I’m a bit obsessed with ‘bake’ style recipes these days guys. They’re just very handy to make with a bit of time off, and I’m trying to get a bit more creative with my cooking so hopefully you all enjoy the bakes as much as I do! This recipe has some of my favourite ingredients – chickpeas, broccoli and a bit of melted cheese on top goes a long way!

Recipe (Serves 5)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tsp of ground paprika
• 1 tsp of dried flat leaf parsley
• 1 white or red onion, peeled and diced
• 2 cups of broccoli florets, washed
• 1 bell pepper, de-seeded, core removed and sliced into bite-size chunks
• 1 medium sweet potato, washed and sliced into rounds (i.e. big circles)
• 1 400g tin of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 4 tomatoes, sliced
• 200ml of vegetable stock (you could use water either)
• 100g of grated cheddar cheese (mozzarella or feta would be great here too!)

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C (non-fan oven). Line a baking tray with tinfoil greased with a little olive oil. When the oven is ready, place the sweet potato rounds onto the tray and roast for 25-30 minutes, turning them halfway.
2. While the sweet potatoes are roasting, heat 1 tbsp of olive or rapeseed oil in a pot on a medium heat. Then add the onions and garlic, and cook for 3-4 minutes until the onions are translucent.
3. Add the paprika and stir to coat the onions in it.
4. Add the broccoli and bell pepper pieces, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
5. Add the stock followed by the tomatoes, and stir again. Cook for another few minutes.
6. Add the chickpeas and parsley, then stir to mix them in. Turn the heat all the way down and allow the mixture to cook for another 5 minutes or so.
7. When the sweet potatoes are done, remove them from the oven.
8. Tip the chickpea/veg mix into a square baking dish (it doesn’t have to be square – rectangular or whatever shape you have that fits is great).
9. Spread out the mixture evenly in the dish, and then place the sweet potato rounds on top (see images below).
10. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top.
11. Add the dish to the oven for approximately 20 minutes to melt the cheese.
12. Remove from the oven (take care with the heat!), then serve this bake up and tuck in!
13. You can also freeze portions of this dish – please ensure these are defrosted fully before consumption. The dish will keep in the fridge for 4-5 days.

Enjoy guys! As always, tag me if you try this recipe out – @theirishbalance on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Ciara 🙂 x