Pineapple BBQ Chickpeas
Saucy Pineapple BBQ Chickpeas stuffed into caramelized stuffed sweet potatoes and served with miso tahini kale. Full of flavor and easy to make for a busy weeknight dinner.
I just came back from a trip to NYC. I used the time to have fun with food and just enjoy the experience. But as the days wore on I started to really miss a good homecooked meal loaded with beans and veggies. Have you felt that too? Like fun food is great, but sometimes your body just knows what it wants and needs and my body was very much telling me I needed a vegetable.
So I got home and instantly went straight to cooking. I had some pineapple leftover from right before I left that was still good, a sweet potato, a can of chickpeas and some barbecue sauce. Stuffed sweet potatoes with pineapple BBQ chickpeas sounded perfect.
Why You’ll Love These Pineapple BBQ Chickpeas
- A blend of beautiful savory, tangy, sweet and smoky flavors all in one bite
- Easy to make for a busy worknight
- A good source of filling protein and fiber
- Budget friendly recipe using simple vegan pantry staples
- Great to meal prep for the week
- Gluten-free and nut free recipe
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Chickpeas: I used canned chickpeas. You can swap for a different bean that you prefer. Try using lentils, black beans or pinto beans as a replacement.
- Barbecue Sauce: To make this simple, I used a store bought sauce. My go to because it’s both cheap and flavorful is the Whole Foods 365 Brand Barbecue Sauce. You can use your favorite recipe or store bought brand.
- Pineapple: Fresh or canned work well for this recipe. If using canned just make sure to get it in 100% juice. You can also omit the fruit if it is not your thing.
- Kale: I used curly kale. Massaging the kale makes it easier to eat, so do not skip that step.
- Tahini: The fat that will help to break down and soften the kale when massaged. You can swap this for some avocado.
- Lemon: Provides both flavor and another means of breaking down and softening the kale.
- Miso: Gives the kale more umami flavor. This can also be replaced with a splash of soy sauce or a sprinkle of nutritional yeast.
How to Make Pineapple BBQ Chickpeas
Start by roasting your sweet potatoes. Preheat your oven and then poke holes on the surface of your potato using a fork. Place on a baking tray and roast until the potatoes caramelize and soften.
To prepare the barbecue chickpeas, pat your chickpeas dry with a kitchen towel and then heat up oil in a pan. Add in your chickpeas and sauté until they start to get golden. Stir in onion and garlic powder and sauté until fragrant, then remove from the pan.
Sauté the onions until softened and then add in the garlic and pineapples, stirring them frequently. Add your barbecue sauce, water and the chickpeas and toss everything together to fully coat in the sauce.
Now, make the kale. Tear your kale with your hands into bite size pieces. Pour on the tahini, lemon juice, salt and lemon juice. With your hands, massage everything into the kale until the kale has reduced in size, softens and looks like a deeper green color.
Expert Tips
- Massage your kale like you mean it. Rubbing the fat, salt and acid into the leaves of the kale will help the kale soften and make it more enjoyable to eat. You know it’s broken down when the leaves have shrunken and are a bright green color.
- Pat your chickpeas dry before sauteing. This will remove excess moisture from the chickpeas and help improve their texture when pan-fried.
- Adjust seasonings to your taste. The flavor profile will change depending on the barbecue sauce flavor. You can always adjust the flavor forward by adding additional seasonings or spice to the sauce as it cooks.
- Save time and cook the potato in the microwave. Place your pierced potato on a microwave plate in the microwave. You can either use your potato button or cooking for 3-4 minutes and rotating then repeating until the potato has softened to your liking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Once cooled, store the kale, sweet potatoes and chickpeas in separate airtight storage containers. Each ingredient will last in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Yes! Just use the can equivalent of 1, 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas. Make sure that you do not overcook your chickpeas as they may become too mushy and might not firm up when pan-fried.
Yes! You can prepare it the same way. Just roast it until soft, cut and stuff.
How to Serve
Cut your sweet potato open and stuff it with the BBQ chickpeas. You can serve it on the side with the massaged kale to help get your greens in and make this a more filling meal. The best part is adding even more condiments on top. Here are a few ideas to try:
- Avocado: Feel free to just cube and add on top or mash into guac.
- Yogurt Sauce: 1/4 cup + juice of half a lemon + 1 minced garlic clove + 1 tablespoon water
- Herbs: This will add more freshness. Try cilantro, parsley or chives on top.
- Bean Spreads: Hummus or even this Lemon Garlic White Bean Dip pairs really well.
More Easy Chickpea Recipes
- Skillet Spiced Chickpeas and Kale
- Chipotle Orange Chickpeas
- Garlic Chili Chickpeas
- Peanut Miso Chickpeas
- Citrus Infused Couscous Chickpea Salad
Pineapple BBQ Chickpeas
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 3 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Saucy Pineapple BBQ Chickpeas stuffed into caramelized stuffed sweet potatoes and served with miso tahini kale. Full of flavor and easy to make for a busy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 3 medium sweet potatoes, skins rinsed and scrubbed really well
- 1 tbsp avocado oil
- 1, 15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 red onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 1/2 cup pineapple, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1/3 cup barbecue sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 bunch of kale, stems removed (this is about 10–15 stems of kale)
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 2 tbsp good quality tahini
- 1/2 tsp yellow or white miso
- Salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425F. With a fork, poke a few holes into your sweet potato and place on a parchment lined baking tray and bake the potatoes for 45-60 minutes or until the bottoms are caramelized and the potatoes are soft.
- As the potatoes bake, prepare the chickpeas. Place the drained chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel and pat dry. Add oil to heated pan, and when warmed through add the chickpeas and sauté for about 5 minutes, allowing the chickpeas to become golden.
- Sprinkle in the garlic, onion powder and a pinch of salt and sauté for an extra 2 minutes or until fragrant then remove the chickpeas from the pan.
- In the same pan, add a little more oil and sauté your onions until softened. Stir in the sliced garlic and continue to sauté until fragrant. Add the pineapple and sauté again for an extra 3 minutes to cook it down. Add in the barbecue sauce, water and chickpeas to the pan and stir to fully coat then set aside.
- To make the massaged kale, rip the destemmed kale into bite-size pieces. Drizzle over the tahini, lemon juice, a pinch of salt and the miso paste. With your hands, massage the kale until it has shrunk in size and become tender and more bright green in color.
- To assemble, place the kale on a plate and top with the baked potato. Cut the potato in half and then stuff with the pineapple barbecue chickpeas.
Notes
Massage your kale like you mean it. Rubbing the fat, salt and acid into the leaves of the kale will help the kale soften and make it more enjoyable to eat. You know it’s broken down when the leaves have shrunken and are a bright green color.
Pat your chickpeas dry before sauteing. This will remove excess moisture from the chickpeas and help improve their texture when pan-fried.
Adjust seasonings to your taste. The flavor profile will change depending on the barbecue sauce flavor. You can always adjust the flavor forward by adding additional seasonings or spice to the sauce as it cooks.
Save time and cook the potato in the microwave. Place your pierced potato on a microwave plate in the microwave. You can either use your potato button or cooking for 3-4 minutes and rotating then repeating until the potato has softened to your liking.
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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