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Italian Peppers and Chickpeas – Lots of sweet bell peppers and meaty chickpeas mingling with tomatoes and Italian spices. Serve it over rice, farro, noodles, or next to a crusty hunk of bread. It’s a delicious and easy 30 minute meal!
As we head into summer, 30 minute meals are the name of the game.
I want to soak up every minute with my kids, playing outside, going to the pool, hiking, biking, long walks, visiting lots of parks, getting lost in good books together, building forts and watching movies, all of it!
Plus, I have to balance working among all of this adventure, too. Thank goodness for working from home!
Any meal that I can prep in advance or simply throw in a pot or skillet is getting my vote for dinnertime. And this Italian Peppers and Chickpeas fits the bill!
Sweet Bell Peppers
The star of this dish is bell peppers!
It’s one of our favorite vegetables. My kids love to eat them raw, sliced into thin strips. Stuffed peppers are a favorite meal when our late summer garden is abundant with them. And any saucy meal containing peppers is a big win!
Bell peppers come in a variety of colors, including red, yellow, orange, green, and even purple. The color indicates how ripe the pepper is. Green peppers are unripe, but are still edible and delicious! Red peppers are fully ripe.
I like to use yellow, orange, and red peppers in this dish for a rainbow of color. We eat with our eyes first!
Because they aren’t as sweet as the riper varieties, I don’t use green peppers in this dish. If you are a fan of green peppers, however, go ahead and add them in!
Don’t miss these other delicious bell pepper recipes!
- Spicy Peanut Rice Stuffed Mini Peppers
- Mediterranean Stuffed Peppers
- Vegan Mushroom Pepper Steak
- Bell Pepper and Chickpea Tacos with Avocado Green Chile Sauce
What is Farro?
I like to serve this Italian Peppers and Chickpeas recipe with farro for yet another layer of texture and flavor.
Farro is an ancient grain made from a variety of wheat and contains quite a bit of nutrition.
This nutty, chewy grain is high in protein, fiber, magnesium, zinc, iron, and B vitamins.
Note: because it’s made from wheat, farro is not gluten free and, therefore, not suitable for those with Celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
For gluten free options, serve this dish with brown rice, quinoa, or gluten free noodles. Or skip those altogether and serve it with your favorite gluten free bread.
Gorgeous flat bowls above from Off Your Rocker Pottery. Use code ‘veggie’ to receive a 10% discount off your order!
Meal Prep – Love It or Hate It?
I love the idea of meal prep, but in reality I won’t do it.
Even though I generally plan our meals in advance and grocery shop once a week for everything I need, I still don’t want to put in extra time prepping ingredients in advance.
However, if you are a meal prep lover, then this easy healthy dinner recipe just got even quicker to make. You can slice your onions, peppers, and carrots all in advance. You can also cook up a big batch of grains or noodles to serve it with. Keep the grains separate from the veggies and store everything in air-tight containers in the fridge.
So, how do you get this meal on the table in just 30 minutes withOUT meal prep? Use canned chickpeas, which are ready to eat, just drain and rinse. Chop your onion and get it in the skillet. While the onion is cooking, chop your garlic, carrots and peppers. Then simply add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer. Serve it with instant rice, quick-cook farro, or quinoa, which all cook in about 10-15 minutes (or sometimes less!). Start the water for the grains before you start anything else and then add them once the water is boiling so they are cooking while the peppers and chickpeas are simmering.
To make it even faster, you can buy frozen pre-chopped onions and peppers and bottled minced garlic. And you can usually find pre-chopped carrot coins in the produce section.
More 30 Minute Meals to Love:
- Easy Vegan Bolognese
- Crunchy Black Bean Mini Tacos
- Falafel Burger with Cucumber Peanut Relish
- Sloppy Pineapple Chickpea BBQ Sandwiches
- Easy Black Bean Soup
Italian Peppers and Chickpeas
I hope you love these Italian Peppers and Chickpeas as much as we do. If you try it, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback and star rating.
You can also find me on social media. Be sure to tag @veggie_inspired and #veggieinspired.
Enjoy!
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or about 1/3 cup broth or water)
- 1 yellow onion (halved and sliced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 carrots (peeled and chopped)
- 3 sweet bell peppers in a variety of colors (seeded and sliced)
- 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence (or Italian seasoning)
- 2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
- 14.5 ounces canned diced tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 15 ounces canned tomato sauce (optional, if you like it extra saucy)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Heat the oil (or broth or water) in a large deep skillet over medium heat.
Add the onion and sauté 4-5 minutes, until soft and translucent.
Add the garlic, carrots, peppers, and Herbs de Provence, and sauté 2-3 minutes to start to release the flavors.
Add the chickpeas, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, and tomato sauce, if using. Increase heat to bring mixture to a simmer, then decrease heat to medium-low and simmer 15 minutes until vegetables are softened, but still have a bite. You can also add the tomato sauce later after simmering a bit if you are unsure you'll need/want it.
Add the balsamic vinegar and stir to combine.
Serve with grains or noodles of choice and/or some crusty bread.
~The tomato sauce is optional. My kids like it extra saucy, so sometimes I add it. But, I love the the lighter taste of this dish without. Photos were taken without the addition of tomato sauce.
~This recipe is gluten free as written. To keep it gluten free for serving, serve with brown rice, quinoa, or gluten free noodles, and/or gluten free bread.
~Nutrition facts calculated without grains or noodles for serving.
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