Taking a Break for a Snack: Roasted Chickpeas

It’s been a crazy week filled with appointments, and I’m also having difficulty sitting at my computer because of tailbone pain. For those reasons, I wasn’t able to write one of my usual blog posts for today. Instead I’m going to post my favorite snack recipe for you to enjoy: Roasted Chickpeas.

The great thing about this recipe is that it has no added fat or salt and chickpeas are also a source of protein. I love this snack so much that I’ve even taken some to the movie theater to eat in place of popcorn. This recipe is very easy to make but it does have a long cooking time. 

The fun part is choosing the spices and you can change it up each time if you want. I like to use onion and garlic powder (sometimes a dash of garam masala, too) and my husband likes a kick of cayenne. Anything goes! If after you cook the chickpeas you find the taste is not strong enough, just sprinkle extra spices on while they are still hot. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

~* ROASTED CHICKPEAS *~

2 cans of Chickpeas (some brands use less sodium, read the labels)

3/4 cup dry grated Parmesan cheese

Spices I like to use: 

     1 tsp Garlic powder

     1 tsp Onion powder

1 gallon-sized Ziploc bag

9 x 13 baking pan (I like to use an AirBake pan)

Aluminum foil

Pam cooking spray

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Set oven to 350 degrees.

Cover baking pan with foil & spray with Pam. Also spray a spatula. 

Into the Ziploc add Parmesan cheese and the spices you want. Seal bag and shake to mix. Test by sticking in one finger to taste. It should be strong because the chickpeas are very plain. Add more spices if desired.

Strain liquid from chickpeas & pour them into Ziploc. Seal bag well and shake. Pour the coated chickpeas into pan & spread evenly. If there is any excess dry mix in the bag, sprinkle it over the top. Put pan into oven.

Set a timer for 20 minutes. Stir with spatula to prevent sticking together. Reset timer & continue stirring at 20 minute intervals.

After 100 minutes remove 3 chickpeas from the pan and let cool for a few minutes. Eat them to check firmness and texture.

A delicious double-batch of Roasted Chickpeas!

If you like them crunchy outside but chewy/soft inside (like me!) they will likely be done at approximately 110 minutes. To get them hard crunchy (which will increase storage life) they need to cook about two hours or maybe a little more, depending on your oven and the type of pan you use. They will harden up a bit as they cool. It may take some practice to get them just the way you like, but practicing is always delicious!

Remove chickpeas from oven & allow to cool down completely in the pan before storing. Note: If you store them in a sealed container like Tupperware, they will soften a little.

Enjoy!