Paprika Spiced Chickpeas with Bell Peppers

These delicious Paprika Spiced Chickpeas are amazing on their own, or in our Easy Lettuce Boats. They save time too because the veggies are added right to the mix. So they all bake together at once and come out ready to eat. Bell peppers go well with paprika and garlic. And they roast for the same 20-30 minutes as the chickpeas. So they’re a fantastic choice for this delicious dish.

When roasting chickpeas and vegetables together, cooking times are important. Carrots, sweet potatoes and yellow potatoes are all fantastic when oven roasted. But they need twice as long in the oven as the chickpeas. Bell peppers on the other hand have a softer flesh and higher water content. Since their roasting time is relatively the same as the chickpeas, it’s easy and saves time to add them to the same pan and roast together.

Chickpeas – The “Chicken” of Vegan Cooking

Chickpeas are a fantastic vegan protein. They are a jack of all trades when it comes to recipe creation. Chickpeas blend easily into a smooth, creamy hummus. They smash into perfect, textured chunks in my Vegan Egg Salad**. And they crisp on the outside while staying soft on the inside during oven roasting.

Chickpeas have a mild, easy flavor by nature. So they take on sauces, dips and spices with ease. Never overpowering and always delicious, chickpeas go with almost any flavor you can throw at them. Think of them as the “chicken” of vegan cooking.

Whether from the instant pot, stove top or can, chickpeas are easy to prepare. I like to make mine in the instant pot, because their texture is perfect. Dried beans in general take a while to cook though, so they’re great to make ahead for use all week long.

Instant Pot Chickpeas

Chickpeas are easy to make in your instant pot. Cooking the dried beans gives the option of adding spices to the cooking process. I’ve experimented with this. But in the end, the flavor didn’t justify the expense of the spices. Adding the spice to the cooked chickpeas yielded a much bigger bang for the buck when is came to flavor.

I’ve stuck to instant pot chickpeas for the flavor and texture. Canned chickpeas are great when I’m tight on time. But cans tend to have BPA unless you’re buying expensive BPA free versions. Dried beans are inexpensive and easy, once you get in the habit of making them. Stove top cooking took too much of my attention. And I couldn’t leave the house when they were cooking. So the instant pot became my go-to for all dry beans.

When using your instant pot, chickpeas need to cook for 50 minutes on the Pressure Cook setting. Let the pot depressurize naturally for 30 minutes after cooking. And then flip the valve (carefully – it’s piping hot steam coming out of there) to release any remaining pressure. Strain them right away and let them dry naturally in the colander for a few hours on the countertop. I just put a plate underneath to catch the aquafaba “juice” than strains off the chickpeas as they dry. Once dried and cooled, store in the fridge for the week. Make sure you use an air tight container, and I find glass works best for freshness.

Chickpea Nutrition

For a complete look at the nutritional profile of chickpeas, check this out. I’ve condensed the nutrition information here, too.

Chickpea (Garbanzo Bean) Nutrition Per 100g Serving:

• Calories: 364
• Fat: 6g
• Carbs: 61g
• Fiber: 17g
• Sugar: 11g
• Protein: 19g
• Magnesium: 28% RDI
• Iron: 34% RDI
• Calcium: 10% RDI
• Vitamin B6: 25%

As a plant based protein, chickpeas are hard to beat.

The Paprika Spiced Chickpeas are..

• Quick and easy
• Store well for make ahead meals
• Versatile
• Delicious
• Flavorful
• Kid friendly
• Veggie loaded
• High in protein
• High in iron
• Low GI

So here they are. Our favorite Paprika Spiced Chickpeas with Bell Peppers. We hope you love them as much as we do!