Cook 3 budget-friendly and healthy Simple Chickpea Recipes in just 30 minutes! These recipes use many of the same pantry-friendly ingredients, yet they taste completely different! The instructions are structured clearly, making it easy to prepare all three Simple Chickpea Recipes at once.
Making healthy food does not need to be time-consuming or expensive. These Simple Chickpea Recipes are quick, cheap, and easy to make. Meal prep these recipes in advance for lunch and weeknight dinners. They taste amazing and are family-friendly. Nut-free and gluten-free options.
These recipes use many overlapping ingredients, which is why they are so budget-friendly to make. Yet they taste completely different! The instructions are structured efficiently and clearly, making it easy to prepare all three Simple Chickpea Recipes at once.
My Quick Vegan Meal Prep Recipes blog post inspired this, which transforms a basic red cabbage salad into three easy and balanced plant-based dinners.
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👩🏼🌾 Ingredients
For Roasted Vegetable Salad:
See the recipe card for quantities.
For Chickpea Mash:
See the recipe card for quantities.
For Pasta with Tahini Sauce
- Chickpeas (not shown)
See the recipe card for quantities.
🥬 Substitutions
- Cashews - for nut-free, omit the cashews or substitute with pepitas or sunflower seeds
- Noodles - use rice or buckwheat soba noodles for gluten-free, or spaghetti for a pasta dinner
- Crushed red pepper - omit for nonspicy
- Pepperoncini - substitute with pickles, marinated artichoke hearts, olives, or capers
- Broccoli - use baby broccoli, bok choy (end trimmed), or spinach instead for the pasta with tahini sauce and chickpeas recipe
- Cabbage - use red or green
- Seasoning - add garlic powder, dried herbs, paprika, or desired seasoning to the chickpeas for roasting.
For more easy and delicious healthy dinners, visit my Veggie Bowls Recipes page.
📖 How to These Make Simple Chickpeas Recipes
Roasted Vegetable Salad with Chickpeas:
Step 1. Roast the vegetables, chickpeas, and cashews.
Step 2. Make the maple tahini dressing. Mix and serve.
To make just the Roasted Salad with Chickpeas recipe, use this link.
Chickpea Mash
Step 1. Roughly mash the chickpeas with a fork or potato masher.
Step 2. Mix the tangy tahini dressing. Combine the chopped veggies, pepperoncini, and dressing.
Pasta with Tahini Sauce & Roasted Chickpeas
Step 1. Cook the noodles in boiling water. Add the broccoli 2 minutes before the noodles are done cooking. Drain. Make the tahini sauce.
Step 2. Combine the noodles, broccoli, and sauce in the saucepan (or bowl). Mix to combine. Top with the roasted chickpeas for serving. Serve warm or chilled.
💡Expert Tips
- Use the shredding blade of a food processor to chop the carrots and cabbage to save time, or purchase pre-chopped veggies.
- Do not overcook the noodles or they will be mushy. Cook them until al dente.
- Tahini brands differ in their consistency. Add cold water one tablespoon at a time to adjust the consistency of the sauce or dressing. The tahini may seize but just keep on mixing and adding cold water. It will return to a creamy consistency.
- Keep a close eye on the cashews if roasting as they burn easily.
- Storage: Refrigerate the sauces and dressings in separate airtight containers for up to 7 days. Store the salad, pasta, and chickpea mash in airtight containers for up to 5 days.
🙋🏽♀️ Recipe FAQs
For crispier chickpeas: Dry the chickpeas between layers of a dish towel or paper towel before roasting. Transfer the chickpeas to a large rimmed nonstick baking sheet and spread them in an even layer. Drizzle with oil. Bake for 20 minutes, tossing halfway through. Change the oven setting to broil and cook them for about 2 minutes more or until the desired crispiness.
To meal prep these easy chickpea recipes, chop the veggies, mash one can of chickpeas, and make the tahini sauce and dressings beforehand. Roast the chickpeas and cook the noodles and broccoli for serving.
Canned chickpeas are pre-cooked chickpeas, and therefore safe to eat straight out of the can! (Just be sure to rinse them well beforehand to wash out excess sodium.) Otherwise, you can roast them or turn them into any number of delicious dishes, like these here.
👩🏽🍳 Made This Recipe?
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I would love it if you would rate this recipe and leave a comment. Thank you in advance.
