Simple Chickpea Bolognese

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Big plate filled with our recipe for healthy Chickpea Bolognese with Carrot Noodles

Guess what? Pasta got a makeover and it’s ridiculously delicious.

Bonus? It’s easy.

Oh, and there’s no meat, cheese, or noodles.

Who’s with me?!

Cast-iron skillet filled with ingredients for making our amazing Chickpea Bolognese sauce

I was inspired to make this recipe by my love for pasta (obviously).

I have a Boozy Red Wine Spaghetti recipe in our 31 Meals eCookbook, and I also have a tempeh meatball recipe that you all love! I was originally going to combine the two. However, I decided to switch things up and use my favorite plant-based protein of late – chickpeas! These little guys know no bounds.

Baking sheet with freshly roasted chickpeas and spices for making a healthy plant-based dinner

This bolognese is simple, requiring just 10 ingredients and 40 minutes to prepare! Side note: you can learn about the origins of bolognese here.

While the chickpeas are roasting, prepare your sauce and (1-ingredient!) carrot noodles. This meal doesn’t get much easier.

Cast-iron skillet filled with our gluten-free vegan recipe of Chickpea Bolognese
Bowl of Carrot Noodles made using a vegetable peeler

I think you guys are going to LOVE this recipe! It’s:

Flavorful
Comforting
Satisfying
Healthy
Plant-based
& Simple

Keep this bolognese on hand for easy, weeknight meals when the family wants pasta but you want something light and healthy, yet hearty. It’s the perfect compromise.

Big plate of our Chickpea Bolognese with Carrot Noodles for a gluten-free plant-based dinner

If you try this dish, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and don’t forget to take a picture and tag it #minimalistbaker on Instagram! We love seeing what you come up with. Cheers, friends!

Weeknight Chickpea Bolognese

Easy, flavorful, 10-ingredient chickpea bolognese over carrot noodles! A healthy, fast, satisfying plant-based meal!
Author Minimalist Baker
Print
Gold spoon and fork resting on a plate of Chickpea Bolognese over Carrot Noodles
4.89 from 54 votes
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
Course Entrée
Cuisine Gluten-Free, Italian-Inspired, Vegan
Does it keep? 3-4 Days

Ingredients

CHICKPEAS

SAUCE

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced (3 cloves yield ~1 1/2 Tbsp or 9 g)
  • 1/4 cup carrots (very finely diced)
  • 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
  • 1 Tbsp dried or fresh oregano
  • 1 Tbsp vegan parmesan cheese (plus more to taste)
  • 1-2 Tbsp sweetener of choice (such as organic cane sugar or coconut sugar // optional)

CARROT NOODLES

  • 10 large carrots (ribboned with a vegetable peeler // or sub 8 ounces pasta of choice per 10 carrots)

FOR SERVING optional

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C).
  • Add rinsed, dried chickpeas to a mixing bowl and toss with olive oil, oregano, salt, garlic powder, panko bread crumbs, and vegan parmesan cheese.
  • Place chickpeas on a baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crispy and light golden brown (see photo), then remove and set aside.
  • While chickpeas are baking, heat a large metal or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add olive oil, garlic and carrots. Sauté for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Remove skillet from heat, add tomato sauce, oregano, and vegan parmesan cheese, and stir. Place back over heat and bring to a low simmer over medium-low heat. Once simmering, reduce heat to low and continue cooking to thicken, stirring occasionally.
  • Sample sauce and adjust seasonings as needed. Add sweetener of choice at this time if preferred (I went with 1 Tbsp coconut sugar, 1 Tbsp organic cane sugar // amount as original recipe is written // adjust if altering batch size).
  • To make carrot noodles, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, add carrots and boil for 2-3 minutes (2 for al dente, 3 for more tender noodles). Drain and set aside.
  • Add 3/4 of the baked chickpeas to the sauce (see photo) and stir.
  • To serve, top carrot noodles with sauce, remaining chickpeas, and any additional toppings (see options above).
  • Leftovers keep well (separate) in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat sauce in the microwave or saucepan. Add a little water to thin if too thick.

Notes

*Recipe inspired by/loosely adapted from Emeril Lagasse.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with carrot noodles and no additional toppings (calculated without any additional sweetener).

Nutrition (1 of 4 servings)

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 292 Carbohydrates: 43.2 g Protein: 10.2 g Fat: 10.4 g Saturated Fat: 1.5 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 0 mg Sodium: 943 mg Fiber: 7.2 g Sugar: 16.7 g

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  1. jill says

    fantastic. plant based dinners always lead to empty bowls and a lovely lasting taste in your mouth. Apart from a little garlic powder on the chickpeas, I don’t use garlic. it was still really tasty – I added a little coconut sugar to the sauce. I used brown rice spaghetti for ease. will make again for sure.

  2. Carol Healy says

    Is there something I can substitute for the olive oil for the Chickpeas section? We try to follow an oil-free vegan diet. I tried vegetable broth, but the bread crumb coating wouldn’t adhere to the chickpeas. I ended up adding the olive oil after the fact to try to make it stick.
    It’s a great recipe, even the picky eaters in the family enjoyed it, and I’d definitely like it to make it again. Thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Carol, we’re so glad you all enjoyed! We’re not sure if it would work to make the chickpeas oil-free, but you could possibly try reserving 1-2 Tbsp of the aquafaba (the liquid from the canned chickpeas) to use in place of the oil. Sometimes aquafaba works well in place of oil but we haven’t tried it in this recipe. Let us know how it goes!

  3. Erica says

    Second time making this dish! I did everything the same but used regular Parmesan. I’m too impatient to cook the carrot noodles separately, so I just add them to the sauce and it really sweetens it! Thanks for a fresh look on pasta!