Skillet Spiced Chickpeas and Kale
A quick, easy vegan skillet featuring Spiced Chickpeas and Kale sautéed in fresh garlic, cumin, and lots of herbs. Enjoy as a nourish bowl topped with your favorite tahini dressing in less than 30 minutes.
I live for meals like this. No, seriously, I do. Because as much as I would love to make the most elaborate meals out there, I just don’t have the time. That doesn’t mean I want a flavorless meal. I just try to maximize on the ingredients I tend to always have at home. And after working with them so long, I know how to pull out all those bits of flavor to meet the need of my palate.
I find this the easiest with skillet meals. Whether it is in the form of this Chili Lime Tofu Skillet or this Sun-Dried Tomato White Bean Skillet, if I can bloom and toast a bunch of flavors into simple ingredients, I know that I will be enjoying an incredible meal. These Skillet Spiced Chickpeas are no different.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Skillet Meal
- This whole meal cooks in less than 30 minutes. Just sauté and layer your ingredients to help infuse and build in all the flavor.
- Minimal chopping required. The only thing you need to chop in this recipe is the onion and garlic. You can ripe the kale apart in your hands into small bite sized pieces to sauté at the end.
- This whole skillet is vegan, gluten-free and nut-free. It also happens to be easy to customize to fit your veggie taste.
- A warm and hearty meal. This quick meal is super cozy and filling. When paired with a starch, you have a complete nourish bowl that can then be topped with your favorite dressing.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Onion: Red, yellow or white onions work really well for this dish. As they cook, they will start to caramelize.
- Garlic: Lots of fresh garlic for this dish, which we crush to help infuse more flavor. If you don’t like the flavor of garlic, feel free to tone it down to what you feel fits your tastes.
- Cumin: I used whole cumin seeds. If using ground cumin, just add with the other spices and toss them in to toast and become fragrant.
- Herbs: Oregano, thyme
- Chickpeas: I used regular salted canned chickpeas for this recipe. If you choose to use unsalted canned chickpeas or homemade chickpeas that are not salted, make sure to adjust the salt in this recipe to your taste.
- Mushrooms: Small button mushrooms work best for this recipe. You can slice up your mushrooms if desired or change to a different vegetable like bell peppers if desired.
- Kale: I love using lactino kale (dinosaur kale) as it is easier to clean and strip from it’s stem. You can use curly kale, or if you want to skip a step, use prewashed baby kale or spinach to sauté at the end.
- White Wine Vinegar: A milder vinegar that works to provide extra flavor to both our chickpeas and dressing. You can opt for apple cider vinegar, but note that this will change the flavor.
How to Make Skillet Spiced Chickpeas
We cook this over a skillet to help properly bloom the spices that eventually coat our chickpeas, mushrooms and kale.
Start by warming some oil over a skillet and then add in your cumin seeds. Gently sauté them in the oil until fragrant. Add in your onion along with a pinch of salt and sauté until softened. Once softened, add in your whole mushrooms. Stir occasionally, making sure that your are allowing the mushrooms to cook off any extra liquid it may have.
As your pan dries and appears to obtain some caramelization dried up at the bottom, deglaze the pan with a splash of water and stir everything together.
Add in your garlic and sauté again until fragrant, then add in remaining herbs and spices and stir to coat. Deglaze the pan as needed if the pan is getting too dry. Once fragrant, add the remaining oil and add in the chickpeas, stirring well to coat with all the spices.
Continue to sauté the chickpeas for a few minutes then add in the vinegar and kale along with a pinch of salt and sauté until the kale has wilted.
Tips for Really Tasty Chickpeas
- Dry your chickpeas well. I am not a fan of mushy beans unless it is in the form of hummus. So to avoid this texture, make sure to dry your chickpeas well. Rinse and drain them as normal and place in a clean kitchen towel, then rub them dry to remove any excess moisture. Discard any chickpea skins that happen to peel off in the process. You don’t need to remove every single chickpea skin.
- Do not wash your mushrooms. Just brush them off with a damp kitchen towel to remove any debris on them. Washing them will make the mushrooms too wet and make your dish soggy.
- Bloom or toast your spices. For maximum flavor, I recommend blooming your cumin seeds and layering in your spices to help create more of an impact of flavor to your dish. To bloom your spices, make sure to use a little oil in your cooking or in the very least, make sure
- Deglaze your pan. As you cook different levels of this meal, make sure to occasionally deglaze your pan with a little water or vegetable broth as you notice your pan dry up. This helps impart the caramelized flavors generated by the onions and spices sticking to the pan to your chickpeas and vegetables.
- Season as needed with salt. If you are using unsalted chickpeas, make sure you taste and adjust your salt based on preference. You likely will need a generous pinch of salt throughout to help make sure that the chickpeas are flavorful. Salt helps to enhance a lot of the flavor notes of herbs and spices.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely! The only reason I suggest discarding any excess that might result from rubbing them dry in this recipe is to help reduce moisture on the chickpeas. Removing the excess skins will eliminate extra moisture that gets trapped between the skin and the chickpea. It helps to prevent your chickpeas from steaming as they cook, which will lead to more firm chickpeas after sautéing them in the garlic and spices.
