Family Zucchini Chickpea Curry in a creamy coconut sauce is delicious with roasted chickpeas, red bell peppers, zucchini, and onion. Recipe prep time is only 15 minutes and 25 minutes to cook, so it’s a great weeknight dinner!
Family Zucchini Chickpea Curry is a creamy, crunchy, and filled with warm, soothing, yummy flavors. You get the creamy, almost nutty roasted chickpeas, with the sweet and creamy coconut milk. Then lots of crunch and texture from the sweet red bell pepper, zucchini, and onion. Finally, I took a little inspiration from Thai Curry and added in aeromatic fresh basil, which brings a wonderful fresh finish. It’s all served on top of fluffy rice that soaks up the delicious sauce.
I call it ‘Family’ Chickpea Curry because it’s a great option to introducing kids to new flavors. For my kids, I find when new flavors are more subtle, not too spicy, they are more likely to try them and more likely to like them. While this dish is full flavored, it’s not too in-your-face.
This Chickpea Coconut Curry is packed with Vitamins & Nutrients, but few calories!
If your looking to add more plant-based dishes to your family diet, but you’re concerned about getting enough protein, beans are a great way to go! In this dish, that means Garbanzo beans or Chickpeas. Not only does this Chickpea Coconut Curry recipe provide protein, you get fiber, vitamins, and other nutrients too!
In this recipe, for only 325 calories per serving, you are getting 3g Fiber and 8g Protein! Scroll down to see the Nutrition Facts. Plus Chickpeas are great for so many health benefits that you can read more about!
Quick note! This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them. This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :). But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used.
EQUIPMENT NEEDED
Nothing special here! You need a sheet pan to roast the chickpeas and a large skillet/frying pan for making the veggies and curry sauce. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning. It comes with a glass lid, which is perfect for watching your dinner cook!
PREP-AHEAD FOR THIS ZUCCHINI CHICKPEA CURRY
We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details)
For this Zucchini Curry with roasted chickpeas recipe, you can prep the ingredients ahead or make the entire dish ahead and reheat when you’re ready to eat!
For the rice, you can make it ahead or the night of. I used a long grain white rice. You can also use Basmati rice.
To prepare the veggies and chickpeas ahead, start by draining and rinsing the chickpeas. Chop red pepper into bite-size pieces. Cut the zucchini into 1.5 inch sticks.
Dice the onion. Mince the garlic clove and mince the ginger. All of these can be stored in the fridge combined. You can measure out the other ingredients now too and store everything on a sheet pan together in the fridge.
COOK YOUR ZUCCHINI CHICKPEA CURRY
Drain the Chickpeas (if you haven’t already), rinse, then pat dry. Place on sheet pan. Drizzle with a teaspoon of coconut oil or olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the chickpeas to coat and then separate into a single layer. Roast them in the oven for 20 minutes.
Preheat a large skillet on high. Add a teaspoon of Coconut Oil or Olive Oil and then add the red pepper and Zucchini. Cook for 5-6 minutes until they start to sear soften slightly. Then transfer to a plate.
To the same pan, turn the heat down and over medium heat, add a teaspoon of oil and add the onions, garlic, and ginger, stirring occasionally, so that they do not burn. Cook to soften about 2 minutes.
Make the slurry by whisking in the cornstarch into the coconut milk.
Add the Coconut Milk Slurry and the broth to the onions mixture. Also add and whisk in the honey, curry powder, cayenne powder, and salt & ground pepper to taste. Continue to whisk until thickened. It’s thick enough when you’re able to see the pan for a few seconds when you scrape the bottom.
Add in the roasted chickpeas and the cooked red pepper and zucchini. Stir to combine and warm through, as needed. Just warm through and remove from the heat. Be sure not to over cook the zucchini as it will get mushy.
Put the rice in a bowl and top with the Zucchini Chickpea Curry.
RECIPE FAQS
What are some other vegetables that would work in this recipe?
