Chickpeas (also commonly known as garbanzo beans) are fast becoming a new favorite legume of mine.  When cooked, they have a unique chewy texture different to many in the legume family, and are lip-smackingly delicious especially if seasoned right. Have cooked chickpeas on hand or canned chickpeas in your pantry, but don’t know how to turn them into a satisfying meal? Well, try this Easy Vegan Curried Chickpeas & Mushrooms recipe!

This fast and simple plant-based dish is one that you can serve your family in a pinch of time for lunch or dinner with less than ten ingredients. Make a double portion if you have more in your family, or freeze the extras. Nutrition wise, chickpeas are really power packed with nutrients. Just one cup of cooked boiled unsalted chickpeas already provides 269 calories, 14.5 grams protein, 12.5 grams of fiber, 4.7 milligrams of iron and is a good source of phosphorus and potassium. Chickpeas are extremely versatile in the kitchen and have a distinctive taste and texture different from other dried beans.  To learn more about chickpeas and how to prepare dry chickpeas for cooking, read here. Jump to Recipe

Make this Easy Vegan Curried Chickpeas & Mushrooms dish as a bulk meal prep recipe at the beginning of the week, or whip it up as part of a nutritious fast weeknight meal to pair with your grain or gluten-free alternative of choice to feed a hungry family.  Some examples of great pairings are with rice, couscous, quinoa, barley, or even mixing this dish with cooked whole grain pasta noodles or rice noodles to make a flavorful dry noodle entree.

5 from 1 vote

Print

Easy Vegan Curried Chickpeas & Mushrooms

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

 

Make this easy but flavorful vegan, dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, gluten-free, soy-free dish to complement whatever whole grain or gluten-free alternative of choice you desire!

Course: Breakfast, Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: Indian

Servings: 2 people (makes 2 1/4 cups total)

Calories: 305 kcal

Author: @dietitian_mom

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon olive oil divided (or other vegetable oil)
• ½ cup diced onion [60 g]
• ½ cup sliced carrots [50 g]
• 1 ¾ cups cooked chickpeas (or a 15.5 oz or 439 g can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained)
• 2 cups sliced white button or Cremini mushrooms [150 g]

Seasonings

• 1/16 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ¼ teaspoon ground thyme
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon curry powder (add more if desired)

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse a 15.5 ounce can of chickpeas well (if no pre-cooked chickpeas are available to use) and measure the amount to use in the recipe. Want to cook your own from dried chickpeas? See instructions on how to do so here.

2. Slice the onion and carrots.

3. Heat up a half teaspoon of oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, sauté the diced onion pieces and carrots in the oil for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion pieces are soft and translucent.

4. Move this carrot and onion mixture to the side of the skillet, and place the remaining half teaspoon of oil into the bottom of the skillet.

   
5. Add in the sliced mushrooms on top of this added oil, then stir to mix the mushrooms with the oil briefly once or twice. Sprinkle on the ¼ teaspoon of ground thyme over the mushroom slices, then let the entire mixture sit and cook untouched for 5 minutes in the skillet. You may turn the heat setting down slightly if the onions look like they are getting burnt.
6. After 5 minutes, stir to briefly mix the mushrooms, then let cook again for 1-2 minutes.
7. Add in the chickpeas on top and sprinkle on the remaining seasonings, then let the contents cook for 2-3 minutes, until the chickpeas are heated through.
   
8. Stir to combine the contents together, taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Ready for enjoying!
   

Recipe Notes

If you are using regular canned chickpeas  (not home cooked chickpeas or the unsalted canned chickpeas version), you can use a little bit less salt in this recipe. Taste and adjust seasonings as per your preference.

Add more curry powder if you desire a stronger ‘curry’ taste!

For an oil-free recipe, instead of the teaspoon of cooking oil used in this recipe, substitute with 2 – 4 tablespoons of vegetable broth (heated until hot) before sautéing the onions, carrots and mushrooms with it.

Nutrition Facts

Easy Vegan Curried Chickpeas & Mushrooms

Amount Per Serving

Calories 305 Calories from Fat 54

% Daily Value*

Fat 6g9%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2g

Monounsaturated Fat 2g

Sodium 620mg27%

Potassium 893mg26%

Carbohydrates 50g17%

Fiber 14g58%

Sugar 12g13%

Protein 17g34%

Vitamin A 5395IU108%

Vitamin C 9mg11%

Calcium 98mg10%

Iron 5mg28%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This Easy Vegan Curried Chickpeas & Mushrooms dish works wonderfully for the whole family because if the canned or home cooked chickpeas used in this recipe are well cooked through, they also end up being soft and easy for little toddler fingers to pick up and enjoy. Young fingers may enjoy the soft carrots too. Make this dish and you get the bonus of delicious smells emanating from the kitchen as you cook it!