Covered in flavorful tahini dressing and loaded with veggies, these spicy roasted chickpea and veggie bowls are filled with colors, flavors, and texture. Not to mention, they are packed full of plant-based protein and fiber making them great for meal prep.
While salads are a great way to add more veggies to your diet, they can be less than appealing in the colder months. Fortunately, you can turn salads into a hearty, healthy, and heartwarming fall or winter meal with these roasted chickpea veggie bowls.
Filled with crispy chickpeas, roasted vegetables, whole grains, and vegetables, and covered in a creamy tahini sauce, these bowls can help you eat your veggies while keeping warm. They are quick and easy to make, making them perfect for family dinners, and they also work well as make-ahead lunches for busy workdays.
Why You’ll Love Them
- Quick and Easy – With minimal prep required, these bowls are perfect for a weeknight meal.
- High in Fiber – With over 15 grams of fiber per bowl, they are sure to fill you up.
- Full of Flavor – The combination of spices and turmeric tahini sauce ensures that every bite is filled with flavor.
- Great for Meal Prep – This spicy roasted chickpea veggie bowl recipe keeps well in the fridge and freezer making it a wonderful make-ahead meal.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Chickpeas – To add some vegetarian protein and fiber. The recipe calls for canned chickpeas, but you can cook your own if preferred, see the notes section of the recipe card for details.
- Sweet Potatoes – To add some complex carbohydrates and fiber, butternut squash would also work well.
- Brown Rice – To add some more complex carbohydrates and fiber, white rice or quinoa would also work well.
- Kale – To add some greens, fiber, and micronutrients. The recipe calls for kale but you can use any leafy greens you like; spinach would also work very well.
- Cabbage – To add some crunch and more fiber. I used red cabbage but green cabbage or shredded Brussel sprouts would also work.
- Green Onion – While optional, they make a good topping, red onion would also work well.
- Spices – A combination of chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder to create a spice mix for the chickpeas, and some ground turmeric to flavor the tahini sauce. If you don’t have chili powder, you can use smoked paprika instead, and if you don’t have ground turmeric, you can use curry powder instead.
- Olive Oil – To add some healthy fats and roast the chickpeas.
- Tahini – To make the dressing.
- Lemon Juice – To balance the flavors or the dressing. Lime juice, apple cider vinegar, and red wine vinegar will also work well.
- Maple Syrup – To add a hint of sweetness to the dressing, although it’s optional. Honey and agave nectar will also work well.
- Salt and Pepper – To season the chickpeas and veggies.
Dietary Adaptions
To Make them Gluten-Free: No adaptations are needed, this recipe is gluten-free.
To Make them Dairy-Free: No adaptations are needed, this recipe is dairy-free.
Red’s Nutrition Tip
While there are many ways to add protein to a salad, when making a vegetarian meal, it’s important to be strategic with plant-based protein sources to ensure you are creating a high-protein meal. By combining legumes (chickpeas) with grains (brown rice) you can ensure you are creating a complete protein with all essential amino acids.
Serving Suggestions
These bowls are a balanced meal with protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats. That said, you can easily adapt the recipe to suit your personal dietary needs, for instance:
- To increase the protein content, swap one can of chickpeas for 1 block of extra-firm tofu, pressed, and cubed. Alternatively, you can add some grilled meat, such as chicken or steak, to the bowls.
- To increase the fiber content, add more veggies, such as broccoli, green beans, and/or carrots to the bowls.
- To reduce the fat content, use half the amount of olive oil on the chickpeas and sweet potato, and use less dressing on the bowls.
Storage + Reheating
To Refrigerate: Allow the chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and rice to cool completely, then transfer to airtight containers for up to 5 days. The other vegetables and tahini dressing can be stored in a separate airtight container for up to 1 week.
To Freeze: Once cooled, the roasted chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and cooked brown rice can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Freezing the other ingredients is not recommended.
To Reheat: The chickpeas, sweet potatoes, and brown rice can be reheated in a baking dish in the oven at 350°F for 5-10 minutes or in the microwave for 1-2 minutes.
More Chickpea Bowls:
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Spicy Roasted Chickpea and Veggie Bowls
The spicy roasted chickpea veggie bowls with tahini sauce are a healthy and filling meal full of plant-based protein and fiber. Enjoy them for lunch, dinner, or an easy meal prep idea.
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Prep Time: 10 minutes -
Cook Time: 40 minutes
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Total Time: 50 minutes
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Yield: 4 bowls 1x
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Category: Lunch
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Method: Roasted
Prep Time:
Yield:
Category:
Method:Ingredients
Roasted Chickpeas:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cans (14 ounces) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 small sweet potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Bowls:
- 1 cup brown rice
- 4 cups kale, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup red cabbage, shredded
- 1 green onion, sliced
Turmeric Tahini Sauce:
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup (optional)
- 2 tablespoons water, plus more as needed
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- In a pot, combine the brown rice with 2 cups of water and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, and allow to cook covered for 40 minutes, or as per package directions, until it can be fluffed with a fork.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and grab a large baking sheet.
- In a large bowl, add the chickpeas, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, sprinkle with chili powder, ground cumin, and salt, and toss until well combined. Transfer the chickpeas to the baking sheet.
- In the same bowl, add the cubed sweet potatoes, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, and toss to combine. Transfer to the sheet pan with the chickpeas, spreading everything out evenly.
- Transfer the baking sheet to the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, tossing the chickpeas and flipping the sweet potatoes, until the chickpeas are crispy and the sweet potatoes tender.
- While the chickpeas and sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare the tahini sauce. In a small bowl, jar, or small food processor, add the tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, turmeric, maple syrup, 2 tablespoons of water, and a pinch of salt, and whisk until well combined, adding additional tablespoons of water until the desired texture is reached. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Once the chickpea, sweet potatoes, and brown rice are cooked, remove them from the oven and assemble the bowls. Fill each bowl with a layer of brown rice, top with kale, cabbage, roasted chickpea, and sweet potatoes, drizzle with tahini sauce, and sprinkle with sliced green onions.
- Any leftovers can be cooled and stored in the fridge, unassembled, for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
To Use Dry Chickpeas: Add 1 1/2 cups of dry chickpeas to a large bowl, cover with room temperature water, and soak overnight or for at least 8 hours. Once soaked, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the soaked chickpeas, and cook them for 40 minutes to 1 hour until tender. Once cooked, strain and rinse the chickpeas and add them to the bowl as per step #3.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 bowl
- Calories: 605 calories
- Sugar: 5 grams
- Fat: 21 grams
- Carbohydrates: 89 grams
- Fiber: 16 grams
- Protein: 20 grams
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