If you either want to replace the zucchini or supplement it with more veggies, here are some recommendations. Sliced onion, scallions, thinly sliced carrots, or halved mushrooms would also all be delicious in this recipe.
Are there any other spices or seasonings that are used in Curry?
In this recipe, I used fresh garlic, fresh ginger, curry powder, cayenne pepper, and honey to impart full flavor. You will see a wide variety of recipes for Curry. In addition to what’s in this recipe, sometimes they have coriander or cumin seeds, or sometimes garam masala. Fresh herbs such as cilantro leaves are another common herb added. I used Basil in this recipe. There are also some ready made pastes, like red curry paste that are great starters to use.
Can this Curry recipe be made ahead and reheated?
Yes! This reheats beautifully, so make this on the weekend and reheat on a busy weeknight. To reheat it, you can add it back to a skillet and reheat it on low heat to medium heat. Or simply put it in the microwave.
ENJOY! 😍 Carrie
Family Zucchini Chickpea Curry
Family Zucchini Chickpea Curry with Vegetables is a creamy, crunchy, and filled with warm, soothing, yummy flavors. You get nutty roasted chickpeas, with sweet and creamy coconut milk. Then lots of crunch and texture from the sweet red bell pepper, zucchini, and onion. Finally, I took a little inspiration from Thai Curry and added in aeromatic fresh basil, which brings a wonderful fresh finish. It's all served on top of fluffy rice that soaks up the delicious sauce.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Long grain White Rice, uncooked
- 3 teaspoon Coconut oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Red Bell Pepper
- 1 Zucchini, medium-large sized
- 15 oz Chickpeas (13-15 oz can will be fine)
Curry Sauce
- 1 Small Yellow Onion
- 1 Garlic Clove, minced
- 1 tablespoon Ginger, minced
- ½ cup Vegetable Broth or stock
- 3 tbls Cornstarch
- 14 oz Lite Coconut Milk (13-15 oz can will be fine)
- 2 teaspoon Curry Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Honey
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 10 Basil Leaves
Instructions
Prep-Ahead Instructions
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You can make the rice ahead and reheat or wait until you cook the dinner. Make the rice according to package instructions. Or: To a small-medium pot with a lid, add 4 cups water, ½ teaspoon salt, and rice. Bring water to boil, stir, turn heat down to lowest setting, cover the pot and cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, turn off the heat, but leave covered until ready to serve.
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Drain the chickpeas. Chop red pepper into bite-size pieces. Cut the zucchini into 1.5 inch sticks.
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Dice the onion. Mince the garlic clove and mince the ginger. All of these can be stored in the fridge combined. You can measure out the other ingredients now too and store everything on a sheet pan together in the fridge.
Cook your Chickpea Coconut Curry!
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Preheat the oven to 400 F degrees.
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Drain Chickpeas (if not already done), rinse, then pat dry. Place on sheet pan. Drizzle with a teaspoon of coconut oil or olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the chickpeas to coat and then separate into a single layer. Roast them in the oven for 20 minutes.
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Preheat a large skillet on high. Add a teaspoon of Coconut Oil or Olive Oil and then add the red pepper and Zucchini. Cook for 5-6 minutes until they start to sear soften slightly. Then transfer to a plate.
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To the same pan, turn the heat down to menium-low, add a teaspoon of oil and add the onions, garlic, and ginger. Stir often so that they do not burn. Cook to soften about 2 minutes.
-
Make the slurry by whisking in the cornstarch into the coconut milk.
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Add the Coconut Milk Slurry and the broth to the onions mixture. Also add and whisk in the honey, curry powder, cayenne powder, and salt & ground pepper to taste. Continue to whisk until thickened. It's thick enough when you're able to see the pan for a few seconds when you scrape the bottom.
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Add in the roasted chickpeas, the cooked red pepper and zucchini, and the fresh basil leaves. Stir to combine and warm through, as needed. Just warm through and remove from the heat. Be sure not to over cook the zucchini as it will get mushy.
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Put the rice in a bowl and top with the Chickpea Coconut Curry.
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