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← All recipes Chickpea shakshuka in spiced tomato sauce with tahini drizzle and bread Brunch · One-pan

Chickpea Shakshuka

≈22g protein 30 min Serves 2 Tahini + chickpea

A plant take on the North African classic — chickpeas stand in for eggs, and the protein story quietly writes itself. Chickpeas are lysine-rich but low in methionine; tahini (sesame) and wholegrain bread are exactly the reverse. The three together form a complete amino acid profile without any single "hero" ingredient doing the heavy lifting.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp chilli flakes (more if you like heat)
  • 2 cans (400g each) chopped tomatoes
  • 2 cans (400g each) chickpeas, drained
  • 2 tbsp tahini
  • 1 lemon
  • 4 slices wholegrain sourdough
  • Small handful flat-leaf parsley
  • Sea salt and black pepper

Method

  1. Heat the olive oil in a wide skillet or shallow braising pan over medium-high. Add the onion and pepper with a pinch of salt and cook 6–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and starting to char at the edges — this charring is most of the flavour.
  2. Turn the heat down to medium and add the garlic, cumin, paprika and chilli flakes. Cook for 1 minute, until the garlic smells sweet and the spices are toasted.
  3. Pour in both cans of tomatoes with a generous pinch of salt. Simmer uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce thickens and you see oil pooling at the edges — that's the sign it's ready.
  4. Fold in the chickpeas. Cook 3–4 minutes so they warm through and drink in some of the tomato. Taste and adjust salt — tomato sauce needs more than you think.
  5. While the chickpeas warm, whisk the tahini with the juice of half the lemon and 2 tbsp of water. Add more water 1 tsp at a time until it falls off the spoon in a pourable ribbon.
  6. Ladle the shakshuka into shallow bowls. Drizzle the tahini generously over the top, scatter with torn parsley and finish with black pepper. Serve with toasted sourdough for scooping — the bread is structural to the protein maths, not optional.
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