Chickpea Shawarma Bowl (Printer-Friendly)
Spiced roasted chickpeas with fresh vegetables and creamy tahini sauce in a nourishing grain bowl.
# What You'll Need:
→ Spiced Chickpeas
01 - 2 cans (14 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
02 - 2 tbsp olive oil
03 - 2 tsp ground cumin
04 - 2 tsp ground coriander
05 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
06 - 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
07 - 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
08 - 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
09 - 1 tsp salt
→ Vegetables & Bowl Components
10 - 2 cups cooked basmati rice or quinoa
11 - 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
12 - 1 cucumber, diced
13 - 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
14 - 2 cups mixed greens (lettuce, arugula, or spinach)
15 - 1 large carrot, grated
16 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
17 - 1/4 cup pickled red onions (optional)
→ Tahini Sauce
18 - 1/3 cup tahini
19 - Juice of 1 lemon
20 - 1 garlic clove, minced
21 - 2–4 tbsp cold water (to thin)
22 - 1/2 tsp ground cumin
23 - Salt and pepper, to taste
# How to Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
02 - In a mixing bowl, toss drained chickpeas with olive oil, ground cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne pepper (if using), and salt. Stir until the chickpeas are evenly coated with the spice mixture.
03 - Spread the seasoned chickpeas in a single layer on the prepared baking tray. Roast for 20 minutes, shaking the tray halfway through, until the chickpeas are crispy and golden brown.
04 - While the chickpeas roast, whisk together tahini, lemon juice, minced garlic, ground cumin, salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp cold water in a small bowl. Gradually add more water as needed until the sauce reaches a creamy, drizzleable consistency.
05 - Cook basmati rice or quinoa according to package instructions. Dice the cucumber, halve the cherry tomatoes, thinly slice the red onion, grate the carrot, and chop the fresh parsley.
06 - Divide the cooked grains among four serving bowls. Arrange mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, grated carrot, and sliced red onion over the grains. Top each bowl with the roasted chickpeas.
07 - Drizzle each bowl generously with tahini sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley and pickled red onions if desired. Serve immediately, mixing all components together before eating.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- Everything cooks on one tray, which means you spend more time eating and less time scrubbing.
- The tahini sauce is the kind of thing you will want to put on everything once you taste it.
- It works warm, cold, or somewhere in between, so leftovers are never a problem.
02 -
- Wet chickpeas will steam instead of roast, so spread them on a clean towel and pat thoroughly before seasoning.
- Tahini sauce thickens as it sits, so always make a little extra water available when you are ready to serve.
03 -
- Double the spice blend and keep the extra in a jar for nights when you want shawarma flavor without measuring six spices again.
- Let the chickpeas rest on the tray for two minutes after roasting so they firm up and hold their crunch when you move them.