When you're short on time, a comforting bowl of ginger turmeric chickpeas is the answer

This week, when Thanksgiving planning might be giving you culinary tunnel vision, it can be easy to lose track of all the other meals you need to be eating. That's where a dish like this one comes in handy: It's got just a few ingredients, many of them pantry staples. It's hearty enough for dinner, light enough for lunch, flexible enough for eaters of various dietary persuasions. (Just turn it into a side for carnivores or add an egg for the non-vegan vegetarians.)

It's chickpeas, of course, perhaps my favorite culinary workhorse. This treatment comes from a lovely new book by Rakhee Yadav, who spices canned chickpeas with turmeric, cumin and ginger and saves some of the red onion to go on top as a crunchy garnish, along with cilantro or parsley. The twist that takes these up a notch: cherry tomatoes, roasted just long enough for them to collapse. They add a pop of tartness to balance the base of warming spices.

Add your carb of choice, especially if this is a meal, and mark another item off your to-do list. Better yet, double or triple it, and take even more pressure off your week.

Ginger Turmeric Chickpeas With Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Serve with rice or flatbread.

1 pint cherry tomatoes

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 medium red onion, halved and thinly sliced

Two (15-ounce) cans no-salt-added chickpeas (about 3 cups), drained and rinsed

One (2-inch) piece ginger, peeled and chopped (1 tablespoon)

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon ground cumin

¼ to ½ cup water

½ cup fresh cilantro or parsley leaves, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the middle.

Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cherry tomatoes on the baking sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper and roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cherry tomatoes start to collapse.

While the tomatoes are roasting, separate about ¼ cup of the sliced onions and reserve for garnish.

Set a large skillet over medium high heat and pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Once it shimmers, stir in the rest of the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion begins to brown at the edges, 2 to 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and stir in the chickpeas and ginger. Cook, stirring frequently, until the ginger is fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the turmeric, cumin and ¼ cup water, reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the flavors have melded, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the remaining ½ teaspoon salt and the roasted tomatoes and cook another minute. Stir in the remaining ¼ cup water if the mixture seems too dry.

Divide among serving plates. Garnish with the reserved onion slices and the cilantro. Serve right away.

Serves 3 to 4

Nutrition (based on 4 servings) | Calories: 320; Total Fat: 12 g; Saturated Fat: 1.5 g; Sodium: 330 mg; Carbohydrates: 41 g; Dietary Fiber: 9 g; Sugars: 5 g; Protein: 12 g.

(Adapted from “Heavenly Vegan Dals & Curries” by Rakhee Yadav. Page Street Publishing, 2019.)