Roasted Chickpea Taco Salad Bowls

These Roasted Chickpea Taco Salad Bowls feature one sheet pan of roasted seasoned veggies and chickpeas, served with your favorite taco salad toppings. It’s simple to make, packed with flavor, and great for weeknights!

Here are a few more details for each ingredient:

• bell peppers – For this recipe, I like to use one red bell pepper and one green bell pepper. But any two colors will work!
• onion – Whatever you like better: yellow or red onions are both delicious after roasting. The red onion will become a bit sweeter after cooked.
• chickpeas – Just one can of chickpeas is needed here. I may sound like a broken record, but it’s super important to rinse and then dry them as well as you can.
• oil – You can use avocado oil or olive oil. You just need a little bit for the roasted ingredients.
• cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano – These are the spices we’re using to season the peppers, onions and chickpeas.
• salt & fresh ground black pepper – Don’t skip! The salt helps bring all the flavors out in the veggies. And a little fresh ground black pepper is a great way to add “spice” flavor without adding actual spice.
• romaine lettuce – Or your favorite taco salad green! I like to use romaine because it’s crisp and bright. It’s also really easy to grow in the garden!
• for serving: fresh lime wedges, tortilla chips, avocado, salsa, cilantro – I think the lime and avocado have the most power here, but use your favorite toppings or whatever you have on hand

Related: Looking for more veggie-packed recipes? Find all of our vegetarian recipes here.

• For your cutting board, I recommend this Greener Chef XL Bamboo Cutting Board (affiliate link!). I use mine almost every day! The XL size is perfect and not too huge. I use it for everything except cutting raw meat.
• For your chef’s knife, definitely look into getting yourself a Misen Chef’s Knife (affiliate link!). This is an affordable, all-purpose knife useful for everything, but especially cutting squash and other vegetables in this recipe.
• For a baking sheet, I recommend all home kitchens have a least one rimmed half sheet pan (affiliate link!), but preferably two. These are perfect for roasting veggies, making cookies, all of the above. Plus, the rim makes sure nothing spills off the edges.

Start by preheating the oven and then lining a rimmed half sheet pan (affiliate link!) with parchment paper (NOT wax paper!). Dump the peppers, onions and chickpeas on the lined sheet pan in a pile. Drizzle the oil over top, and then sprinkle all the seasonings over the oil.

Use your hands (with gloves if you want) to mix it all together right there on the sheet pan. I love this method because it skips mixing in the bowl and saves a dirty dish. Once the oil and seasonings are well dispersed, spread everything out into a single layer.

Stick the sheet pan into the oven and roast the veggies for 30 minutes total, stirring and rotating the tray halfway through. I like to use this time to prep and cut the other ingredients for the salad bowls like lettuce, avocado, cilantro and lime.

Once the roasting and raw veggie prep is all done, you can start assembling your salad bowls, or you can store the prepared components in the fridge for later – either one works!

To enjoy this recipe now, start by adding a handful of lettuce (1-2 cups) to a bowl. Add a few chips to the side, then pile on your roasted veggies and chickpeas. On top of that, lay out your avocado slices, then cilantro, and finally a slice of lime. Perfection!

Steps for how to dry chickpeas:

Rinsing and drying your chickpeas is essential to getting them crispy in the oven. A lot of moisture will be removed when baking, but we want to give those chickpeas a head start!

Best tips for making Roasted Chickpea Taco Salad Bowls:

Here are some of my best tips for making this recipe at home in your own kitchen:

• Dry your chickpeas well. Removing as much moisture as possible will help them crisp up in the oven.
• Rotate and stir the veggies halfway through. This helps cook them evenly.
• Don’t be afraid to customize! This is hardly a recipe – more like some roasted veggies turned into a salad bowl! I encourage you to make it your own!

What to serve with these taco salad bowls:

Most of the ideas for serving are mentioned in the recipe, such as avocado, cilantro, lime, and salsa. Here are a couple more ideas:

• Skip the chips and serve with tortillas for tacos or a burrito.
• Your favorite salsa, of course.
• My brain may have crossed a line here but you could serve with some queso on the side!

Ways to customize this recipe:

Here are a few ways to customize this recipe for your own tastes:

• add another protein – even though it’s served with chickpeas, there’s still room for another protein like cooked chicken or steak, if you desire!
• add other veggies – you could use two sheet pans and then add more peppers or other veggies like zucchini, mushrooms, or tomatoes.
• make it spicy – add a jalapeño or habanero peppers to the roasting pan, or top with your favorite spicy salsa.

Ways to meal prep this recipe:

There are a couple ways to save time by preparing all or part of this recipe ahead of time. Here are two options:

1. Complete prep: Prepare the recipe from start to finish. Roast the veggies and chickpeas, cut and wash your lettuce and cilantro. Store them separately in airtight containers in the fridge to eat during the week.
2. Roasting only: Prepare the recipe through Step 2 (roasting the veggies and chickpeas only), then store them in an airtight container in the fridge and use within 5 days. This leaves room for fresher toppings later in the week.

Is this recipe freezer-friendly?

No, I would not recommend freezing any part of this recipe.

How to store leftover Roasted Chickpea Taco Salad Bowls:

Roasted veggies will last up to 5 days stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You can cut and wash lettuce, however I would wait to cut the avocado until the day of serving. Store those raw veggies separately from the roasted ones if you plan to reheat.

How to reheat Roasted Chickpea Taco Salad Bowls:

You can reheat the roasted veggies and chickpeas on the stovetop or in the microwave (loosely covered, 30 second intervals), adding 1-2 tablespoons of water so it doesn’t dry out.