Chickpea Power Bowl (Print)

Vibrant bowl with spiced chickpeas, roasted vegetables, quinoa, and creamy tahini sauce.

# Components:

→ Grains

01 - 1 cup quinoa or brown rice, uncooked
02 - 2 cups water or vegetable broth

→ Chickpeas

03 - 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
04 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
05 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
06 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
07 - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
08 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Roasted Vegetables

09 - 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and diced
10 - 1 red bell pepper, chopped
11 - 1 small zucchini, sliced
12 - 1 red onion, sliced
13 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
14 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
15 - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

→ Tahini Sauce

16 - 1/3 cup tahini
17 - Juice of 1 lemon
18 - 1 clove garlic, minced
19 - 2 to 4 tablespoons water
20 - 1/4 teaspoon salt

→ Toppings

21 - 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
22 - 1 avocado, sliced
23 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or cilantro
24 - 2 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, optional

# Directions:

01 - Set oven to 425°F (220°C).
02 - Rinse quinoa or rice thoroughly. Combine with water or broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer until cooked (quinoa requires approximately 15 minutes; rice requires 30 to 40 minutes). Fluff with a fork.
03 - Toss sweet potato, bell pepper, zucchini, and red onion with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway through, until tender and slightly browned.
04 - Toss chickpeas with olive oil, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and salt. Spread on a second baking sheet and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until slightly crispy.
05 - Whisk tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, salt, and water together in a small bowl, adding water gradually to achieve desired consistency.
06 - Divide cooked grains among four bowls. Top each with roasted vegetables, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, avocado, herbs, and seeds. Drizzle generously with tahini sauce.
07 - Serve immediately while grains and vegetables are warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Everything roasts at once, so you can prep other things or just sit down for a minute while the oven does the heavy lifting.
  • The tahini sauce ties it all together with a creamy tang that makes even the simplest vegetables taste luxurious.
  • It holds up beautifully in the fridge, so leftovers actually get better as the flavors soak in overnight.
  • You can swap nearly anything based on what you have, and it still turns out balanced and satisfying.
02 -
  • Don't skip rinsing the quinoa or it can taste bitter and ruin the whole bowl.
  • Make sure your chickpeas are completely dry before tossing them with oil, or they won't crisp up in the oven.
  • Add water to the tahini sauce gradually, it can go from thick to soupy fast, and you want it creamy but still drizzle-able.
03 -
  • Roast the sweet potato on the lower rack and the chickpeas on the upper rack so both get the right amount of heat and crispness.
  • Taste your tahini sauce before serving, some tahini brands are more bitter than others, so adjust the lemon and salt to balance it out.
  • Let the grains cool for a minute before assembling the bowls so the avocado doesn't get warm and mushy.
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