5 Minute Lettuce Boats with Spiced Chickpeas

Almost any of my roasted chickpeas can be made ahead of time, and stored for quick and easy meals like 5 Minute Lettuce Boats, all week long. My Spiced Chickpeas can be thrown together in 5 minutes, roasted for 20 minutes, and then sealed in a glass container. (Plastic tends to make them soggy.)

Ready to use the pre-roasted chickpeas? There are 2 options. Pop them into the oven for 5 minutes. This warms them up and brings back their crisp outer shell. Or, use them straight out of the fridge. I store dry recipes (like these Salt n’ Vinegar ones) on the countertop, too. Wraps, salads, and lettuce boats work deliciously with cold chickpeas. And that makes them easy to throw together for a quick, healthy lunch, any day of the week.

Weekly Meal Prep

Keeping healthy food premade and ready to go helps us survive busy weeks. We try to keep the fridge full of meals, not ingredients from Monday to Friday. Chickpeas, black beans, and tofu are our favorite vegan proteins. And all of them store well in the fridge or freezer for the week. Have the protein ready to go and the rest of the meal usually comes together (fairly) easily 🙂

Weekends are when we do most of our cooking. The instant pot gets a workout on Saturdays. We cook our beans in the instant pot because they taste amazing! Don’t get me wrong, our pantry is still well-stocked with canned beans. But once you try them in the instant pot it can be hard to go back.

Tofu can be deliciously and easily substituted in these Lettuce Boats. And there are lots of options for making tofu ahead of time. Marinate it overnight in your favorite sauce or spice mix. Pan fry or bake it and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Or marinate and freeze it for tofu that’s oven-ready. I love the freezer method because it’s easy and fast!

Lettuce Boats vs Lettuce Wraps?

5 Minute Lettuce boats can be the fastest meal of the week. With minimal prep, ingredients can go straight from the fridge to your plate. And they’re a great low-calorie substitute for tortillas or wraps. Lettuce wraps are the same at Lettuce Boats. They just use a different kind of lettuce leaf.

We tend to buy romaine lettuce for salads. So we use what we have and the fillings just lay neatly in the center of the leaf, like a “boat”. If you’re an iceberg or butter lettuce household, your lettuce leaves will wrap nicely around ingredients laid out in the middle of the leaf. Lettuce wraps are a bit easier to eat because they keep the filling together so well. But lettuce boats work really well, too.

Chickpea Substitution

Lunchtime can be hectic. And we’re usually eating on the go. So if you don’t have premade chickpeas for Lettuce Boats, here’s a simple swap:

Use canned chickpeas for the fastest option. Drain and rinse the chickpeas first. Aquafaba is the “juice” from the canned chickpeas and it’s great for baking. So keep it if you want to give these Aquafaba Vegan Waffles a try!

Toss the rinsed chickpeas in a drizzle of olive oil or apple cider vinegar. Add a pinch of salt and a pinch of granulated garlic. Use a spatula to mix the chickpeas so the oil/vinegar, salt, and garlic coats them evenly. Once they’re evenly coated, taste one. Add more garlic or salt one small pinch at a time, until they taste the way you like. Spoon them out over the top of the salsa and hummus, and enjoy!

Quick Assembly

For these 5 Minute Lettuce Boats, I use Paprika Spiced Chickpeas. My recipe for Paprika Spiced Chickpeas includes bell peppers. So we get the protein and the veggies in one easy filling. See why it’s one of my favorite combinations for a quick lunch?

The Spiced Chickpeas are delicious right from the fridge. But if you prefer them to be warm, bake them for 5-8 minutes first. Spread a tablespoon of hummus down the center of the lettuce leaf. Then follow along that line and spoon out your salsa. Top with the Spiced Chickpeas and enjoy!

These Lettuce Boats are..

• Easy
• Flavorful
• Use everyday ingredients
• Customizable
• Fresh
• Delicious

Healthy eating is easier with good habits. Reach for the lettuce instead of the wraps. And fill up on chickpeas instead of potato chips. It sounds like a no-brainer, but our habits rule our lives. They’re hard to make and they’re even harder to break. So keep healthy options on hand, and experiment with the flavors you like best.

I’ve used hummus and salsa in these Lettuce Boats because they’re our favorites. But try adding your favorite hot sauce or pepper spread if spicy is your thing. There are endless ways to customize a delicious and healthy recipe to your own palette. So here is a great starting point. We hope you enjoy these Easy Lettuce Boats with Spiced Chickpeas as much as we do!

Looking for more easy vegan recipes? We’ve got you covered:

• Creamy Tomato Vegetable Soup (Vegan, NF, GF)
• Smoked Ginger Chickpeas
• Tamari & Green Onion Roasted Chickpeas
• Salt n’ Vinegar Chickpeas