Sheet Pan Chickpea Curry

Although this is a simple dish, I’d rank it as one of the top ones that I’ve tested for Leite’s. It makes a great side, lunch, or even meatless entrée if served with some whole grains like millet or brown rice. I used 2 tbsp high-quality curry powder and I thought this was just enough. I noted with interest that my taste tester husband, who doesn’t normally enjoy the texture of eggplant, didn’t hesitate with this dish—high praise.

When I first read the instructions, I was a little worried about all the ingredients fitting into the sheet pan, especially since they tell you to pour the garbanzo bean liquid in there, but have faith—it will work. I did find it a little tricky to add the vegetables to the pan of hot oil and did so gingerly. The consistency of the finished product was great—it thickens up.

Hurray! Everything fit in the pan fine. 30 minutes was perfect to get sauce thick and bubbling.

My only critique is that I personally would like more cauliflower (because I love it).

And the garnish of the mint, yogurt, and squeeze of lemon all really enhance, although I did taste it without beforehand and it was still delicious.

This makes for a hearty vegetarian meal that will stand on its own but also has enough hands-off time that you can make some rice and a side or salad simultaneously and still have time to sip some wine or chat with your spouse. In other words, it’s easy.

I used the larger amount of curry powder, and mine was very fresh and potent. It was the right amount for our taste. Because it wasn’t a hot curry powder, I added 1/2 teaspoon ground red chile pepper.

I added, and would recommend adding, a hefty pinch of salt to the yogurt. It makes it mesh better with a savory dish.

The finished dish was quite good. I would recommend it to someone looking for an easy (not really quick, though) vegetarian meal.

Wonderful vegetarian entree. It’s cold and rainy in Seattle right now. This stew was the perfect heart-warming meal to combat the frightful weather. The curry powder gave it a nice heat. First roasting the onions, eggplant, and cauliflower and then cooking them with the tomatoes and chickpeas gave them a great depth of flavor and appealing texture, on the softer side versus crisper.

I would definitely not skip serving this dish with the squeeze of lemon, dollop of yogurt, and sprinkling of mint. This added another layer of flavor and texture.

I used the full 3 tablespoons curry powder. There was a definite kick to it. The amount of heat is easily controllable. I served this dish over basmati rice. While my husband and I enjoyed it immensely, the kids couldn’t eat a full serving as their entree. Next time I might fan some sliced, grilled chicken over top of it or even add a fried egg.

I had to add this note—it was wonderful the next day. I just ate some over polenta. It might be even better, if that’s possible. Wonderful marriage of flavors. I would definitely make this ahead of time for friends coming over for dinner. Yeah, another make-ahead meal!

I felt so virtuous feeding my family this healthy flavor-packed meal on top of brown rice. My kids enjoyed the spiciness of the curry and I used the full 3 tablespoons as indicated in the recipe.

While I used eggplant this time, next time I’m going to try it with butternut squash during the fall and winter and maybe zucchini or summer squash in the summer (with less roasting time than indicated in the recipe for the summer squash).

The recipe easily serves 4 if not 6 people. I think it would be easier to make this recipe on the stove top as a sautéed dish rather than roasting it in the oven so I will try it this way next time.

I have no problem with this easy, one-pot chickpea curry recipe. It’s a great one to make as a side as you prepare other items since it needs little attention and cooks up on its own in the oven. It can also be forgiving if you let it stay in a bit longer or need to cook it in advance and rewarm or eat at room temp. The flavors are excellent with plenty of onions and warm curry spice that could not go any better with eggplant, cauliflower, and chickpeas.

I did use mild curry powder instead of hot since my family doesn’t like spicy food. I added a pinch of cayenne to my portion and that worked great.

It’s about right for 4 people if it’s the main vegetarian course with rice on the side. As a side, it can be stretched to 8 people.

I cut the cauliflower into roughly 3/4-inch pieces. Some smaller, some larger. That worked very well.

Delicious result.

My initial thoughts about this recipe were that it was good, but not great; however, by the second day, the ingredients had melded to create flavors with great depth and complexity. It’s both versatile and deeply satisfying, especially with the addition of the condiments. Preparation was simple and the timing was fairly accurate.

The vegetables were almost fully tender after 25 minutes, and more time in the oven increased their tenderness without turning them into an unpalatable mush, and because they continued to release moisture as they roasted, the spices were in no need of more oil.

Fitting all the vegetables into the one pan turned out not to be an issue either as they continued to release moisture, concentrate their flavors, and reduce in size.

This recipe is definitely worth repeating and would probably work well with additions and/or replacements such as carrots and/or potatoes.