Slow Cooker Italian Chickpeas {Vegan}

Pull out the crockpot for a batch of these vegan Slow Cooker Italian Chickpeas. Mix in some extra vegetables if you’d like and serve over rice or quinoa. 188 calories and 0 Weight Watchers SP

These Slow Cooker Italian Chickpeas prove that this protein-packed legume isn’t destined just for hummus. In fact, chickpeas are fantastic as thickeners – like in this carrot soup or this curried sweet potato soup – or as a base for hearty stews – like in this spiced chickpea stew or this vegan curry.

This recipe makes a big batch and usually lasts for a few days, so I mix things up by stirring in fresh spinach, sautéed mushrooms and zucchini, or cauliflower florets. Anything that helps me reach my (sometime elusive) goal of filling half of my plate with vegetables!

Tips for making these Slow Cooker Italian Chickpeas:

If you’ve ever made a homemade tomato sauce, this recipe will seem very familiar to you. The tomato sauce starts in a skillet, with sautéed onions and garlic seasoned with oregano, then combined with crushed and diced tomatoes. As you’ll find with any tomato sauce, the better the canned tomatoes, the better the sauce.

The tomato sauce finishes its simmering in the slow cooker, along with the chickpeas. Eat this straight, or serve it over some sort of whole grain, such as brown rice or quinoa (see my tips on freezing quinoa). Or use sautéed cauliflower rice or spiralized zucchini noodles as a base. If you really want to up your game, make a batch of Sautéed Cauliflower Rice with Caramelized Onions & Spinach and ladle the chickpeas over top.

I like to grate some fresh Parmesan cheese over top, but if you’d like to keep this vegan, pass on the cheese.

Chickpeas vs garbanzo beans:

Although the names couldn’t be more different, chickpeas and garbanzo beans are in fact the same thing. My research tells me that the name “chickpea” comes from French word “chiche”, which originates from the Latin cicer arietinum. There’s some legume knowledge that you can use to “wow” your food-loving friend.

Did you know that chickpeas are also known as chana, Egyptian peas, Bengal grams and ceci? Different names, same fiber and protein-packed legume.

Can this be made ahead of time?

Absolutely! It keeps very well in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. Transfer the chickpeas to a bowl, cool, cover and refrigerate. Reheat the whole batch in a skillet or in your crockpot, or heat up individual servings in the microwave for a quick lunch or dinner.

Other vegan slow cooker recipes:

Slow Cooker Vegetable Barley Soup {Cookin’ Canuck}
Crockpot Spiced Chickpea Stew {Cookin’ Canuck}
Slow Cooker Vegan Sweet & Sour Tempeh {Eating Bird Food}
Slow Cooker Cacciatore (Vegan) {Veggies Save The Day}

Slow Cooker Italian Chickpeas {Vegan}

Pull out the crockpot for these vegan Slow Cooker Italian Chickpeas. Serve over rice, pasta and quinoa. 188 calories and 0 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP

4.75 from 4 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Entrees

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Gluten Free, Slow Cooker, Vegan, Vegetarian

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 8 hours

Total Time: 8 hours 5 minutes

Servings: 8 Servings

Calories: 187.8kcal

Author: Dara Michalski | Cookin' Canuck

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• 1 14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 14 ounce each cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/4 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Parmesan cheese for serving if desired (not vegan)

Instructions

• Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in the crushed tomatoes, petite diced tomatoes, salt and pepper. Transfer to a slow cooker. Stir in the chickpeas.
• Cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for 4 to 5 hours.
• Stir in the parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Serve over rice, pasta, or quinoa with grated Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Notes

Weight Watchers Points: 0 (Blue - Freestyle), 4 (Green), 0 (Purple) 

Nutrition

Serving: 0.75Cup | Calories: 187.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 35.9g | Protein: 7.6g | Fat: 2.7g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Sodium: 701.4mg | Fiber: 7.9g | Sugar: 6.9g

Tried this recipe?If you make this recipe, I'd love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I'll be sure to find it.

This post was originally published on February 16, 2017 and was updated on February 4, 2020.

Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.