Healthy Veggie Side or Entree
This is my kind of food. Honestly this is what I eat day in and day out and I never tire of it. I won’t lie and say that I eat pasta and bread and brownies every day. Sounds fun, but I like to fit into my clothes. Hence this healthy veggie side / main dish is how I am satisfied but still fitting into my pants. If you’re looking for a fast, easy, and healthy way to eat vegan and gluten-free AND for it to taste great and keep you full and satisfied, this is the recipe for you. <— Did you catch all that because those are some major perks. This is a great quickie lunch recipe, meatless main, or hearty veggie side dish you’re going to love.
It’s what vegans like to tell you tastes like cheese and lends a cheesy flavoring to soups, stews, kale chips (2009 vintage recipe when I was 100% vegan), roasted vegetables, and the like. Does it taste like cheese? It has the savory, unami quality but the texture is totally different. You cannot compare a hunk of aged cheddar or a soft and tender piece of brie with nutritional yeast flakes. But if you are vegan, like I was for many years, it’s pretty awesome and it’s packed with a ton of B vitamins, protein, and fiber. Lightly charred broccoli and crisp-tender sugar snap peas with chickpeas that are firmer on the outside and tender on the inside, yes please.
What’s in the Roasted Broccoli and Chickpeas?
To make this easy veggie side dish (or main!), you’ll need:
Canned chickpeas Olive oil Broccoli florets Sugar snap peas (or additional broccoli) Nutritional yeast Salt and pepper
How to Make Roasted Broccoli and Chickpeas
I like to bake the chickpeas on their own for about 15 minutes before adding the broccoli florets, sugar snap peas, and seasonings to the sheet pan. Then, the whole pan gets returned to the oven to bake for another 10-ish minutes. I prefer to bake the veggies just until the broccoli is crisp-tender, but feel free to leave it in a little longer if you like yours to be softer in texture.
Can the Nutritional Yeast Be Substituted?
No, the nutritional yeast cannot be substituted. It’s a very unique ingredient with its own flavor profile and texture. However, you can totally change up the seasonings and simply follow the cook times for this recipe. Roasted chickpeas, broccoli, and sugar snap peas can be doctored up so many different ways!
Ways to Serve This Recipe
As I mentioned above, you can enjoy this recipe as a healthy veggie side or you can enjoy it as a meal on its own. To stretch the roasted veggies even further, try serving them over brown rice or cauliflower rice. If you add a sauce of some kind, you’ll basically have created your own buddha bowl. You can also try tossing the warm veggies and chickpeas with massaged kale or another leafy green plus a little salad dressing to make a warm and filling salad.
Tips for Making Roasted Broccoli and Chickpeas
There are lots of recipes for baked chickpeas that are touted as ‘cripsy.’ I don’t find that baked chickpeas are ever truly crispy because they’re not fried. However, if you let them cool for about 15 minutes before diving in, they do crisp up more and are somewhat crunchy. And they are coated in ‘cheese.’ My favorite. On that note, as much as I love nutritional yeast, this is a very easy recipe to customize. Feel free to play around with the broccoli and roasted chickpeas seasoning — pretty much any blend of herbs and spices will work here.
More Easy Vegetarian Dishes:
Chickpea and Kale Glow Bowl with Dreamy Tahini Dressing – Fast, easy, accidentally vegan and gluten-free! Keeps you satisfied and glowing from the inside out! The zippy dressing lives up to its dreamy name! Tried this recipe? Leave a review! Consider leaving a 5 star rating if you’ve made and loved one of my recipes!
Roasted Curried Cauliflower and Chickpea Salad – An easy, healthy, lettuce-less salad with roasted curried cauliflower and chickpeas as the stars! Topped with raisins, pistachios, cilantro, and a delish tangy Greek yogurt dressing!
Tropical Chickpea Salad — Pineapple, mango, pineapple salsa, and pico de gallo tossed with chickpeas for a salad that tastes like a tropical vacation! Easy, ready in 5 minutes, loaded with sweet-yet-savory flavor, and so healthy!
Twelve Superfoods Salad — Trying to eat healthier? Make thiseasy, flavorful salad!! Loaded with everything healthy and it tastes awesome! Kale, quinoa, edamame, blueberries, grapes, seeds, nuts, and more!
Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad — A HEARTY salad that celebrates the flavors of fall including roasted Brussels sprouts and dried cranberries along with quinoa, chickpeas, spinach, and goat cheese!! Perfect for lunch, a meatless main, or a HEALTHY side dish on your holiday table!!
Loaded Greek Salad — An amped up version of a classic Greek salad with avocado, artichokes, garbanzo beans, and more!! The tangy Greek salad dressing is ready in seconds and is a major flavor booster! Naturally gluten-free and vegetarian!!
Smoky Roasted Chickpea Salad with Buttermilk Chive Dressing — An EASY salad with smoky roasted chickpeas, vegetables, kale, and topped with homemade chive-infused buttermilk dressing!!
Chickpea and Sweet Potato Bowl — A big ole round bowl full of goodness just like Buddha!! The bowls are fast, EASY, naturally vegan and gluten-free! If you need a HEALTHY recipe that tastes like comfort food, this is it!!
