Is your garden being taken over by zucchini? Well, I have 2 tips for you. One, immediately make this recipe for tahini balsamic chickpeas with zucchini to use up that squash in an absolutely delightful and conveniently nutrient-packed way.
And two…don’t plant zucchini next year. Inevitably your friends will plant too much and celebrate national “give a zucchini to a friend” day…on more than one occasion. So, use that garden space for something else. That being said, I hope my friends continue to plant zucchini because, well, double standards. I love this unofficial holiday of giving away zucchini and hope it continues. A big thank you to those of you out there supplying us with delicious summer squash to make tahini balsamic chickpeas with zucchini!
Tahini Balsamic Chickpeas with Zucchini
Course: MealsDifficulty: Easy6
servings5
minutes15
minutesSummer is the perfect time to bust out all the zucchini recipes! The combo of the savory nuttiness of tahini and the sweet tang of balsamic that coats these chickpeas with zucchini spells perfection.
Ingredients
3 cups (=2 cans) cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed – I used 8 Track Foods chickpeas*
1 medium zucchini or summer squash of your choice
1 medium onion
1 Tbs olive oil
Salt, to taste
Red pepper chili flakes, to taste (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2-1 cup (freshly) shredded cheese, to taste – I love aged white cheddar in this
- Tahini Balsamic Sauce
6 Tbs (= 1/4 cup + 2 Tbs = 90 mL) tahini
1/4 cup (60 mL) balsamic vinegar
1 tsp (toasted) sesame oil
Directions
- Chop an onion and sauté in a large pan over medium heat with the olive oil, salt, and chili flakes if using. Stir occasionally.
- While the onion is sautéing, cut the zucchini into chunks, rounds, half-moons…whatever you are feeling. After the onion has turned translucent, add the zucchini to the pan with another pinch of salt and stir.
- In a small bowl, mix together the tahini (you might want to stir tahini before using, especially if it is a new jar), balsamic, and sesame oil. If it makes you hungry because it looks something like chocolate mousse, that is a good thing.
- When the zucchini has almost reached your desired zucchini eating texture, add the chickpeas and mix all that goodness up to warm the chickpeas.
- Add in the sauce and cheese if using, stirring to melt. After the sauce has coated everything, taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.
- Enjoy! We love this served hot and cold, so making up a big batch and enjoying the leftovers as a cold salad the next day comes with our seal of approval. Which no doubt is very important to you…(not).
Notes
- *This post is not sponsored by 8 Track Foods. But I love the company’s mission and products and suggest you check them out!
- I keep writing zucchini, but any summer squash will work well!
I adore chickpea salads! What’s that you say, so do you?! Well then, you should probably check out this Chickpea Waldorf Salad or Mediterranean-ish Chickpea Salad.
Ooh! This looks yummy! Can’t wait to try it.
I hope you love it! We really enjoy the tahini balsamic combo, and what’s not to love about CHICKPEAS?! 🙂
I made this recipe last night. It was EASY and DELICIOUS! It was good warm and cold for leftovers. Highly recommend!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, no matter the temperature! We like it both ways, too 🙂
Thank you for trying and posting feedback!