Cheesy Vegetarian

10 Minute Lemon and Black Pepper Chickpeas

These lemon and black pepper chickpeas are the perfect lunch – they’re incredibly tasty, full of goodness, and take just minutes to make!

A portion of lemon and black pepper chickpeas in a bowl with salad leaves and pitta bread.

This is just the kind of lunch I love to make. You can whip up these lemon and black pepper chickpeas in less than 10 minutes, and use them in all sorts of ways. Packed with tangy, peppery flavours, they make an ideal lunch!

A fork scooping up some lemony pepper chickpeas.

Quick and easy lunch

I sometimes get in a bit of a rut with lunches – it can be boring to eat the same sandwiches over and over again. These lemon and black pepper chickpeas are such a great way to break the monotony!

They take just minutes to prepare, so even if you’re not very well organised (who, me?), you can whip them up at a moment’s notice.

Why make these lemon pepper chickpeas?

These tasty chickpeas are:

super healthy – full of fibre and protein, and low in fat
really versatile, and can be served in all sorts of ways
easy to adapt with whatever you have in the fridge
quick and easy to make at a moment’s notice

They pretty much have it all.

Lemon and black pepper chickpeas in a bowl with salad and pitta bread.

How to make lemon and black pepper chickpeas

Step 1: Cook the chickpeas with aromatics

There are really only two steps to this recipe. First, cook the chickpeas in a frying pan with some garlic and spring onions.

The chickpeas become perfectly coated in the lovely flavours – they’d be tasty to eat even just like this, to be honest. But it’s worth continuing…

Step 2: Add additional flavours

Just a few more ingredients really make the flavour of these chickpeas pop:

lemon juice
black pepper
salt
fresh parsley

If you can use freshly ground black pepper, that’s ideal – it tends to be a little coarser than the pre-ground stuff, and gives a more intense peppery flavour.

Herby chickpeas cooking in a frying pan.

And that’s it! Literally just a few ingredients bring these little chickpeas to life.

How to serve lemon pepper chickpeas

I’ve mentioned how versatile these chickpeas are – they’re great eaten hot or cold, so the world’s your oyster.

Here are a few ideas of ways you could serve them.

in a lunchbox as a fun alternative to a sandwich
as a protein-rich snack (e.g. instead of nuts or crisps)
scattered on a salad, crouton-style
stuffed inside a pitta bread with salad leaves and hummus
as part of a vegetarian picnic
in a vegetarian mezze-style buffet

We had ours for lunch with some soft pitta, salad, and cherry tomatoes. It tasted so fresh and healthy, but super satisfying at the same time.

A hand squeezing fresh lemon juice onto some chickpeas and salad.

How to adapt the recipe

I love recipes like this because of how easy they are to adapt. Don’t have one of the ingredients? No problem! Just swap it out for something else.

The spring onions could easily be swapped for chopped red onion or shallots.
Butter beans or any other neutral-tasting pulse would be great if you don’t have chickpeas.
Add some grated parmesan-style cheese or a knob of butter to make the recipe taste richer and creamier.
Throw in a handful of chopped spinach, some cherry tomatoes, or some sliced mushrooms if you’d like to get in some extra veg.

Whatever you do, these lemon and black pepper chickpeas will be quick, tasty, and full of goodness!

Lemon and Black Pepper Chickpeas

These lemon and black pepper chickpeas are the perfect lunch – they’re incredibly tasty, full of goodness, and take just minutes to make!

Course Light lunch

Cuisine Mediterranean

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Servings people

Calories 184kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 spring onions, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or 1/2 tsp garlic puree)
400 g tin chickpeas, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp black pepper (preferably freshly ground)
1/2 tsp salt
Few sprigs fresh parsley, chopped

Instructions

Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan, and add the spring onions, garlic, and drained chickpeas. Cook over a medium heat for a few minutes, until hot and fragrant. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper, and cook for 2 more minutes. Finally, stir through the fresh parsley, and remove from the heat. Serve hot or cold.

Notes

Feel free to adapt the recipe however you see fit – for example, you could add a handful of chopped spinach, swap the chickpeas for butter beans, or sprinkle in some grated parmesan-style cheese. It’s a really versatile recipe.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Lemon and Black Pepper Chickpeas

Amount Per Serving (1 portion)

Calories 184
Calories from Fat 53

% Daily Value*

Fat 5.9g9%

Saturated Fat 0.9g5%

Cholesterol 0mg0%

Sodium 596mg25%

Potassium 352mg10%

Carbohydrates 25.9g9%

Fiber 7.3g29%

Sugar 4.8g5%

Protein 8.3g17%

Calcium 67mg7%

Iron 3mg17%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Note: Nutritional information is approximate, and will depend on exactly what ingredients you choose. Information above is for 1 portion (1/2 of the recipe).

