with quinoa or another gluten-free, dairy-free option.

My Favorite Shrimp Recipes

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