This Vegan Pesto Chickpea Bowl is the perfect easy, nutritious plant-based dinner! The chickpeas are spicy, savory, and totally addicting!
This Vegan Pesto Chickpea Bowl is one of my favorite dinners to make on a weeknight. My fiancé absolutely loves pesto, so I’m always thinking of new ways I can include pesto in our meal rotations. For this recipe I used a variation of my Best Vegan Kale Pesto recipe, but you can use any type of pesto you like here (I also really like the Trader Joe’s Vegan Cashew Kale Pesto!).
I’m really glad to be posting a recipe like this, because when I announced that my blog was going vegan AND vegetarian, I was nervous that people would think I’d only post vegetarian recipes. But I eat a lot of vegan meals, and I would never stop posting vegan recipes here on the blog. :) I really hope you love this pesto chickpea bowl!
I wanted to share an update on some of my gardening activities! Right now my next big project is to create a butterfly garden. I recently read an article about how butterfly populations have been alarmingly decreasing since the 1980s. Butterflies, and other pollinators, are crucial for maintaining balance in the plant ecosystem. Without pollinators, we wouldn’t have almonds, avocados, COFFEE, peaches, strawberries, apples, or bananas. So suffice to say, pollinators are really important!!
I have a particular affinity for monarch butterflies. When I was in first grade, my class actually grew three monarch butterflies from pupae! Being able to watch the butterflies emerge from their cocoons was such a beautiful experience for me, one that has stayed with me over the years. So for my butterfly garden, I plan to grow a lot of milkweed, which is the sole food source for monarchs in their larval phase. Other flowers that attract butterflies and provide food include lilacs, dahlias, lantanas, marigolds, aster, and goldenrod. I’ll definitely be writing a blog post with my best tips to create a butterfly garden! :)
P.S.! It was my FOUR year blog anniversary yesterday. If you’re reading this, I just wanted to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading and supporting this blog. Having you along for the ride means the world to me!!
Vegan Pesto Chickpea Bowl
Ingredients
Pesto Pasta
- 8 oz Pasta
- 1/3 Cup Pesto
Spicy Chickpeas
- 1 15 oz Can Chickpeas
- Drizzle Neutral Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 Tsp Salt
- 1/2 Tsp Paprika
- 1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 Tsp Cayenne optional
- Black Pepper to taste
The Rest of the Bowl
- Kale or Spinach
- Sprouts or Microgreens
- Pumpkin Seeds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Rinse and drain your can of chickpeas, then dry them until they're completely dry. Discard any loose skins.
- Toss the chickpeas with the oil and spices, then bake them in the oven for about 25-30 minutes. When done, remove from the oven and let cool slightly.
- While the chickpeas are cooking, boil 8 oz of your favorite pasta in salted water until al dente. When done, drain the water, and mix in about 1/3 cup of pesto (but feel free to add more or less as you like).
- Set up your bowls - add on a layer of spinach or kale, then top with the pesto pasta and chickpeas. Add on some sprouts and pumpkin seeds, if you'd like.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- For this recipe, use any kind of pesto you like! I recommend my Best Vegan Kale Pesto recipe :)
P.S.
If you make this vegan pesto chickpea bowl and post it on Instagram, be sure to tag me @wellandfull and #wellandfull so I can see! I love seeing your takes on my recipes :)
12 Comments
Traci | Vanilla And Bean
May 6, 2019 at 1:04 pmHooray for a butterfly garden, Sarah! Your pollinators will be thriving because of your garden soon. Be sure to put a humming bird feeder out too! They are, like you said, critical, important to Earth, and indeed, they have been declining for a long time, tragically. You’ll never hear about it on the nightly news, though.. along with so many other ecological disasters (only if it directly impacts humans – flooding, tornado etc). But the ongoing damage done to habitat and the 6th human caused mass extension that is underway …. crickets. I try not to get bogged down, but man, it’s bad. So, like you.. I go to my garden, plant lots of herbs and flowers.. leave weeds in the yard and do not ever use pesticides/herbicides/synthetic fertilizers. Ever. And of course, plant trees! We have to do our part and live as lightly as we can. Love this simple yet hearty salad… and those chickpeas are such a delight! We are food sisters. Like you, vegetarian with lots of vegan food!
Sarah
May 7, 2019 at 2:42 pmWe are definitely food sisters! And it sounds like garden sisters too ;) I will definitely take your tip about the hummingbird feeder, I’ll have to see if I can find one! And never any pesticides or herbicides at my house ;) I 100% believe in being gentle to the earth!! <3
Jess @choosingchia
May 6, 2019 at 4:12 pmSuch a great idea to add chickpeas to pasta for some extra protein, I’ve never thought of that! Can’t wait to give it a try :)
Sarah
May 7, 2019 at 2:43 pmThanks Jess! The definitely add a really nice texture to the pasta ;)
Katya
May 7, 2019 at 7:16 amDear Sarah, first of all, congrats on your anniversary and for sticking with it and for sharing with us your journey and your experiences. I am really glad to have found you on the Internet :)
Secondly, the garden: yes! it is so important! Not only in the countryside; it is also essential to grown plants in the cities to attract all the insects in, cities desperately need them too. Plants in general are amazing and we need as many as we can.
And thirdly, the meal looks amazing enough, it seems a perfect vegan meal: chickpeas for protein, pasta for carbs, pesto and spinach for greens, everything on one plate.
Sending hugs :)))
Sarah
May 7, 2019 at 2:44 pmThank you so much for your kind words, Katya! Sending you a hug right back :)
Alanna Taylor-Tobin
May 8, 2019 at 6:09 pmHappy blogiversary Sarah – that’s so exciting! I envy your green thumb. And this pasta looks right up my alley! <3
Sarah
May 8, 2019 at 6:35 pmThanks so much Alanna! :)
Claire Cary
May 10, 2019 at 2:28 pmThis bowl looks awesome! I love pasta with chickpeas. And congrats one your blog anniversary! So exciting :)
Sarah
May 11, 2019 at 7:36 amThank you Claire :)
Ngan
May 16, 2019 at 10:57 pmThis bowl looks delicious. We love your recipe Sarah. Thanks
Sarah
May 22, 2019 at 6:26 pmThanks so much for leaving a note! :)