Easy Roasted Pesto Chickpeas With Cauliflower (Vegan)

This Roasted Pesto Chickpeas recipe is SO easy to make, only requires three ingredients, and is great for meal prep! I love serving it over Basmati rice for a super quick and delicious dinner on busy evenings.

This easy vegetarian recipe can be served as a main dish (which is how I like to serve it) or as a side dish. I love how it’s such a simple healthy meal that can be served in a variety of ways!

Chickpeas, aka. garbanzo beans are one of my favorite beans to cook with! Some other recipes that I love that use chickpeas are Sheet Pan Gnocchi With Roasted Zucchini and Chickpeas and Baked Couscous Casserole With Broccoli and Chickpeas.

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

• Fast – This quick recipe can be made in 25 minutes!
• Easy –  Just roast everything on a sheet pan and dinner is served!
• Versatile – You can swap out ingredients easily with this recipe to meet the needs of your family (see “Additions and Substitutions” section below for ideas!).

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Roasted Chickpea Recipe:

Ingredient Notes

•  Pesto: I use Trader Joe’s Vegan Kale, Cashew, and Basil Pesto, but feel free to use any storebought pesto or a homemade pesto recipe!

How to Make Roasted Pesto Chickpeas: STEP-BY-STEP

For the full recipe with the exact ingredients, scroll down to the printable recipe card below!

STEP 1:

In a large mixing bowl, combine chickpeas, cauliflower, pesto, and a pinch of salt.

STEP 2:

Pour chickpea mixture onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spread out evenly in a single layer.

STEP 3:

Bake in the oven for 20 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit, until chickpeas are slightly crispy and cauliflower is cooked through.

Recipe Tips & Tricks

• Serving to kids: My kids are not fans of pesto, so I like to keep a section of my baking sheet reserved for plain chickpeas and cauliflower that I’ll just drizzle some avocado oil over and sprinkle some salt on. I may add a few tofu cubes to the tray as well. That way, I can serve them plain roasted chickpeas and cauliflower alongside rice or pita bread.
• Meal Prep: This is a great recipe to make on a Sunday so you can have healthy lunches or a dinner ready to go for your week. For more healthy lunch ideas, grab my FREE Vegetarian Lunchbox Recipe eBook here!

Storage & Reheating

• Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. These pesto chickpeas make great leftovers for a healthy lunch the next day!
• Reheating: Reheat in the microwave. You may want to add a little bit more pesto or some olive oil to it when reheating!

Additions & Substitutions

Additions:

• Tofu: Cut tofu into cubes, toss in the pesto along with the chickpeas and cauliflower, and roast as you would the chickpeas. You may need to add more pesto to coat everything in pesto.
• Chicken: If your family eats meat, you could add some chicken to this pesto recipe for some more protein.
• Snap Peas/Snow Peas: Add steamed snap peas or snow peas to the dish when serving.
• Other veggies: Any other veggies you have that need to be used up in the fridge – zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, or broccoli would all pair well!
• Nutritional Yeast: Sprinkle some nutritional yeast over your chickpeas before serving for some added nutrition and flavor.
• Feta Cheese: If your diet allows, feta cheese crumbles would be a nice addition that would add a little zing and flavor.
• Cherry Tomatoes: You could top your dish with diced cherry tomatoes or even a little squeeze of lemon juice.

Substitutions:

• Tofu/tempeh: Instead of the chickpeas, you could use cubed tofu or tempeh.
• Veggies: Instead of the cauliflower, you could substitute another veggie you prefer or that you need to use up such as zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes, or broccoli.
• Pesto: I used a vegan pesto for this recipe, but use a type of pesto that meets your family’s dietary needs (for example, you may need to use a nut-free pesto).

What to Serve With Chickpeas With Pesto

• Basmati Rice: My favorite is serving roasted pesto chickpeas over Basmati rice or Jasmine rice. You can use any preferred rice though!
• Quinoa: Instead of rice, you could serve the chickpeas over quinoa.
• Pita bread/Flatbread: Warm up some pita and top with a little melted ghee or butter!
• Side Salad

Frequently Asked Questions

Tools For This Recipe

• Mixing Bowl
• Baking Sheet

I hope you love these Roasted Pesto Chickpeas! If you make it, be sure to leave a rating below so I know how you liked it! Enjoy!