Friday, May 20, 2011

Roasted chickpeas

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are a favorite snack at my house. (I like to call them chickpeas because it sounds cuter.) The kids both love them, and so do Husband and I. Well, I think Husband just "likes" them or tolerates them.

I cooked up a batch of dry chickpeas on the stove this morning during breakfast with the intent to roast them for snack time. Mr. T couldn't even wait for them to cool down after cooking, so I pulled a bunch out and set them in a little bowl. He would toddle over with his empty bowl and hold it up to get more. Miss M soon followed with a request for her own bowl.

Mr. T devouring his chickpeas.

My favorite way to eat them is roasted. I love foods with a good crunch. Roasted chickpeas are a great replacement for your favorite high fat, salty snack. Chickpeas are a good source of fiber and protein. They are also high in copper, folate, and manganese. To learn more about chickpea nutrition facts, go here and here.

My finished chickpeas. Crunchy and delicious!


Roasted Chickpeas

2 C freshly cooked chickpeas*
Olive oil, about 1 T
Garlic salt or another seasoning of your choice

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread chickpeas on a baking sheet and roast 20 minutes. Give it a little shake about 10 minutes in. After the 20 minutes, take it out and lightly drizzle on olive oil and seasoning. Gently toss to coat. Return to oven for another 10-20 minutes. Ovens vary quite a bit, so your time may be longer or shorter to get a nice crunch. I also watch pretty closely the last 10 minutes or so to make sure they don't burn. The chickpeas along the outside will brown quite a bit faster in the end.

*I prefer the taste of freshly cooked, dry chickpeas. I soak them overnight and gently boil them in water for 60-75 minutes or until tender. Adding a bit of salt the last 15 minutes or so. You can use canned chickpeas if you prefer.


Besides being super tasty, I love that my kids will devour them. I much prefer feeding them something like this for a crunchy snack than less-nutritious alternatives.

Leftover roasted chickpeas (if you have any) make a nice, crunchy addition to salads.

1 comment:

  1. I was going to ask for your recipe, but you read my mind!

    ReplyDelete

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