Mediterranean Chickpea Casserole: Healthy Vegan Dinner 🍅🫒
Hearty, saucy, cheesy-but-vegan. Think baked chickpeas in tomato with olives, herbs, and a golden top.
Serves 4–6 | Prep 15 min, Bake 30 min, One dish
Ingredients
For the casserole base:
Olive oil: 2 tbsp
Yellow onion: 1 medium, diced
Bell pepper: 1 red, diced — color + sweetness
Garlic: 4 cloves, minced
Zucchini: 1 medium, diced ½-inch
Chickpeas: 2 cans / 30 oz total, drained + rinsed
Crushed tomatoes: 1 can / 28 oz
Tomato paste: 2 tbsp — deepens flavor
Vegetable broth: ½ cup
Kalamata olives: ½ cup, pitted + halved
Capers: 1 tbsp, drained — optional but adds briny punch
Mediterranean spices + herbs:
Dried oregano: 2 tsp
Smoked paprika: 1 tsp
Ground cumin: 1 tsp
Red pepper flakes: ½ tsp — optional heat
Kosher salt: 1 tsp
Black pepper: ½ tsp
Fresh parsley: ¼ cup, chopped + more for garnish
Fresh basil: ¼ cup, torn — add at end
Lemon zest: 1 tsp
For the golden top:
Cherry tomatoes: 1 cup, halved — roast on top
Breadcrumbs: ½ cup, panko or gluten-free
Nutritional yeast: 3 tbsp — cheesy, vegan
Olive oil: 1 tbsp — to toast breadcrumbs
Pine nuts: 2 tbsp, optional — for crunch
Method
Sauté the veg — 8 min
Preheat oven to 400°F / 200°C. Large oven-safe skillet or 9×13 dish. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium. Add onion, bell pepper, ½ tsp salt. Sauté 4 min until soft. Add garlic, zucchini, oregano, paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes. Cook 3 min until fragrant and zucchini starts to soften.
Build the sauce — 5 min
Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 min to caramelize. Add crushed tomatoes, broth, chickpeas, olives, capers, remaining ½ tsp salt, pepper. Simmer 4–5 min until slightly thickened. Turn off heat. Stir in lemon zest, parsley, and half the basil. Taste: should be bold, tomatoey, briny, herby.
Top + bake — 30 min
Press cherry tomato halves cut-side up into the top — they’ll roast + burst. Mix breadcrumbs, nutritional yeast, 1 tbsp olive oil, pine nuts, pinch salt. Sprinkle evenly over casserole.
Bake uncovered 25–30 min until bubbling at edges and top is golden + crisp. If top isn’t brown at 25 min, broil 60–90 sec. Watch it.
Rest + finish
Rest 5 min — it sets up. Top with remaining fresh basil, more parsley, crack of black pepper, drizzle of good olive oil. Lemon wedges on side.
Macros per serving — for 5:
Calories: ∼350
Protein: 12g
Carbs: 42g
Fat: 16g
Fiber: 12g