Roasted Chickpea Fajitas

I’ve long loved roasting vegetables, but it’s only recently that I discovered how tasty roasted chickpeas can be. By coating them in spices and roasting, you can easily turn these healthy beans into your new favorite snack. Here, chickpeas are flavored with chili powder and cumin to form the perfect base for vegetarian fajitas. In case you can’t tell from my photo, my favorite part of fajitas is loading them down with toppings. I piled cilantro, lime wedges, salsa, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and diced avocado on mine, but these would even be good without extra toppings. I haven’t tried roasting beans other than chickpeas yet, but I can’t see any reason why this wouldn’t be equally delicious using black or pinto beans.

Roasted Chickpea Fajitas (adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)
Yield: 6 – 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp + 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp olive oil
• juice of 2 limes
• 2 large (28 – 32 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 onion, sliced
• 3 bell peppers, sliced**
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 chipotle pepper, minced
• 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano*
• salt and pepper, to taste
• fajita toppings of choice

*Or use 1/2 Tbsp dried.
**Feel free to use whichever color you like; I used one yellow, one orange, and one red for a nice variety of color.

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 3 Tbsp chili powder, 2 Tbsp ground cumin, 1 Tbsp kosher salt, 1 Tbsp olive oil, and juice of 2 limes. Add a splash water if needed to form a paste.
3. Add 2 large (28 – 32 ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed, and toss thoroughly to coat with spices.
4. Transfer the chickpeas to a baking sheet, spreading in a single layer (you will probably need two baking sheets), and roast in the oven, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until slightly crispy, about 20 – 25 minutes, then remove and set aside.
5. Meanwhile, in a large sautee pan, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat, then sautee 1 onion, sliced and 3 bell peppers, sliced until the onions are translucent and the bell peppers have softened, about 10 – 15 minutes.
6. Add 4 cloves garlic, minced, 1 chipotle pepper, minced, 1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano, 1 Tbsp chili powder, and 1/2 Tbsp ground cumin, and sautee until fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
7. Add salt and pepper, to taste, then remove from heat.
8. Serve by spooning the roasted chickpeas and the sauteed peppers and onions onto a warm tortilla (optional) and topping with fajita toppings of choice, such as chopped cilantro, lime wedges, salsa, sour cream, cheddar cheese, diced avocado, etc.