Crispy Moroccan Chickpea Flatbreads

Crispy Moroccan Chickpea Flatbreads are sweet, spicy and the perfect vegetarian lunch or dinner! Easy, healthy, and so delicious!

I’ve discovered my new favorite item to eat.

It’s crispy, and cheesy, and spicy, and sweet, and filling, and hearty and I pretty much can’t get enough of it.

Obviously, I’m referring to these Crispy Chickpea Flatbreads, which are so tasty, I kind of, sort of, inhaled one in its entirety before the poor guy even made it off the cutting board.

When it comes to flatbreads and pizza at home, I’m all about coming up with unique, fun ingredient combinations you can’t find on typical delivery menus, like this favorite. I also happen to love transforming a notoriously unhealthy meal, like pizza, into something that’s not only delicious and interesting, but also pretty darn good for you to boot, which is exactly what I did here.

I’ve had this general idea for a chickpea flatbread for a while, so when I was contacted about joining the “Pulse Pledge,” it was kind of a no-brainer to jump on board. Pulses are something I cook with on the regular, and I’m well aware of their nutritional benefits, but if you’re not in the know, let me explain a bit. So, pulses are the delicious, protein-packed, sustainable foods we all know and love as chickpeas (today’s star), dry peas, lentils and beans.

All of them are obviously good for you, but what I love most about them is that they’re ridiculously versatile – seriously, take a look at the catalog of recipes on their website, and you can see with your own eyes, there are almost an infinite number of ways to include pulses in your day-to-day eating habits.

For this particular recipe, I of course, decided to showcase the chickpea as my star ingredient. It’s always been one of my favorite foods to snack on, but I often forget it’s inherent heartiness and ability to take place of a meat or a sturdy veggie, which it does perfectly here.

Because the flatbreads cook up super quickly, I pre-baked the chickpeas to make sure they got that irresistibly crispy exterior that would be tough to achieve in the quick 10-15 minute baking process later on. Also, instead of tossing the spice mixture – cinnamon, ground ginger, cardamom, salt, and garlic powder – with the chickpeas prior to baking, I lightly tossed them in olive oil and just a touch of salt, and roasted them for 15 or so minutes until they begin to crisp up, and THEN put the seasoning on. You could skip the extra step and do it before, but I’ve found that garlic powder has a tendency to burn, so it’s better to be safe than sorry.

While the chickpeas crisp up, a super easy harissa-laced pizza sauce is whisked up, onions are sliced, and cheese is grated so everything is ready to go when the chickpeas are. For the actual flatbread, you could use whatever you prefer, but I like to use a super thin, almost tortilla-like whole-wheat flatbread.

Once the chickpeas come out of the oven, they flatbreads are slathered with sauce, topped with cheese, and then the toppings are evenly divided between each one. They go into a screaming hot oven until they’re crisp and the cheese is melted and then right before serving, they’re drizzled with just a touch of honey.

Guys, 2016 is the International Year of Pulses, so let’s all get on board and take the Pulse Pledge. It’s a great way to add a little more variety and nutrition in to your diet, while still enjoying food to the fullest.

Thank you so much to USA Pulses and Pulses Canada for sponsoring this post!