This delicious meal of pasta with roasted chickpeas, cauliflower and spinach is a family favorite. As the cook and parent, I also love it because it's super easy to make and features healthy ingredients cooked in a manner anyone would love.
One of the inspirations for this dish was a recipe I posted a few years back, for sheet pan roasted cauliflower and chickpeas. I used the same method to roast the cauliflower and chickpeas this time, except I varied the seasonings to better suit the pasta.
In case you wonder about the pretty tint to the cauliflower, I used an orange cauliflower. You can use a regular white cauliflower, and if you want the color you can add a dash of turmeric along with the other seasonings before you roast it.
The pasta is gorgeous--it has a very simple sauce of olive oil, garlic, spinach, lemon, pepper and salt. On top go the crunchy chickpeas and roasted cauliflower. Spear a bit of each on your fork and take a big, hearty bite. Then come back and tell me all about it!
Why you'll love this roasted cauliflower and chickpeas pasta
- It's packed with flavor.
- It's easy to make.
- It has so many great textures: crunchy chickpeas, toothsome spaghetti, velvety spinach and the slightly crispy cauliflower.
- It's an entire meal in a dish. You have great protein from the chickpeas and pasta, and cauliflower and spinach provide veggie power.
Ingredients
- Chickpeas (canned or cooked)
- Cauliflower
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dry Oregano (or thyme or rosemary)
- EVOO
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Spaghetti (I used thin spaghetti)
- Garlic
- Red pepper flakes
- Baby spinach
- Parsley
- Vegan parmesan (for serving)
Tips and substitutions
Yes, just use a gluten-free spaghetti. The rest of the sauce and ingredients are all gluten-free.
There are lots of options. Broccoli would be great in this pasta, as would brussels sprouts. Roast them just as you would the cauliflower. You can also use zucchini or a winter squash like butternut. Again, roast it along with the chickpeas.
In the 40-minute roasting time I recommend, the chickpeas will roast up softly crunchy, which is a texture I love with the pasta. But if you want crunchier chickpeas, you can let them go a bit longer in the oven. Keep an eye on the cauliflower and take it out if it starts to brown too much before returning the chickpeas to the oven.
Absolutely. I really like the spaghetti here but a shorter pasta like penne would work as well.
More vegan pasta recipes
Pasta with Roasted Chickpeas, Cauliflower and Spinach
Equipment
- Sheet pan
- Stock pot for boiling pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz spaghetti
- 1 small head cauliflower (cut into florets)
- 3 cups chickpeas (cooked, or about two 15 oz cans, drained)
- 1 ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 2 teaspoon oregano (or thyme or rosemary)
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 4 cloves garlic (minced or crushed in a garlic press)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (use more or less per taste)
- 6 oz baby spinach
- ½ cup parsley (chopped, divided)
- 1 lemon (zest and juice)
- ¼ cup vegan parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place the cauliflower and chickpeas on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil or parchment. Sprinkle on the oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and ground black pepper to taste. Drizzle one tablespoon of the olive oil and toss the florets until they are coated with the herbs and spices.
- Roast the chickpeas 40 minutes or until crunchy enough to your liking. I like the texture at 40 minutes for this pasta.
- While the chickpeas and cauliflower are cooking, boil a large stockpot of water for the pasta. Cook pasta until al dente.
- Five minutes before the pasta is done, heat the remaining half tablespoon of oil in a skillet large enough to hold the pasta (a wok works perfectly for this).
- Add the garlic, stir until it just begins to turn golden, then stir in the baby spinach and half the parsley. Saute for a couple of minutes until the spinach has wilted.
- Add the red pepper flakes and salt and black pepper to taste. Stir in lemon juice and zest.
- Add the cooked spaghetti with ½ cup of the pasta water. Add salt and ground black pepper if needed and mix well with a pair of tongs.
- Stir in the roasted cauliflower and chickpeas, reserving some to top the pasta. Stir in the parsley.
- Serve with vegan cashew parmesan for sprinkling.
Nutrition
Love this vegan pasta? Check out more vegan dinner recipes on Holy Cow!
Karen Bronchetti
I love this recipe and will make it again. I used half a pound of thin spaghetti, which was enough for me, and I used ground tumeric to give the cauliflower the yellow color.
Vaishali
That sounds awesome. So happy you've enjoyed it, Karen!
Karen Bronchetti
I've made this wonderful recipe many times. It's so satisfying and delicious. It's also a great recipe to use as a jumping off point for variation. This time I substituted Ronzoni Tumeric Pasta and Trader Joe's Greek Chick Peas with Cumin and Lemon, which already taste like lemon so I didn't add lemon. It's wonderful.
Nina
This was delicious. I will definitely make it again. Thank you!
Caitlin F
This is so good! I made it last night and substituted kale for the spinach b/c that's what I had on hand. I added a few splashes of veg. broth to the kale while it was cooking, which was yummy too. So glad I discovered your blog! Planning on making the tater tot casserole later this week.
Vaishali
So happy to hear, Caitlin! The tater tot casserole is my favorite. Hope you enjoy it. 🙂
Anonymous
Hi! I just want to make sure - I'm supposed to roast the cauliflower for 40 minutes as well?
Vaishali
Yes, roast them both--the cauliflower and chickpeas--for 40 minutes. If you want to make the chickpeas crunchier, remove the cauliflower and let the chickpeas go a bit longer.
Sally
Awesome, awesome flavor. We loved it, thanks for a keeper.
Vaishali
So happy to hear!
Karen G
I cooked this tonight. My husband and I loved this dish. It is our new favorite recipe. The garlic-lemon-red pepper sauce is very tasty. The vegan cashew parmesan adds that special touch. We had fettuccine on hand and I was cooking kale with onions and garlic as a side dish so I substituted some of that for the spinach and parsley And it was still really good. I highly recommend this recipe. It’s a hit.
Vaishali
Karen, so happy to hear! 🙂