A thick and wholesome dish consisting of health-conscious quinoa, chickpeas, and tomatoes. Chickpea and Tomato Quinoa is a vegetarian option that’s both filling and hearty.
It’s often asked of me if I eat everything I cook. And, as much as I’d like to live a life where I could eat whatever I want, I do not. Most of the recipes on my site are recipes that I’ve eaten over and over again throughout my lifetime, so I know the taste, the texture, and how to explain it to my audience. However, there are also many recipes that are new to me, so to do the recipe justice, I need to taste a few times and make notes of how I will describe it in the post. Chickpea and Tomato Quinoa is such a recipe.
In our household, there’s a lot of food all of the time. Being a food blogger makes having food on hand a minimum requirement. I shop for food items at least four or five times per week. To be completely honest, that’s the thing I dislike the most. I love grocery shopping, but I hate doing it alone. Our weekday schedules do not allow for us to grocery shop together, but about once every month, we head out to do what we call our pantry shop. This is where we stock up on pantry items such as canned beans, pastas, cereals, and baking supplies, and of course rice and grains to make dishes like Chickpea and Tomato Quinoa!
The life of a food blogger is not always as glamourous as one might think. Sure, the photographs look pretty, the table setting is just right, the food looks delicious and comforting, but that’s just the end result. There’s a lot of work that goes into each and every post, and grocery shopping is one of the most important.
We have friends and neighbours who think that we live the luxurious life of delicious mains, sides, and desserts at all times, but that’s really not the case. First of all, if we ate everything I cooked for my blog, we’d be as big as houses. That’s a lot of food for three people to eat! Many times – actually, most of the time – dishes are packed up and hand-delivered to the people we care most about. Unless the dish can be frozen and thawed for later consumption, I leave enough for our meal and pack the rest up to give away.
This dish, however, did not make it out the door. Chickpea and Tomato Quinoa was so loved by John.e and McKenna that no sharing was permitted. They both ate big, piping hot bowls of this dish for dinner. McKenna took a thermos packed with the quinoa to school for lunch. And, dinner the following night saw the remaining quinoa used as a side dish for them both.
Notice that I didn’t mention anything about me eating the quinoa? I love, love, love quinoa; I really do! But, I’m one of those people that’s eternally on a diet. You know the type. Quinoa is super healthy, but it makes me bloat like crazy. I sneak a spoonful here and there, but while John.e and McKenna dined on Chickpea and Tomato Quinoa, I was sticking to my grilled chicken breast salad.
As I’ve already mentioned, this dish is a great main option. There’s certainly enough protein in the dish to warrant a complete and wholesome meal. It’s certainly filling and very healthy too! Otherwise, you can enjoy Chickpea and Tomato Quinoa as a side dish. I would happily pair this with a simple grilled or baked chicken dish. But, I think it would be delicious with a baked fish, such a tilapia, cod, or halibut. A nice white fish would work best, I think.
Chickpea and Tomato Quinoa can be served hot or at room temperature. I guess you could serve it cold right from the refrigerator, but personally, I feel the flavours are muted when eaten cold. Served hot is best, but at room temperature is completely acceptable. Just be sure to gently and lightly fluff the dish with a fork before serving at room temperature. I think quinoa dishes are best when the grains are not sticking together in clumps.
The recipe is simple, as are the ingredients. The flavour is a combination of acidic, spicy, and ethnic. A great, wholesome dish all around, Chickpea and Tomato Quinoa is sure to be a new family favourite and a weeknight dinner rush saviour. Enjoy!
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Chickpea and Tomato Quinoa
Ingredients
- 2 cups quinoa
- 3 cups water
- 5 ounces tomato paste
- 14 ounces canned fire roasted tomatoes
- 19 ounces canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup parsley, finely chopped (plus more for garnish)
Instructions
- Over medium-high heat, add the quinoa, water, tomato paste, canned fire roasted tomatoes, chickpeas, garlic, dried red chili flakes, ground black pepper, salt, and butter to a large sauce pan. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil.
- Stir and place a lid on the pan. Reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Stir in the parsley and let sit uncovered for 5 minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
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Monica Zaklikowska says
looks yummy!
Judy says
I made this on a chilly rainy day.The only change I made was to leave out the red pepper flakes (they don’t agree with me) and added some hot sauce to the tomatoes when I poured them in. There is a lot to like about this dish. I will be making it again. Thanks. Judy
byronethomas@gmail.com says
Thank you, Judy. 🙂
Julia Gray says
Very tasty and super easy to make. I haven’t been grocery shopping this week so I wanted to try and make something with what I had in the pantry. Will definitely be making this again. I think I could use a smaller portion of it as a side to dinners too!
Rachel says
hello should the quinoa be put in the pan already cooked?
byronethomas@gmail.com says
No – the quinoa goes into the pot uncooked.
Lauren19 says
This is fire roasted yumminess!! Only issue was the quinoa didn’t cook all the way. Maybe the temp wasn’t right, or the way I put it in the pot. Would definitely try again though!
Michelle says
I’d recommend one cup less water. Or leave the lid off to cook and stir frequently. I had loads of runny watery sauce at the end of cooking. Nothing like the image on the page. Tasted great otherwise. I added onion and red pepper.