Chickpea Pasta Bowl (Printable Version)

Nourishing chickpea pasta with roasted vegetables and creamy tahini sauce for a satisfying plant-based meal.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz chickpea pasta

→ Roasted Vegetables

02 - 1 medium zucchini, diced
03 - 1 red bell pepper, chopped
04 - 1 small red onion, sliced
05 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
06 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
07 - 1 teaspoon dried oregano
08 - 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
09 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Tahini Sauce

10 - 1/4 cup tahini
11 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
12 - 1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar
13 - 2 tablespoons warm water, plus more as needed
14 - 1 garlic clove, minced
15 - Salt to taste

→ Garnish

16 - 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
17 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, optional

# Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, combine diced zucchini, chopped bell pepper, sliced red onion, and halved cherry tomatoes. Drizzle with olive oil and season with oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Toss until evenly coated and spread in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
03 - Roast for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway through cooking, until vegetables are tender and lightly caramelized.
04 - While vegetables roast, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add chickpea pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
05 - In a small bowl, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, maple syrup, warm water, minced garlic, and salt until smooth and creamy. Add additional water as needed to achieve a pourable consistency.
06 - Transfer cooked pasta and roasted vegetables to a large mixing bowl. Drizzle with tahini sauce and gently toss until evenly coated.
07 - Divide mixture between four serving bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley and toasted sesame seeds if desired. Serve warm or at room temperature.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The tahini sauce is so creamy and luxurious that no one will miss dairy, and you'll catch yourself scraping the bowl clean.
  • One bowl actually satisfies—the chickpea pasta's protein means you won't be raiding the kitchen thirty minutes later.
  • Roasting the vegetables creates this caramelized sweetness that transforms the simplest ingredients into something special.
02 -
  • If your tahini sauce seizes up or breaks, don't panic—start fresh with one tablespoon of warm water in a new bowl and whisk in the failed sauce slowly, like you're coaxing it back to creaminess.
  • The vegetables finish cooking at different rates depending on how small you cut them, so cutting everything roughly the same size actually matters here.
03 -
  • Toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan for ninety seconds before sprinkling—it brings out a nuttiness that changes the entire bowl.
  • Make a double batch of tahini sauce and keep it in the fridge; you'll find yourself drizzling it on everything from roasted vegetables to grain bowls to leftover chickpeas.
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