Roasted aubergine & courgette lunch jars with spiced chickpeas and tahini dressing
Filling, vegan lunch jars: charred aubergine and courgette, crispy spiced chickpeas, herby quinoa and creamy tahini dressing.
This is a proper grown-up packed lunch: nourishing, vegan and made so the texture still sings at lunchtime. It keeps well, travels without collapsing and feels like more than a sad sandwich.
Roasted aubergine and courgette bring the comfort while spiced chickpeas add crunch. Quinoa makes it filling and the tahini dressing ties everything together — tangy, creamy and very notebook-worthy.
Ingredients
- 1 aubergine — about 400g, cut into 2cm cubes
- 1 courgette — about 200g, halved and sliced into 1cm half-moons
- 1 red pepper — seeded and cut into 2cm pieces
- 1 brown onion — peeled and cut into wedges
- 2 garlic cloves — finely sliced
- 45 ml olive oil — total for roasting and chickpeas
- 5 ml sea salt
- 5 ml black pepper — freshly ground
- 5 ml smoked paprika
- 5 ml ground cumin
- 1 tinned chickpeas — 400g tin, drained and rinsed
- 150 g quinoa — rinsed
- 1 lemon — zest and juice separated
- 45 g tahini
- 15 ml maple syrup
- 15 g fresh parsley — roughly chopped
- 15 ml sesame seeds — to sprinkle (optional)
Equipment
- two baking trays
- saucepan with lid
- fine-mesh sieve
- kitchen paper
- lunch jars or airtight lunchboxes
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 220°C fan/240°C conventional. Line two baking trays with parchment.
Toss aubergine, courgette, red pepper, brown onion and garlic with 25 ml olive oil, 3/4 tsp sea salt and black pepper until evenly coated.
Spread the vegetables in a single layer on one prepared tray and roast for 25 minutes, turning once after 15 minutes, until tender and lightly charred.
While the veg roasts, put the rinsed quinoa and 360 ml cold water with 1/4 tsp sea salt into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 12 minutes, then remove from the heat and leave covered to steam for 5 minutes.
Dry the drained chickpeas thoroughly on kitchen paper, then toss with the remaining 20 ml olive oil, ground cumin, smoked paprika and a pinch of sea salt. Spread on the second tray and roast for 20 minutes, shaking the tray once, until golden and crisp.
Make the dressing: whisk together tahini, lemon juice (from the lemon), maple syrup and 2–3 tbsp warm water to loosen to a pourable consistency; season with a pinch of sea salt.
Fluff the quinoa with a fork, stir in most of the chopped parsley and a little lemon zest. Divide quinoa between two jars or lunchboxes, top with the roasted vegetables and crisp chickpeas, drizzle with tahini dressing and finish with sesame seeds and the remaining parsley.
If packing straight away, allow the jars to cool to near room temperature before sealing and refrigerating for up to 24 hours; consume within 24 hours.
Tips
- Dry the chickpeas thoroughly on kitchen paper before roasting — that single step is the difference between soggy beans and proper crunch.
- If you need to speed up prep, roast the vegetables and chickpeas on the same tray but start veg first for 10 minutes, then add chickpeas (watch for overcrowding).
- Pack the dressing separately in a small pot if you prefer the chickpeas to stay ultra-crisp until just before eating.
- Make ahead: roasted veg and chickpeas keep in the fridge separately for up to 48 hours; assemble jars the night before for an easy grab-and-go morning.
- To reheat: transfer to a plate and warm briefly in the microwave or oven; add dressing after reheating to keep flavours fresh.
Substitutions
quinoa → brown rice, same quantity by weight (150 g) adjusted to cooking time
Stays closetahini → natural unsweetened soya yoghurt, same volume (approx 45 g) — this makes the dressing dairy-free but not sesame-forward
Noticeably differenttinned chickpeas → cooked dried chickpeas (approx 200 g drained), use same seasoning and roast time
Stays closeolive oil → rapeseed oil, same quantity (45 ml)
Stays close
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 999
- Calories
- 31 g
- Protein
- 117 g
- Carbs
- 45 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 8 g
- Sugar
- 600 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this nut-free?
Yes — the recipe as written is nut-free (tahini is sesame). If you need to avoid sesame too, swap tahini for a soya-yoghurt dressing (but note the flavour will be noticeably different).
How long will these keep in the fridge?
Assembled jars will keep up to 24 hours for best texture; stored separately the components keep up to 48 hours (veg and chickpeas) in sealed containers.
Can I swap quinoa for another grain?
Yes — brown rice or bulgur work well; brown rice keeps the texture closest, bulgur cooks faster but will change the mouthfeel slightly.
How do I keep the chickpeas crunchy?
Dry them thoroughly, roast at a high temperature on a single layer and don't seal them with hot veg. Pack dressing separately if you need maximum crunch.
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