Chickpeas again! I apologize to any chickpea haters for following one chickpea recipe with another, but in my opinion, there are few foods in the vegan diet as versatile as the chickpea.
Think about it: You can smash them, roast them, stew them, and make endless varieties of salad with them; they’re used in cuisines all around the globe, ranging from India to Italy to North Africa to the Middle East, their mild flavor accommodating just about any seasoning you can throw at them; and the chickpea’s firm texture holds its own when other legumes would break down or become mushy. Freshly cooked from dried, they are delicious even unseasoned, but of all canned beans, canned chickpeas are probably the best-tasting, making them perfect for those days when you don’t have a lot of time to get dinner on the table.
Over the weekend, I had one of those days. I’d spent too long outside enjoying the Spring weather, and my family was away so I was cooking for one. I had a cup of cooked quinoa in the fridge and a craving for something curry-flavored. I wasn’t cooking to impress anybody, didn’t need an “authentic” recipe (whatever that means)–all I needed was to satisfy my own taste, fast.
So I threw together this curried chickpeas sandwich filling from 8 pantry and refrigerator staples (plus the aforementioned quinoa). What it lacks in imagination, it more than makes up in flavor, thanks to my favorite curry powder, Maharajah (available at spice stores such as The Spice House and Penzey’s). And like the chickpea itself, this recipe is versatile. I prefer it piping hot, wrapped in naan or pita bread, but it’s also tasty cold, cradled in romaine or Boston lettuce leaves or just served atop a crisp, green salad.
If you like meals that come together in a flash, be sure to check out all of my Ridiculously Easy recipes.
Ridiculously Easy Curried Chickpeas and Quinoa
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion , chopped
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 15-ounce can chickpeas , rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 teaspoons good curry powder (or adjust to taste)
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other ground red pepper (or to taste)
- 1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes (fire-roasted preferred)
- 1 cup cooked quinoa
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Heat a medium-sized, non-stick sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and a sprinkle of salt and cook, stirring, until onions soften. Add garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
- Add the chickpeas, curry powder, and red pepper, and stir briefly. Add the tomatoes and cooked quinoa, reduce heat to low, and cover. Simmer for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Add salt to taste.
- Serve in wraps, pita bread, or lettuce leaves or with naan or other flatbread.
Notes
Nutritional info is approximate.
More Chickpea Goodness from Around the Blogs:
- Zucchini and Chickpea Pancakes From Just Hungry
- Chickpeas Sundal Recipe from Chef In You
- Chickpea Hot Pot from 101 Cookbooks
- Vegan Chickpea Tacos from Happy Herbivore
- Butternut Squash and Chickpea Stew with Israeli Couscous from Pinch My Salt
Please pin and share!
Tara
I’ve been looking for some yummy quinoa recipes. Can’t wait to try this one!
Thanks!
Mihl
I made this for lunch and it came out great! I am a huge fan both of chickpeas and quinoa. Thank you for this wonderful recipe.
Lisa
Hi. Just stumbled on to your recipe looking for good quinoa recipes. This looks awesome! I’m brand new to quinoa, though so I have a question: How much dry stuff would need to come up with the 1 cup of cooked quinoa called for in your recipe? Thanks!
SusanV
I think it doubles in volume, so you could probably cook 1/2 cup quinoa in 1 cup of water to get 1 cup cooked. Hope you enjoy!
Annie
Wow, this site is a Godsend for me. I have just become vegan (2 months now) and I have been living on the more basic things as I find my way. I’ve enjoyed it and I feel tons better, but I was eating a lot of carbs and am struggling to find recipes that ‘fit’ me if you know what I mean. I’ve found it now. Thanks for taking time to share all your recipes and thoughts. It is very much appreciated.
Cheers,
Annie
Seanna
I made this for dinner tonight and it was LOVELY. I used a Caribbean curry instead plus extra garlic and ginger. I also dialed the spice down. I served it hot with 6% Balkan yogurt over rice. My very picky husband liked it, my 6 year old liked it and my 18 month old LOVED it. I had two bowls myself.
This recipe is a SCORE. I look forward to having it again and experimenting further. Thank you!
Get Skinny, Go Vegan.
Quinoa is so awesome. Cooks in just a few minutes and full of complete protein. Love it!!
Sarah
ate this for a week, alternating it in pitas and eating w a fork and naan … surprisingly flavourful for how easy it was. thanks. =)
Ana
What is the ingredient in this recipe that causes it to be so high in cholesterol? I’m confused :-/
SusanV
Ana, there’s no cholesterol in this recipe.
Sonya
Umm wow!! I’m from the midwest and have eaten starches and meat my entire life but a couple of years ago got a little epicurious and have been cooking up a storm ever since. This month, I decided I’d focus on vegetarian recipes and see what kinds of flavors I’ve been missing in favor of meat as an entree. I’m so glad I did! This was my first endeavor and I absolutely LOVE it. It was even boyfriend approved- not a single quinoa grain left on his plate!
katie
Yum yum yum! This was awesome!