📖 Recipe
Simple Chickpea Recipes
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Ingredients
For all 3 recipes:
- 3 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 3 cups cooked)
- Drizzle of olive oil (optional)
- 4 ½ cups broccoli florets
- 2 red bell peppers (small and large)
- 2 ⅓ cups matchstick carrots (about 4 carrots)
- 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- ½ cup raw cashews (optional)
- 8 ounces noodles or spaghetti
- ¼ cup dry quinoa cooked, or ¾ cup cooked
- ⅓ cup pepperoncini minced (jarred)
For 3 recipes dressings and sauce:
- ⅔ cup plus ¼ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon maple syrup or to taste
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (preferably low sodium)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 ¾ teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes or to taste
- 2 tablespoons pepperoncini juice from jar
- 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper to taste
For the Roasted Salad (serves 3):
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed (about 1 ½cups cooked)
- ½ cup raw cashews optional
- Drizzle of olive oil (optional)
- Salt to taste
- ¼ cup tahini
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or to taste
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper optional
- ¼ cup cold water
- ¼ cup dry quinoa cooked (or ¾ cup cooked)
- 2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- 2 cups matchstick carrots
- 1 ½ cups broccoli florets(1small head baby broccoli orbroccoli)
- 1 large red bell pepper thinly sliced
For the Chickpea Mash (serves 2):
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed (or 1 ½ cups cooked)
- ⅓ cup finely chopped red bell pepper (about one small pepper)
- ⅓ cup finely chopped carrot
- ⅓ cup pepperoncini minced (jarred)
- 1 tablespoon pepperoncini juice from jar
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic
For the Pasta with Tahini Sauce (serves 3):
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed (about 1 ½cups cooked)
- Drizzle of olive oil (optional)
- Salt to taste
- 8 ounces noodles or spaghetti
- 3 cups broccoli florets or baby broccoli
- ⅓ cup tahini
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup or to taste
- 3 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce (preferably low sodium)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice (about 1 small lime)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
- 2 cloves garlic
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Roast the chickpeas: Transfer the chickpeas (3 cups if making all 3 recipes) to a large-rimmed nonstick baking sheet. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss to coat the chickpeas with the oil. Bake for about 20 minutes or until crispy. Change the oven setting to broil and cook for 2 minutes more for crispier chickpeas.
- Roast the veggies: On a second large baking sheet, place the cabbage, 2 cups carrot matchsticks, and 1 ½ cups broccoli. Drizzle with olive oil and add a dash of salt to taste. Toss well to coat the veggies with the oil. Roast for about 25 minutes or until the cabbage is slightly crispy.
- Toast the cashews: Place the cashews on a small baking sheet. (Optional: toss with a drizzle of olive oil and salt.) Toast them in the oven at the same time as the chickpeas and veggies. Remove the cashews after about 10 minutes, or until golden brown.
- Mash the chickpeas: Mash 1 ½ cups chickpeas with a fork or potato masher until mostly mashed, with some whole chickpeas remaining for texture. Set aside.
- Cook the noodles and broccoli: Meanwhile, bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook the noodles according to package directions until al dente. When there are 2 minutes of cooking time remaining, add 3 cups broccoli florets. Stir well. When the noodles are done cooking, drain in a colander.
- Make the tahini pasta sauce: Combine ⅓ cup tahini, rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon maple syrup, soy sauce, lime juice, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper in a medium bowl. Grate or press 2 garlic cloves into the bowl. Whisk well to incorporate. Add up to 3 tablespoons water as needed until the desired consistency. Season with salt and black pepper as desired.Make the mashed chickpea tahini dressing: In a small bowl, combine the pepperoncini juice, ⅓ cup tahini, 1 teaspoon maple syrup, 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, and ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper (or to taste). Grate 1 clove garlic into the bowl. Mix well, adding a few tablespoons of water as needed until the desired consistency. Make the tahini maple salad dressing: Combine ¼ cup tahini, 1 tablespoon Dijon, 1 tablespoon maple syrup (or to taste), 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, and ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper. Mix well until the tahini seizes. Then add about ¼ cup cold water, one tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency. Add salt to taste.
- For the pasta with tahini sauce: Return the noodles and broccoli to the saucepan. Toss with the sauce. Serve warm topped with one-half of the roasted chickpeas.
- For the chickpea mash: Chop ⅓ cup of the carrot matchsticks and 1 small red bell pepper finely. Add them to the mashed chickpeas. Add the tahini mixture to the bowl, and mix until fully incorporated.
- For the roasted salad: Transfer the roasted veggies, quinoa, and tahini maple dressing to a large bowl. Mix well to incorporate the dressing. Top with the remaining one-half of the roasted chickpeas and cashews.
Notes
- Tahini brands differ in their consistency. Add cold water one tablespoon at a time to adjust the consistency of the sauce or dressing. The tahini may seize but just keep on mixing and adding cold water. It will return to a creamy consistency.
- Storage: Refrigerate the sauces and dressings in separate airtight containers for up to 7 days. Store the salad, pasta, and chickpea mash in airtight containers for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
This information is provided as a courtesy and is an ESTIMATE only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased can change the nutritional information in any given recipe.
Veronica says
Very simple but the sauce makes this recipe taste delicious! I made the chickpea salad sauce.
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
So happy to hear you enjoyed these chickpeas! Thank you.
Leigh says
Such a brilliant idea to combine these recipes together for easier grocery shopping and prep. This is a real help for those of us who want to eat healthy but find meal planning for the week daunting. I can’t wait to try these. Thank you so much!
Nisha Melvani, RDN says
Thank you! I made them together and found it really helpful so I wanted to share that with all of you.:)