Lemon Herb Chickpea Bowls With Roasted Vegetables
Two sheet pans, thirty minutes, and no cooking after that. Draining and drying one extra can of chickpeas and roasting half of them gives you both creamy and crisp textures in the same bowl.
The most interesting thing about a grain bowl is usually texture rather than flavor, and most make-ahead bowls have only one. Cooking the chickpeas two ways fixes that. Half go in plain and stay soft; half get dried, oiled, and roasted until they crackle.
Roast Half, Leave Half Soft
Drain two cans, dry them all thoroughly, then toss one can worth with oil and salt and roast them at 425 degrees F for 25 minutes. Keep the other can plain and stir it in at the end. The contrast between the two is what makes the bowl worth eating on day three.
This is a small amount of extra work for a large payoff, and it is worth comparing with the usual approach of throwing one can in whole. That version is fine but flat, and it does not improve with storage the way the split version does.
Roast the Vegetables on a Separate Pan
Chickpeas and vegetables roast at the same temperature but need different amounts of time. Chickpeas want 25 minutes to crisp; broccoli and peppers want 18. Use two pans and pull the vegetables first rather than compromising on one pan.
Keep the Dressing Separate Until Day One Is Gone
A lemon herb dressing made with olive oil will solidify in the fridge, so keep it in a small jar at room temperature for up to a week and drizzle it per bowl. If you store it cold, let it sit out 10 minutes or run the jar under warm water before shaking.
Ingredients
- 2 15 oz cans chickpeas, drained and dried
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 bell peppers, cut into strips
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 cup dry bulgur or couscous
- 1 1/4 cups hot water or stock
- 1/3 cup olive oil for the dressing
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley, mint, and dill
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
Steps
Heat the oven and dry the chickpeas
Set the oven to 425 degrees F. Drain and thoroughly dry both cans of chickpeas, rubbing off the loose skins. Reserve half for roasting and half to add soft later.
Roast chickpeas 25 minutes
Toss half the chickpeas with 1 tablespoon of oil and 1/2 teaspoon of salt and spread on one sheet pan. Roast 25 minutes until crisp and lightly browned.
Roast the vegetables 18 minutes
Toss the broccoli, peppers, and onion with 2 tablespoons of oil and the remaining salt on a second pan. Roast 18 minutes, pulling them out 7 minutes before the chickpeas.
Steam the bulgur off the heat
Put the bulgur in a bowl, pour boiling water or hot stock over it, cover, and let it stand 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork. No stove time required.
Whisk the lemon herb dressing
Whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, Dijon, and a pinch of salt in a jar, then stir in the chopped herbs. Keep it at room temperature so the oil does not solidify.
Assemble with both chickpea textures
Divide the bulgur among four containers, add the vegetables and soft chickpeas, and pack the crisp chickpeas separately. Top with feta and drizzle dressing when you eat.
Swapping the Grain and the Vegetables
- Couscous cooks in 5 minutes, quinoa in 15, and farro in 25. Pick whichever fits the time you actually have.
- Cauliflower, zucchini, and cherry tomatoes all roast well here. Tomatoes release a lot of water, so keep them on their own corner of the pan.
- The crisp chickpeas lose their crunch in the fridge after a day. Store them in a separate small container at room temperature.
Nutrition per serving
| Calories | 395 kcal |
| Protein | 14 g |
| Carbohydrates | 48 g |
| Fat | 18 g |
| Sodium | 630 mg |
