Spiced Chickpeas With Cauliflower and Roasted Lemon

By Melissa Clark

Published September 25, 2018

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Rating
5(2,577)
Comments
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In this hearty, meatless main course, chickpeas and potatoes are coated in a tomato-tinged spice paste and roasted until crunchy and browned. At the same time and in the same oven, cauliflower and tomatoes are cooked along with thinly sliced lemons until soft and caramelized. Just before serving, everything is tossed altogether and drizzled with an herbed, garlicky yogurt sauce. It’s a complete and satisfying meal that’s perfect for vegetable lovers. Meyer lemons work particularly well here because they are milder and sweeter than regular lemons. But use whichever you can find.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • Kosher salt, as needed

  • 1 lemon, preferably a Meyer lemon, thinly sliced and seeded

  • 1 (2 ¼-pound) head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces (about 8 cups)

  • 1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved

  • 2 jalapeños, seeded and thinly sliced

  • ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds

  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste

  • ½ teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce

  • ¾ teaspoon ground turmeric

  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin

  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1 (14- to 16-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and blotted dry

  • 1 pound baby or fingerling potatoes, cut into quarters

  • 2 rosemary sprigs

  • ¾ cup plain whole-milk yogurt (or substitute soy, nut or coconut milk yogurt)

  • ¼ cup chopped fresh dill or mint, plus more for garnish

  • ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish

  • ¼ cup chopped parsley, plus more for garnish

  • 1 large garlic clove, finely grated or minced

  • Fresh lemon juice, as needed

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

67 grams carbs; 6 milligrams cholesterol; 601 calories; 21 grams monosaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 33 grams fat; 17 grams fiber; 1552 milligrams sodium; 18 grams protein; 15 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Position racks in the top and bottom thirds of oven and heat to 425 degrees. Bring a small pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add lemon slices and simmer until softened, about 5 minutes. Drain, pat dry with a clean kitchen towel and cut slices into quarters.

  2. Step 2

    On a rimmed sheet pan, toss cauliflower, tomatoes and jalapeños with ¼ cup oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Fold in lemon slices. Place pan on bottom rack of oven and roast, tossing every 10 minutes, until well-browned, about 35 to 45 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    In a small bowl, stir together ¼ cup oil, cumin seeds, tomato paste, Tabasco, ground turmeric, cumin and coriander.

  4. Step 4

    On a separate rimmed sheet pan, toss together chickpeas, potatoes, spice-oil mixture and salt to taste. Top with rosemary sprigs. Roast on top rack until potatoes are golden, 30 to 40 minutes, tossing mixture halfway through. Remove pan and toss with more salt to taste.

  5. Step 5

    While everything is roasting, make the sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together yogurt, dill, basil, parsley, garlic, ½ teaspoon salt and a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste and add more salt or lemon if needed.

  6. Step 6

    To serve, toss roasted chickpeas and potatoes with cauliflower mixture. Drizzle with more oil, yogurt sauce and herbs.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
2,577 user ratings
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Comments

Su

For everyone finding the lemons indigestible in this recipe, or finding it hard to find Meyers, a finely chopped preserved lemon works wonders in a recipe like this and is much, much more palatable to eat whole. (The prolonged salting softens and cures the skin.) Just be careful with the added salt, as preserved lemons are already very salty.

Tiffany

For a simplified weeknight version, I made a few adjustments: I boiled the lemon as advised. Then, I marinated the cauliflower, tomatoes, jalapeno, rosemary, spices, tomato paste, etc. in a big bowl. Finally, I roasted some seasoned, cubed sweet potatoes and the chickpeas on their own, and then roasted everything together until it was crisped. I did make the yogurt sauce as noted. Very tasty! Love easy vegetarian meals like this.

jan

When I cook from a recipe, I really like to know the why. Why in this case do you cook the cauliflower separately from the potatoes and chickpeas? My lemons weren't burnt before I got the chickpeas in the oven. The cooking times are not that for the two pans are not that different. If there's a good reason to cook this on two pans, I'd like to know it, but making this tonight I don't get it.

Richard

A go-to recipe for my family. Made it tonight with no lemons and no jalapeños. Used some Aleppo peepers which were fantastic. Also used a simple mint-yogurt sauce which I preferred over the recipe’s fussier topping.

Linda

Does this need to be served warm? How is it is it sits a bit?

Gia

This is one of my family’s go-to recipes! I made it tonight with sweet potatoes and I think it was even better than with fingerlings!

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