Roast Squash and Cauliflower, Herby Chickpea Rice with Red Pesto and Toasted Seeds

A substantial meal combining roast squash, cauliflower and herby chickpea rice with red pesto – a beautifully balanced and delicious dish.
Roast squash and cauliflower, herby chickpea rice with red pesto and toasted seeds

I made this lovely dish for lunch the other day, as I was really wanting something packed with veg and super tasty.

Like with most of my roast veg dishes, you can use your favourites, what you have or whatever is seasonal.

I used butternut squash and cauliflower (two of my favourites), which makes a substantial meal and combine with the herby chickpea rice and red pesto beautifully.

The red pesto is really the star of the show.

If you haven’t made it before, it’s like a classic basil pesto but with added roast peppers and sun-dried tomatoes.

It’s absolutely delicious and makes pasta amazing, and so good on roast veg or as a toast topper.

The toasted salty seeds are also a must, they add incredible crunch and savoury umami flavours. Be warned, they are completely addictive!

You could use any veg you fancy or in season.

The toasted seeds can be sprinkled on everything to add amazing crunch and flavour

And, add any herbs you fancy to the rice, and swap the chickpeas for beans of choice.

I hope you love it, Niki xx

The Recipe

Roast squash and cauliflower, herby chickpea rice with red pesto and toasted seeds

Roast Squash and Cauliflower, Herby Chickpea Rice with Red Pesto and Toasted Seeds

A substantial meal combining roast squash, cauliflower and herby chickpea rice with red pesto - a beautifully balanced and delicious dish.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour
4 servings
5 from 1 vote

Ingredients

  • 1 small squash de-seeded and sliced into small pieces
  • 1/2 medium cauliflower chopped into florets
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt

For the rice

  • 250 g cooked rice of choice
  • 1 can cooked chickpeas drained
  • Big handful fresh mint chopped

For the dressing

  • 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Big pinch sea salt

For the red pesto

  • 8 sundried tomatoes in oil drained
  • 1 350 g jar roasted red peppers drained
  • 30 g fresh basil
  • 150 g pine nuts toasted
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 4 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Big pinch sea salt
  • Pinch black pepper
  • Pinch chilli
  • Squeeze lemon juice

For the toasted seeds

  • 3 tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 3 tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1/2 tsp sea salt flakes

Instructions

To roast the vegetables

  • Pre heat your oven to 180c.
  • Place the veg on a couple of baking trays and coat in olive oil, salt, garlic powder and pepper.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes until soft in the middle and caramelised on the outside. Keep your eye on them, as they will cook at varying times.

To make the rice

  • Add the cooked rice, chickpeas, and mint to a large bowl. Stir to combine then mix the dressing ingredients in a jar.
  • Pour over the rice and stir to combine.

To make the pesto

  • Add all the ingredients to a mini chopper or food processor and blitz to a chunky paste.
  • Transfer to a jar.

To make the seeds

  • Add to a dry pan and gently toast on a medium heat until lightly brown. Be careful not to burn them.
  • Stir in the salt, then transfer to a jar with a lid.

To serve

  • Serve the roast veg with the rice, red pesto and toasted seeds.
Print Recipe

I'd love to hear your comments…

  • Melinda Garde
    3 years ago Reply

    5 stars
    Amazing very flavorful dish. All of it. It’s really something that can be adaptable in the since I switched out the pine nuts with walnuts. The mint with basil and the garbanzo beans to navy beans. It doesn’t matter because the recipes are so well written with the author knowing that the outcome will be fantastic. This is our second “set” of recipes we’ve tried and we are hooked! Cannot wait to dive in and discover more amazing thoughtful extremely flavorful dishes. Thank you for all you do! Long time vegan and really appreciate the depth of the flavor you offer!!

  • Jenny
    4 years ago Reply

    This sounds absolutely delicious. I will give it a try on our next cold day. We are headed for summer in the Southern Hemisphere so days are warmer now. 🙂

Let me know what you think below…

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