Cheesy Vegetarian

20 Vegetarian Chickpea Recipes

A collection of 20 easy vegetarian chickpea recipes that can be made with a simple can of chickpeas. Casseroles and curries, sandwiches and dips, and lots more!

A collage showing various vegetarian chickpea recipes.

Ahhh, the humble chickpea. They don’t look like much, but this little bean can do so much. If you’re feeling uninspired, perhaps this collection of vegetarian chickpea recipes will help you out.

Vegetarian chickpea bolognese pasta bake.

What to do with canned chickpeas

I tend to use tins of chickpeas in my cooking, rather than boiling dried chickpeas from scratch. Canned chickpeas are such a useful and versatile ingredient to have on hand, and they’re really handy for throwing into dishes to add a bit of protein. You don’t need to plan ahead – just open a tin, and chuck them in.

Chickpeas can be used in hundreds, or even thousands, of different ways. The fact that they don’t have a huge amount of flavour on their own means they’ll go with just about anything. Make them Indian, make them Italian, throw them in a soup, mash them up, throw them up in the air a few times* – you get the idea. Whatever you end up using them for, they’ll be a great addition to your meal.

*maybe not this one

Are chickpeas healthy?

Chickpeas are packed with good stuff, so they’re a great addition to any balanced diet.

Like most other legumes, chickpeas are high in protein and fibre, and are very good at keeping you full for a long time. They’re also really high in iron (read more about iron for vegetarians here!), as well as other nutrients such as vitamin B-6, magnesium, potassium, and calcium.

Here’s a bit more detail about the nutritional content of 1 cup of cooked chickpeas:

Nutrient	Quantity	% RDA
Calories	269
Protein	15g	30%
Fibre	12g	48%
Iron	4.74 mg	26%
Vitamin B-6	0.228 mg	10%
Magnesium	78.7 mg	19%
Potassium	477.2 mg	13%
Calcium	80.4 mg	8%

Source: USDA

If that’s convinced you to try to get more chickpeas into your diet, read on for some inspiration…

Vegetarian chickpea recipes

Spicy roasted chickpea wraps [vegan]

Cheesy nacho roasted chickpeas

Easy roasted ratatouille with chickpeas.

Easy roasted vegetable ratatouille with chickpeas [vegan]

Garlic mushroom pâté

15 minute creamy chickpea curry

Chickpea bolognese pasta bake

BBQ chickpea pizza

One pan chickpea curry and rice bake [vegan]

Creamy chickpea salad sandwiches

Sweet potato and chickpea slow cooker tagine [vegan]

Sun-dried tomato hummus [vegan]

Creamy chickpea bake

Quinoa and roasted chickpea vegan burrito bowls [vegan]

Slow cooker coconut chickpea curry [vegan]

Chestnut and chickpea roast

Indian roasted chickpea flatbreads

Asparagus and feta vegetarian pâté

Aubergine and sweet potato Thai red curry [vegan]

Stuffed aubergines with spinach rice and halloumi

And a bonus recipe, which uses chickpea flour…

Chickpea dumplings in sweet potato gravy [vegan]

Which of these vegetarian chickpea recipes will you try first?

Here are a few other recipe collections you might enjoy:

The post 20 Vegetarian Chickpea Recipes appeared first on Easy Cheesy Vegetarian.

Cheesy Vegetarian

Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew

Sometimes I really just need a hot bowlful of something that’s truly comforting – and if that comfort food can also contain plenty of goodness, even better! This Caribbean sweet potato stew is packed with fresh vegetables, beans, and a seriously tasty jerk BBQ sauce. Serve it up over some rice for a hearty, veggie-packed meal.

Overhead shot of a pot of vegan sweet potato stew.

The flavours in this stew are incredible – I love a good sweet / spicy combination. A lot of the flavour comes from the BBQ sauce, so make sure you choose a good one! I used a Jerk BBQ sauce (which you can get from Amazon, or from the supermarket), which added to the Caribbean vibe perfectly – it’s got just the right amount of sweetness and smokiness to flavour the stew without overpowering it.

Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew

Caribbean cuisine has been shaped by many factors, including the region’s extensive history with colonisation, and its wonderful warm climate. This sweet potato stew is not necessarily a traditional Caribbean dish, but it’s my own celebration of some of the Caribbean’s most iconic ingredients – sweet potatoes, coconut, beans, tomatoes, and more. A lot of Caribbean food is meat-based, but this is a totally vegan stew.

The recipe makes a nice big batch – easily enough for 6 people – so it’s perfect for cooking up to feed a hungry crowd.

Cheesy Vegetarian Bakes ebook on an ipad screen.

Sign up to get recipes by email, and get a FREE e-cookbook!

(1-2 emails per week, no spam)

Ingredients

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

sweet potatoes
cabbage. I used a savoy cabbage, but use whatever you have.
canned beans. I like to use two different kinds, to add a bit of interest – this time I used cannellini beans and kidney beans, but black eye beans or black beans would also be great.
canned tomatoes
onion
ginger and garlic. I used the pre-minced versions (ginger paste / garlic paste) for convenience, but you can use fresh if you prefer.
coconut milk
BBQ sauce (preferably a Jerk BBQ, for Caribbean flavour, but any will do)

As with any similar hearty stew, you can pretty much throw whatever you like into a dish like this. Ideally, choose vegetables that benefit from low, slow cooking (rather than anything that will cook down into mush). For example:

bell peppers
frozen peas
carrots
parsnips
potatoes
celery
kale
spring onions

Becca’s Top Tip

If you do want to add a vegetable that needs less cooking, like broccoli, just add it to the pot 15 minutes before serving.

Recipe Video

Equipment

You’ll need a nice big pot for this recipe. If you don’t have a big casserole dish, you could halve the recipe and make a smaller version – however, there’s something really lovely about heaving the huge pot out of the cupboard and cooking up a big batch of stew.

I love any occasion that calls for my huge Le Creuset casserole dish. It’s wonderfully big and heavy, and it works beautifully to cook up a vegetarian stew or casserole. It can be used on the stovetop or in the oven.

I won’t lie, Le Creuset casserole dishes are expensive – mine was a gift many years ago. As much as I love mine, you can also buy very similar pots that are a much more budget-friendly.

Click to see the Le Creuset pot on Amazon.
Cheaper version (with great reviews) on Amazon.
(affiliate links)

A red Le Creuset casserole dish on a white background.

A bowl of vegan sweet potato stew and rice.

Printable Instructions

Sweet potato and cabbage stew in a large casserole pot.

Caribbean Sweet Potato Stew

Course Main meal

Cuisine Caribbean

Diet Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 40

Total Time 55

Servings

Calories 468kcal

Author Becca Heyes

Ingredients

900 g sweet potatoes (~ 2 lb / ~ 2 large potatoes)
1 Tbsp oil
250 g (~ 1/2 lb) cabbage (I used a savoy cabbage), roughly chopped
1 onion, sliced or diced
2 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp minced ginger
400 g tin cannellini beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
400 g tin kidney beans, drained (240g, or ~ 1 1/4 cups, when drained)
400 g tin (~ 1 1/3 cups) chopped tomatoes
400 ml tin coconut milk (~ 1 1/2 cups)
100 g (~ 1/4 cup) BBQ sauce (ideally jerk BBQ)
500 ml (~ 2 cups) water or vegetable stock
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

First, prepare the sweet potatoes. Cut out any nasty looking bits, and peel as much of the skin as you like. You can peel all or none of it, or anything in between – I usually peel off about half. Cut the potatoes into chunks.
Heat a dash of oil in a large casserole dish, and add the sweet potato, along with the chopped cabbage (leave out any tough bits of stalk), and the chopped onion. Stirring regularly, cook over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and ginger, and cook for a few more minutes.
Next, add the two drained tins of beans, the canned tomatoes, the coconut milk, and the BBQ sauce.
Add about 2 cups of water or stock, and mix well to combine. Cover with a lid, and bring to a simmer. Allow to cook for another 20-30 minutes, or until you’re ready to serve. If the stew needs to thicken up a little, just remove the lid and continue to simmer for a few more minutes.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve hot whenever you’re ready. I served mine with rice.