Here, charred corn tortillas are lathered with a citrusy cilantro pesto, then topped with pan-fried canned chickpeas dressed up with a Mexican-inspired spice blend. They’re finished with a dollop of salsa and diced avocado for creamy goodness (and healthy fats). With a little multitasking, you’re looking at a gourmet dinner with fresh and bright flavors in just 20 minutes. Bonus: you’ll have leftover pesto, so you can whip up another batch of chickpea tacos in a couple days in lightning speed. And if you’re looking for more gourmet but easy taco recipes, my Tempeh Tacos with Avocado Crema and Double Decker Black Bean and Corn Salad Tacos are must-makes!
Watch: How to make Chickpea Tacos!
Ingredient notes
Roasted nuts: I use pre-roasted cashews for this pesto recipe to keep things quick, but if you only have raw nuts, roast them first (roasting nuts draws out their essential flavors). Add the nuts to a sheet pan, spread out, and roast at 350ºF/175ºC for 7 to 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through. Pistachios and walnuts also work well in this pesto. Cilantro: Cilantro is the base ingredient for the pesto, so you need a fair amount. Use the leaves and tender stems (they are edible and flavorful!), but omit any thick stems, usually towards the bottom as they don’t taste great. If you have that gene that makes you think cilantro tastes like soap (so sad, I’m truly sorry), use flat-leaf parsley instead; if it’s summer, use fresh basil. Jalapeño: The pesto uses one small jalapeño pepper for a moderate heat. If you can’t tolerate spice at all, feel free to omit. If you want just a tiny bit of spice, remove the membranes from the pepper. Chickpeas. Canned chickpeas keep this recipe very quick, but if you’re in the habit of cooking chickpeas from scratch, it’ll make these chickpea tacos even better :)
Step-by-step instructions
Rinse the chickpeas and dry them well in a towel. Heat a bit of oil in a large frying pan. Once hot, add the chickpeas and spread out in a single layer. Cook undisturbed for 2 to 3 minutes to allow some browning. Toss, and cook 3 more minutes until starting to blister in spots. Add the spice blend and salt and toss quickly to prevent spices from drying out. Coat the chickpeas and cook for another 2 to 4 minutes. Take off the heat, then squeeze a bit of lime juice into the chickpeas. While the chickpeas are cooking, start on the pesto. Blitz your toasted or roasted nuts in a food processor until they’re in tiny pieces. Add the remaining pesto ingredients—cilantro, garlic, lemon or lime zest and juice, jalapeño, salt, and pepper. Blend until a paste forms. Then stream in the olive oil with the motor running until you have a relatively smooth and thick sauce, scraping down the sides as needed. Slather some pesto onto charred corn tortillas, top with a handful of chickpeas, and a couple spoons each of your favorite salsa and diced avocado.
Tips for making these chickpea tacos
Make sure your chickpeas are dried well. When you pan-fry chickpeas in hot oil, they need to be well-dried so (1) the hot oil doesn’t splatter and (2) they can get browned and blistered and a tad crispy. Taste the cilantro before you make your pesto. Occasionally, I’ll get a bunch of cilantro that’s really bitter, at least the stems. I recommend tasting a bite before making the pesto to be sure. If the stems are bitter, (1) use only the cilantro leaves and (2) use a lemon in the pesto instead of lime, as lemon is better able to counteract bitter flavors. If you taste the pesto and it’s a bit bitter, add more lemon juice and salt and a couple pinches of sugar or agave nectar to balance. Multitask. To ensure you get dinner on the table in 20 minutes, you’ll need to multitask. While the pan is preheating, get started on the pesto, while the chickpeas are cooking, make the pesto, etc. Make a double batch of the pesto. The pesto will stay good in your fridge for at least a week and is such a versatile sauce. You can use it to make another batch of tacos later in the week, or drizzle it on any number of savory meals: other tacos, burrito bowls, grain salads, fried or baked tofu, roasted cauliflower or winter squash, etc. Feel free to jazz these tacos up. If you’re not limited to a 20-minute window, you can add more pizzazz to these tacos. A few options.
Make my homemade Pico de Gallo (the 5th recipe card in that post) or Mango Avocado Salsa instead of using store-bought salsa. Supplement the spiced chickpeas with crispy roasted mushrooms (find the instructions in this post) or roasted cauliflower. Instead of diced avocado, make Guacamole (the 6th recipe card in that post). For a little zing, serve with pickled red onions (the 7th recipe card in that post). If it’s summertime, grill some corn, bell peppers, or zucchini and add along with the chickpeas.
That’s all you need to know about this easy and quick Spiced Chickpea Tacos. If you love this recipe, please rate and review the recipe below :)
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