To make the creamy dressing as quick and easy as the chickpeas, we only combine 4 basic ingredients. A smooth tahini, white wine vinegar, maple syrup, and minced garlic. To thin it out you mix in some water and then finish it with a generous pinch of salt to help enhance the flavors in the sauce.
They sure can be. I love nourish bowls because they can be a great visual representation for nutrition. You can use it to add in the appropriate amount of starch, veggies, plant based proteins and then dress it up with some extras. To get a better visual of what I mean, read this guide to balancing your plate.
Storage and Reheating
Allow your chickpeas and vegetables to completely cool, then place in an air tight container. These chickpeas can be prepared in advanced and store well in the fridge for up to 5 days. Leftovers can be served cold or reheated in a sauté pan to reheat through for a few minutes. This dish is not meant to be frozen.
How to Serve
Serve these skillet spiced chickpeas as highlighted here in a bowl with some rice and your tahini dressing. You can also enjoy it in a pita for lunch or topped over some fresh greens in a salad with avocado and quinoa. These chickpeas also work really well served with some roasted potato or sliced and toasted pita bread.
More Healthy Chickpea Recipes
- Cilantro Lime Chickpeas
- Chipotle Orange Chickpeas
- Garlic Chili Chickpeas
- Peanut Miso Chickpeas
- Smoky Chickpea Kale Soup
Skillet Spiced Chickpeas and Kale
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 5–6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
A quick, easy vegan skillet featuring Spiced Chickpeas and Kale sautéed in fresh garlic, cumin, and lots of herbs. Enjoy as a nourish bowl topped with your favorite tahini dressing in less than 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp avocado oil or neutral flavored oil of choice
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 a large yellow onion, finely diced
- 1–2 cups whole small white button mushrooms
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp dry oregano
- 1/2 tsp dry thyme
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 2, 15 oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1–2 cups chopped kale or spinach
- Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic White Wine Vinegar Tahini Dressing
- 3 tbsp tahini
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp maple syrup or liquid sweetener of choice
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 2–3 tbsp water
- Generous pinch of salt
Instructions
- Warm one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in your cumin seed and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add in your onions and continue to sauté with a pinch of salt until softened, about 3-4 minutes.
- To the pan, add your mushrooms and stir frequently until mushrooms have released a majority of their liquid, about 4 minutes.
- Deglaze the pan with a splash of water, about 1-2 tablespoons and stir well. Then stir in the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Stir in the rest of the herbs and spices and sauté for 1 minute to toast and coat.
- Add in remaining oil and add in the chickpeas and continue to sauté, stirring to coat the chickpeas in all the spices and herbs. Continue to toast and stir the chickpeas for about 2-3 minutes.
- To the pan, add in the vinegar, kale and a pinch of salt. Stir well and sauté until the kale has wilted.
- Now make the dressing. Add the dressing ingredients to a bowl or jar and whisk until fully combined. Adjust the salt to taste and serve overtop a bowl of the spiced chickpeas and additional sides as desired.
Notes
Dry your chickpeas well. Rinse and drain them as normal and place in a clean kitchen towel, then rub them dry to remove any excess moisture. Discard any chickpea skins that happen to peel off in the process. You don’t need to remove every single chickpea skin.
Do not wash your mushrooms. Just brush them off with a damp kitchen towel to remove any debris on them.
For maximum flavor, I recommend blooming your cumin seeds and layering in your spices to help create more of an impact of flavor to your dish.
As you cook different levels of this meal, make sure to occasionally deglaze your pan with a little water or vegetable broth as you notice your pan dry up.
If you are using unsalted chickpeas, make sure you taste and adjust your salt based on preference. You likely will need a generous pinch of salt throughout to help make sure that the chickpeas are flavorful.
If you tried this recipe or any other recipe on the blog, then let me know what you thought in the comments below! And if you loved it, don’t forget to rate it too. Feel free to follow on Instagram, Pinterest, and TikTok for the latest nutrition tips and recipe videos.
★ Catherine
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Hi! This looks amazing. I am so excited to try a lot of your recipes! Curious if we can also use rice vinegar instead of white wine vinegar? I did a google search and learned that it is less acidic and a bit sweeter, but I wouldn’t mind that. I saw your ACV recommendation but just wondering. Thanks for all that you do!
Hi Shivani! I’m hoping I’m not too late to answer your question. Yes, rice vinegar should work just fine here. I Truly hope you enjoy this meal. 🙂 Thank you for your kindness and support!
Hi, Catherine! Love the recipe. Personally, I don’t like the cumin seeds too much in here, so I think next time I will be using powder or maybe 1/2 tsp seeds. But all-in-all, lovely recipe!