Thank you!
Misty Nichols
Can’t wait to try this. Love your blog!
Carolyn
I like this one a lot and have made it several times. Usually I’ve used about 1 tsp of ginger powder, but today I happened to have fresh. While I enjoyed the fresh ginger taste, my kids did not. In the future I will use powdered ginger because the fresh ginger flavor was too strong for my kids (other than my one year old who will eat anything).
Deena
Just discovered your site an it looks marvelous!…I’ve been mostly vegetarian (except for dairy & fish) for 30 years, and recently decided to become vegan to continue my excellent health in the future (I’m 68). I’m a great vegetarian cook, and with your wonderful recipes I’ll be a great vegan cook as well! I’m looking forward to trying your recipes and have already printed several.
Fiona
Just had this for lunch wrapped in tortillas and it was good, but I felt like it needed something else in the wrap for a contrasting flavor. Probably just lettuce and sliced avocado would have been good. I liked that this was easy, but I think I will play with the flavors a bit more to change it to my liking. It may have been just OK for me because my curry powder isn’t good enough. When I am back in the US (currently overseas for a year) I will definitely buy the good curry powder and try it again to see if it improves the flavor a lot. I will post my results when I try it again!
Claire
Hallelujah! Dinner tonight 🙂 I have all these ingredients, and can probably rustle up enough energy to manage this. I have 3 week old baby that makes cooking healthy for everyone else a challenge! This recipe is simple enough that I can probably manage to steam some frozen green beans, too. Ta-da!
My two older kids and I will never complain about an abundance of chickpeas, although my husband doesn’t care for them (I’m pretty sure that’s some form of vegan heresy…)
Emily Wally
Very good! I just made this for lunch and even my two year old ate it. We ate it in a pita with lettace. I give it a 4.25 out of 5. Can’t wait to try more of your recipes! Having the Broccoli rice casserole for dinner tonight.
Sher
I have been vegan for 9 months and now need to be gluten free as well. Thanks for making my life easier!
Lacey
My husband and I rated this 5 out of 5. 🙂
Dana
Just tried this recipe for the first time… So easy and delicious! Thanks!!! 🙂
aimeepaulk
This was so good! Only thing I did different was that I had to use ginger powder (1 tsp. as another comment suggested), and it was still great! Thank you!
V
i made something similar to this for a birthday dinner, and it was a hit! i used lima beans and carrot shreds without the ginger and tomatoes. everyone loved it. thanks for the idea 🙂
Jenny
I just made this for lunch with some naan and it is delicious !!!
Thank you for a great recipe. 🙂
janet @ taste space
Loved this recipe, Susan! it is so flexible to make it ridiculously easy… wraps can be a bit finicky, so I chopped up some baby bok choy to add to the curry instead (it was a bit soupy since I didn’t drain the tomatoes). Kidney beans also worked really well. Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
My version is here: http://tastespace.wordpress.com/2012/07/29/curried-beans-and-quinoa-with-baby-bok-choy/
Brittany
Susan,
I’m very new to the whole curry thing and i’m wondering: does the curry powder you use look red or yellow in the container? There seem to be 2 kinds sometimes and i’m not sure which one to get…. Also, are you draining the tomatoes in this recipe? Or not? Thanks so much for your advice 🙂
Brittany
Susan Voisin
The curry powder I use is a deep golden color. The kind I recommend is from The Spice House or other spice companies. Their spices are much better than wht you’ll find in gricery stores. The tomatoes are undrained.
Sheila P.
We had this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! It was pinned on Pinterest 🙂
laloofah
We made these for the first time for supper last night and love them! We had them in brown rice tortillas with a little hot sauce and avocado. Delicious! This morning I ate the little bit that was left over (it was excellent the next day) and added a couple of sliced olives. This will be yet another frequent meal for us, and it definitely is easy!
Yarrow
Thank you so much for this recipe. I just made it and I’m going to stick it in the fridge for tonight 🙂 It tastes great! A little spicy, but it’s still good. I should have added less half a teaspoon to start with! Oh well, still delicious. Not to mention, it’s a beautiful dish. I just love those colors.
Kim
Sorry, I’ve just got to ask… serves 4?? I ate this whole recipe by myself for dinner… but maybe I am just a piggy. (Not trying to lose weight, just maintain 120 pounds!)
Also, I really enjoyed this recipe…obviously 😉 I added some cabbage as well, and skipped the wrap part and just ate it with a spoon!
twyla
just got home from a 10hr motorbike ride, and don’t have the energy to go get groceries! thankfully I stumbled across this recipe – so easy, so delicious, and all the ingredients were already in the house! thank you!
Stacey
I’ve been making this recipe for years, it’s a staple in our household. Is it possible to freeze this meal? We always have plenty of leftovers and it would be a great to warm up this tasty dish at the drop of a hat. Thanks!
Susan Voisin
Sure! It should freeze fine. I’m happy to hear you enjoy it.