I didn’t grow up enjoying chickpeas. Or most beans. Or lentils, which I use all the time now! The texture of this group of foods just wasn’t my favorite. But as an adult, I’ve had a change of heart. Now I really appreciate how cheap, nourishing, and shelf-stable chickpeas are!
What makes a good chickpea recipe?
Not all chickpea recipes are created equal in my book. I’m not a huge fan of just throwing them into some super-food grain bowl or green salad (although I’m not OPPOSED to them there). I think chickpeas need to be babied a little bit in order to taste truly delicious. When they simmer for awhile in a sauce or liquid AND/OR are beautifully blended…that’s when you achieve PEAK flavor and texture in my opinion.
Basically, all of these recipes take standard (dull) chickpeas and turn them into something magical. I’ve picked my 6 favorites: ones I’ve made at home over the years and keep coming back to.
BLESS YOU, FOOD BLOGGERS!
Here are my favorites:
1. Quick Pasta & Chickpeas, Smitten Kitchen
This recipe is so humble, it’s insane. I can almost guarantee you have all of the ingredients in your pantry right this minute. Smitten Kitchen relates it to a grown-up Spaghettios situation and that is accurate, but also not doing it justice. I love love this recipe.
2. Crispy Falafel, Cookie & Kate
The thing I love about this falafel recipe is that you can prep it ahead of time, and then bake the “patties” ALL AT ONCE in the oven (versus standing and babysitting the stove at Witching Hour). You can eat them plain, dip them in a simple tzatziki sauce, or pop them in a pita pocket with some fresh veggies for a great (and vegetarian!) meal.
3. Honey Butter Crockpot Chicken, Naptime Kitchen
I know that this recipe doesn’t mention chickpeas in the title, but you add them to the crockpot along with your soon-to-be shredded chicken and divine sauce. If you leave the chickpeas in there for a decent amount of time, they get soft (but not too mushy) and flavorful. Although the chickpeas are totally optional in this recipe, I think they make it taste 10x better. SO GOOD.
4. Easy Chana Masala, Minimalist Baker
Using primarily pantry staples, this chickpea chana masala is flavorful, and pretty quick to put together.
I struggled to choose between this Easy Chana Masala and her 1-pot Chickpea Shakshuka, which is another tomato/onion/spices saucy dish just waiting for you to dip some flatbread into.
5. Best Hummus, Cookie and Kate
I’m going to be honest with you. This is the only recipe on the list I’ve only made one time. It’s pretty tedious, and last I checked… no one was giving out awards for Spending the Most Time Making Dip for Vegetables. But if you have the time (and more importantly, ENERGY)… this was truly great hummus. Smooth as butter. Even if you never make this specific recipe, I hope this at least reminds you that hummus (store bought for us these days) is a great way to consume chickpeas!
6. Smoky BBQ Veggie Burgers, from Minimalist Baker’s Everyday Cooking Cookbook (Posted by Flourishing Foodie)
My dear friend (and fellow foodie) recommended these to me and I’m so thankful she did! Holy moly, they are delicious. Quinoa + chickpeas come together to form the base of these veggie burgers. I really love them with coleslaw on top. YUM.
This concludes our chickpea recipe round-up!
What chickpea recipes do you like?? Please share your favorites in the comments so we can try them out!
Oh, and FYI: These recipes are hit & miss with some of my little ones. No promises your littles will give you rave reviews… but fingers crossed! haha
