Cooking On A Budget: 5 Ways To Use Chickpeas

Cooking on a student budget isn’t always easy. When you’re down to your last couple of pounds, reaching for the pot noodle can seem like the easiest solution but we’ve got you covered. At less than a pound per tin, chickpeas are a really cheap ingredient that can make for some delicious dishes.

Hummus

If there is one thing that screams student food it’s hummus and it turns out you can make it easily enough at home.

Ingredients: 200 grams of canned chickpeas, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, 2 garlic cloves, 1 teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 tablespoon of tahini, 4 tablespoons of water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of paprika, salt, pitta bread

Instructions

1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and crush the garlic cloves. Place in a blender.
2. Add the remaining ingredients and blend together.
3. Once blended, add pinches of salt until you are happy with the flavour (you can also add more of the lemon juice, cumin and paprika if you want a stronger flavour).
4. Serve with pitta bread.

Chickpea pasta

This bowl of chickpeas and pasta is a warm and homely dish, perfect for the end of a long, cold day.

Ingredients: 450 grams of chickpeas (drained and rinsed), 1 garlic clove, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of tomato puree, 1 teaspoon of chopped rosemary, 1 and 1/2 litres of vegetable stock, 200 grams of pasta (serves 4)

Instructions

1. Slice up the garlic and lightly fry it in the olive oil.
2. Add in the tomato puree, chickpeas, rosemary and stock. Add a pinch of salt and stir.
3. Cover the pan and leave for 15 minutes.
4. Add pasta into the soupy mixture and keep stirring.
5. Once the pasta is cooked, serve immediately.

Falafel (with feta cheese and spinach)

These delicious falafel bites are the perfect lunch time snack.

Ingredients: 200 grams of spinach, 400 grams of chickpeas (drained and rinsed), 100 grams of feta cheese, 1 teaspoon of cumin, 100 grams of plain flour

Instructions

1. Boil the kettle. Place the spinach into a colander and pour the water over it and leave to cool.
2. Once cool, squeeze the moisture out of the spinach.
3. Place all the spinach, chickpeas, feta, cumin and flour into a blender or food processor. Mix together.
4. Once the ingredients are fully blended, spread flour onto a kitchen surface and take a small, tablespoon sized amount of the mixture. Roll into balls on the floured surface.
5. Fry the balls in oil for a few minutes each. Then, leave to cool and serve.
6. Any left overs can be frozen and reheated for future meals.

Chickpea burgers

These chickpea burgers are the perfect, vegetarian alternative that you’ll want to make for dinner.

Ingredients: 250 grams of chickpeas (drained and rinsed), 1 onion, 2 cloves of garlic, 2 teaspoons of ground coriander, 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, 2 tablespoons of plain flour, 2 tablespoons of oil, 100 grams of hummus (serves 4)

Instructions

1. Put the chickpeas in a blender or food processor and mix until they are crumb-like. Then, add in the onion, garlic, spices and flour.
2. Once mixed, take the mixture into your hands and form four burger patties.
3. Fry them in a pan for a few minutes, flipping them and cooking on the other side for the same amount of time. Then place them under the grill until they are toasted.
4. Serve in burger buns.

Warm chickpea salad

If you’re looking for something healthy yet filling then this chickpea salad is the perfect dinner.

Ingredients: 1/2 red onion, 1 courgette, 1/2 pepper, 150 grams of tomatoes, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, 1 and 1/2  tablespoons of parsley, 400 grams of chickpeas, 50 grams of feta cheese (serves 2)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 200C fan.
2. Cut the vegetables into wedges and chunks and place in a baking tray with half the oil. Roast for half an hour, tossing them half way through.
3. While the vegetables cook, make the dressing by mixing the lemon juice and the left over oil. Add the parsley and season with salt and pepper.
4. Let the vegetables cool for a few minutes when done. Place everything together in a bowl with the feta, chickpeas and dressing and toss together.

Do you have any chickpea recipes? Let us know in the comments below.

Featured image source: https://unsplash.com/photos/1SPu0KT-Ejg