Lebanese Pesto Balila Chickpeas

If you love all things pesto and have some chickpeas sitting in your pantry waiting to be used.

here’s a recipe that will make fall in love more and more with pesto.

This is the kind of recipes that can be tossed together at a moment’s notice. Filled with flavors and nutrition. Very simple yet still incredibly hearty and satisfying.

You can enjoy it as a light vegetarian dinner. A quick lunch bowl or as a side dish or appetizer also. So irresistible!

This is my pesto intake on our beloved traditional Lebanese balila recipe.

The chickpea balila is  a very traditional Lebanese dish. It is is served in every Lebanese household as breakfast or mezze on dinner or lunch table.  The ingredients are very simple: chickpeas, garlic, olive oil and some seasoning that varies from region to the other. We do it in our household since I was a child with just little salt and cumin powder. If you haven’t tried the traditional chickpea balila dish you should for sure! A perfect delicious vegan bowl made in heaven.

This roasted pesto version of the traditional Lebanese chickpea Lebanese is an exquisite fusion that will surely stand out your mezze table. try it out and impress all you family and loved one.

Check out how simple and easy is this recipe in the video below and let start cooking!

If you like this recipe check my other Lebanese-inspired recipes and my other chickpeas recipe!

I like to enjoy this meal as a side dish with my CHERRY AND CITRUS-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS (SMART POT RECIPE) Make sure to  try them together and let me know what you think .

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Lebanese Pesto Balila Chickpeas

If you love all things pesto and have some chickpeas sitting in your pantry waiting to be used. here’s a recipe that will make fall in love more and more with pesto. This Lebanese roasted pesto balila chickpeas can be tossed together at a moment’s notice. Filled with flavors and nutrition. Very simple yet still incredibly hearty and satisfying.

Servings 4 sides

Ingredients

• 600 g cooked chickpeas drained *
• 5-6 cloves garlic
• 100 g frozen peas
• 50 g pine nuts
• ¼ cup parmigiana cheese
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium lemon juice
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil for frying
• 3 cups loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 2 large handful of fresh spinach see notes for frozen
• Extra cheese and basil leaves for garnish
• Extra chili flakes for serving

Instructions

STEP 01: roasting

• Preheat a pan on medium-high. Add your garlic without any oil. and roast for 15 minutes shaking occasionally so it will be roasted on all sides. In the last 5 minutes add to the garlic the green peas and keep shaking until everything is roasted.

STEP 02: make the pesto sauce

• Place the roasted garlic and green peas along with pine nuts, cheese, olive oil, lemon, the seasonings and the fresh basil leaves in food processor. Blend the mixture until you have a chunky pesto mixture.

STEP 03: assemble

• In the same pan we roasted the garlic in, preheat some oil on medium heat and add the spinach and cook through for 5 min unti wilted, add the chickpeas and the pesto sauce and mix everything up and cook for 10 minutes until everything is smoothly mixed and warmed through.

STEP 04: serve and enjoy!

• Scoop your pesto balila in serving bowls and sprinkle some chili flakes, extra cheese and some fresh basil leaves and enjoy warm.

Notes

Chickpeas: you can use canned chickpeas just make sure you wash and drain before using. But for me I like to use homemade cooked chickpeas that are so easy to prepare at home.
Vegan version: you can make this recipe 100% vegan by omitting the cheese. It will still be very delicious, I do it all the time.
Spinach: you can use freeze spinach , I always do. Instead of the two large handful use 5 frozen cubes of full leaves spinach
Storing: you can store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days. Just reheat a little and mix it through before serving again .

Author: annacookingconcept

Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, brunch, light dinner, mezze, Side Dish, Snack

Cuisine: arabic, lebanese, Mediterranean, middle eastern

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Keyword: basil, chickpeas, easy meal, lebanese balila, pesto, quick meal, spinach, vegan, vegetarian