Love healthy lunch ideas with bags of flavour? This roasted vegetable fattoush is ideal:

The post 10 Minute Lemon and Black Pepper Chickpeas appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Cheesy Vegetarian

Air Fryer Gnocchi (with Pesto and Mozzarella)

Ahh, gnocchi! Adorable little potato dumplings that taste like little pillowy clouds – soft and fluffy, like little hugs for your mouth. I adore gnocchi cooked with all sorts of flavours, and this easy air fryer recipe involves:

crispy gnocchi cooked in a creamy pesto sauce
roasted vegetables that are sweet and tender
gooey little pockets of mozzarella cheese
a layer of rich tomato sauce to bring it all together

Doesn’t it just sound irresistible?! It couldn’t be easier to make, and the classic Italian flavours are just incredible.

Air fryer gnocchi and vegetables with mozzarella and pesto.

If you’re a regular reader here on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian, you might know that I’m not a fan of boiling gnocchi, and I usually cook it in a frying pan (see my instructions for frying gnocchi!). However, lately I’ve been experimenting with different methods – like baked gnocchi, and oven-roasted gnocchi. This time, I thought I’d use the air fryer!

Why Cook Gnocchi in an Air Fryer?

I use my air fryer several times a week, and I love it. An air fryer is essentially just a mini oven, so whatever you can cook in an oven, you can cook in an air fryer instead (and vice versa) – but it’s a lot quicker when there’s a smaller space to heat up.

Cooking this pesto gnocchi in an air fryer means you can turn it on, leave it to do its thing for a while, and return to perfectly cooked gnocchi. It’s a lot less labour intensive than cooking the gnocchi in a frying pan, and it’s quicker than using the oven. Best of both worlds!

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Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe. See the printable recipe card below for detailed ingredient quantities.

gnocchi – any shop-bought gnocchi will work. I haven’t tested this recipe using homemade gnocchi, but I imagine that would work well too (though you’ll probably need to boil the gnocchi first).
vegetables – I used mushrooms, red onion and a yellow pepper. Any similar Italian-style veggies will work well.
pesto – I used a creamy basil pesto, but use whatever you like the sound of.
fresh mozzarella cheese
tomato sauce – choose your favourite tomato-based pasta sauce, or use your own homemade tomato sauce! It’s worth choosing a good quality sauce for this recipe.

Becca’s Top Tip

If you don’t have an air fryer, you could cook this recipe in a regular oven instead, or in a frying pan on the stovetop.

Recipe Video

Equipment

My air fryer is the Ninja Foodi MAX air fryer, which I really love, and I use it several times a week. I love how it has two separate baskets, so you can cook small or large meals easily. One of the baskets was enough to cook this air fryer gnocchi.

Here’s the one I have on Amazon:

Ninja Dual Air Fryer

I love the two separate zones in this air fryer!

If you’re in the UK or Canada, click the link to see a local product.

A bowl of air fryer gnocchi on tomato sauce.

Printable Instructions

Air fryer gnocchi and vegetables on tomato sauce.

Air Fryer Gnocchi with Pesto and Mozzarella

Air fryer gnocchi, with creamy pesto sauce, gooey pockets of mozzarella, and roasted veggies. This vegetarian meal is so easy!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Diet Vegetarian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 22

Total Time 32

Servings people

Calories 663kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

2 Tbsp pesto (I used a creamy basil pesto)
2 Tbsp water
120 g mushrooms (~ 6 medium mushrooms)
1 bell pepper (I used yellow)
1 red onion
500 g (~1 lb) gnocchi
250 g (~ 9 oz) fresh mozzarella cheese, torn into pieces
340 g (~ 1 cup) good quality tomato pasta sauce

Instructions

Add the pesto and a splash of water to a mixing bowl, and mix well to thin out the pesto a little. This will help it to coat the gnocchi nicely.
Chop the mushrooms, pepper and red onion into bitesized pieces, and add them to the bowl, along with the gnocchi. Mix well to coat everything in the sauce.
Transfer the mixture to your air fryer, and cook at 180°C (350°F) for 10 minutes. Stir the gnocchi, and cook for a further 10 minutes.
When the gnocchi and vegetables are nicely crisped up, add the torn up mozzarella cheese to the air fryer, and cook for 2 more minutes, until the cheese has melted.
Heat up the tomato sauce – I warmed it in a bowl in the microwave, but you could use a pan on the stovetop instead, if you prefer. Serve the crispy air fried gnocchi on top of the hot tomato sauce.

Video

Nutrition

Recipe FAQs

Can I prepare this recipe in advance?

You could easily mix up the gnocchi / vegetables / pesto in advance, then store the mixture in the fridge until you’re ready to air fry, just before serving.

How should I reheat any leftovers?

I generally reheat any leftovers in the microwave. If you don’t have a microwave, you could also reheat in the air fryer or in a frying pan, but bear in mind that the sauce will dry up a bit if using these methods, so you may need to mix in a little water to freshen it up.

How should I serve air fried gnocchi?

This recipe can be served on its own, without any additional side dishes. However, if you’d like to serve something on the side, a simple salad would be a great addition.