Easy Red Pepper Pesto Chickpea Traybake

Amy Lanza’s red pepper pesto chickpea traybake from Feel Good Kitchen is a quick, flavorful dish perfect for busy nights. With just 10 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of cooking, it’s an easy meal that packs a punch. The chickpeas add a protein boost, making it filling and nutritious.

The vegetables in this dish, including red pepper, zucchini, onion, and cherry tomatoes, roast beautifully, developing a sweet and smoky flavor. The chickpeas crisp up nicely in the oven, adding crunch and texture to the dish. What really makes this traybake stand out, though, is the red pepper pesto. Made with roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, walnuts, and nutritional yeast, it’s rich, creamy, and full of flavor.

Serve this traybake over a bed of couscous or quinoa, topped with massaged kale, crushed walnuts, pomegranate seeds, and spring onions. This dish is not only quick and high in protein, but it’s also packed with healthy fats and antioxidants from the walnuts. It’s a great meal for meal prep or packed lunches since leftovers keep well for a few days.

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Red pepper pesto chickpea traybake

This traybake is easy to make, full of plant protein, and uses walnuts for omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants.

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Duration25 minutes mins

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Servings4

Ingredients

For the vegetables

• 1 white or red onion cut into chunks
• 1 red pepper deseeded and cut into chunks
• 1 zucchini cut into 1/4-moon slices
• 160 g cherry tomatoes halved
• 1x400g can chickpeas/ garbanzo beans drained, rinsed and patted dry (240g cups drained weight)
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• ½ tsp hot smoked paprika
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the red pepper pesto

• 100 g cup roasted red peppers in oil drained weight
• 80 g sun-dried tomatoes drained weight
• 40 g cup walnuts
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 garlic clove crushed

For the bowls

• 180 g giant couscous or quinoa
• 75 g cavolo nero or kale shredded
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp walnuts crushed
• 4 tbsp pomegranate seeds
• 2 spring onions/scallions sliced

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 6 and line a large baking sheet with baking parchment.
• Add the onion, red pepper, courgette, cherry tomatoes and chickpeas to the lined baking sheet. Now add the garlic, olive oil, paprika, oregano and some salt and pepper. Toss well, then roast in the oven for 20–25 minutes until the chickpeas are crispy and the vegetables are tender. Turn the baking sheet around halfway through.
• Meanwhile, make the red pepper pesto by adding all the ingredients to a small food processor or blender and blitzing until smooth. Refrigerate in a sealed container for 3–5 days.
• Cook the couscous or quinoa according to the package directions and leave to one side.
• Add the kale to a medium bowl with 1 tsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt and massage with your hands for 30 seconds or so to wilt the leaves.
• To serve, divide the couscous or quinoa between four bowls and add the kale. Top with the roasted vegetables and chickpeas and spoon over the red pepper pesto. Sprinkle over the walnuts, pomegranate seeds and spring onions, and enjoy.
• Refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for 2–3 days, then eat cold or warmed back up.

Recipes republished with permission from Feel Good Kitchen, by Amy Lanza (Nourish Books). Publication date: March 2025. £22.00 Hardback. Photography and text copyright © Amy Lanza 2025. Available to order now.  

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