Pesto Chickpea Bake
An easy, flexible veggie packed chickpea casserole / tray bake which will clean out your fridge! Just roast veggies, add chickpeas and pesto, top with cheese and bake! Make this a hearty vegetarian dinner with the addition of bread, or serve it as a side dish.
Ingredients
- 1 small / medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into small bite sized pieces
- 1 small red bell pepper or sweet pepper, sliced
- 6 oz (170 g) green beans, trimmed
- olive oil, for roasting
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 cup (150 g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 cups (50 g) kale, chopped
- 6 tbsp prepared basil pesto, see notes
- 28 oz (800 g) canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups (200 g) grated cheese, you can use cheddar, mozzarella or a blend
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 220C / 200C Fan / 400F.
- Add the sweet potato, green beans and peppers into a 9x13 casserole dish or roasting pan. Toss with olive oil and add salt and pepper to taste. The recipe's quantities are very approximate - focus on how the veggies fill the pan. You want to fill the bottom of the pan with veggies but keep it all in a single layer.
- Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes (turning once, at the halfway mark) until the sweet potato is soft. The green beans and peppers should be tender and browned. The time it takes will depend how crowded the pan is (the more crowded, the longer it will take to roast) and whether you use a metal or ceramic pan (metal is quicker).
- Add the chickpeas, cherry tomatoes and pesto. Toss through, until everything is well coated in the pesto.
- Add the kale and mix through.
- Add the cheese to the top and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, until bubbling.
- Allow to sit out for about 5 minutes to set and cool before you cut in and serve.
Notes
Pesto Quantities: I used a very oily, smooth jarred pesto here and 6 tablespoons was about right. When I've made this with fresher pesto, I used more, because it tends to be less dense. This is the kind of recipe where, if you're buying premade, you may as well use the jarred stuff because it has been heat treated and the flavor won't be diminished while baking.
Calories: 614kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 42g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 58mg, Sodium: 1145mg, Potassium: 577mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 3189IU, Vitamin C: 47mg, Calcium: 553mg, Iron: 4mg