Chickpea Ratatouille

An oldie but goodie, Dreena’s Chickpea Ratatouille has been a reader favorite for years! This is a whole food plant-based recipe.

Anyone remember this Chickpea Ratatouille?

This popular recipe comes from my second book and was featured on my site a while back. However, when my site was updated and an old recipe software phased out, this beloved Chickpea Ratatouille was displaced.

Chickpea Ratatouille: Oldie but Goodie

This is one of those “oldie but goodie” recipes.

Often I hear from people about recipes they just truly love from my first cookbooks.

It’s funny, because most of us eagerly await new products: new cookbooks, new technology, new appliances, new clothes.

But sometimes, those oldies are truly the goodie. Like that cherished comfy blanket that has been passed down from your parents… those soft pajama pants fraying at the bottom… a classic movie or song.

Recipes are like that too. We anticipate the arrival of the new ones, when sometimes there are real jewels in the pages of cookbooks from ten years ago – or beyond.

Not that the new recipes aren’t great too! Of course they are.

Unfortunately, we just sometimes push those old reliables to the back burner. (Punny, Dreena) Hey, I do it too!

So I give back an old reliable to you today, this delicious, nutritionally-abundant Chickpea Ratatouille.

The original version of this recipe calls for oven-baking. You can also cook in an instant pot or stovetop. In fact, the saute of the onions might offer an even better flavor to the dish!

Either way, this is a pretty simple recipe. The ingredients might look a little long, but it’s mostly spices. Not an abundance of chopping.

Serving Ideas: Chickpea Ratatouille

These are my favorite ways to serve up this dish, and I’d like to know if you guys have other ideas. If so, please comment.

• Over brown rice or quinoa: This is how we eat it most often. Especially easy if you batch-cook the rice or quinoa ahead of time, and then just reheat.
• With pasta: Why not toss it into cooked pasta much like a marinara? In fact, if you have leftovers, you can combine some of the ratatouille with marinara to craft a heartier pasta sauce.
• Ooooh, I just thought of this one. Heat up leftovers to top a creamy pasta sauce like my Creamy Fettuccine. YUM!
• Greens, baby: As I say, “it’s all about those beans ‘n greens”… so why not serve up over a bed of wilted kale or spinach. Some crusty bread on the side, I call that delicious!
• Leftover wraps: Wraps are always a good way to use leftovers, and this ratatouille is no exception! Roll up with some of the cooked grains, or with extra veg, greens, cooked sweet spuds – your call!
• Your ideas?…. please share in the comments!

Alright, we have everything in place but the recipe. Here it is, friends. Enjoy, and share your thoughts!

x Dreena

5 from 1 vote

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Chickpea Ratatouille

This dish is much like ratatouille in appearance but uses chickpeas and an original spice combination. The flavors are complex and the preparation minimal!

Course dinner, entree, Main Course

Keyword beans, chickpeas, low-fat, oil-free, tomatoes

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 –4 cups cooked chickpeas roughly 2 – 14 oz cans if using canned, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup finely chopped red onion
• 3 –4 cloves garlic minced
• 1 28- ounce can diced organic tomatoes see note
• 1/2 cup diced organic red or orange bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or date syrup optional, can omit
• 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
• 2 teaspoons dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 dried bay leaves

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. In a large, deep casserole dish, combine all ingredients except bay leaves
3. Stir through until well combined, then embed bay leaves in the mixture.
4. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Stir through, cover, and bake for another 35–45 minutes until onions are tender and translucent (stir through once more during baking).
6. Remove bay leaves and serve over quinoa or brown rice.

Recipe Notes

Chef’s Notes: Tomatoes Note: Try fire-roasted tomatoes for extra flavor.

Ideas: Have leftovers? Tuck that ratatouille into a tortilla with your favourite grain, bake for 10-15 minutes at 375 degrees for an amazing burrito!