Bulgur with Chickpeas and Vegetables
Bulgur, canned chickpeas, zucchini, and bell pepper. Meat-free, 30 minutes.
- Time
- 30 min
- Serving
- 611 kcal
- Ingredients
- ≈ $1.81
- Protein
- 22 g
Ingredients
- 1 Canned chickpeaspack 400 g ≈ $1.20 150 g
- 2 Bulgurpack 500 g ≈ $3.00 70 g
- 3 Bell peppers≈ $6.00 per kg 80 g
- 4 Zucchini≈ $3.00 per kg 100 g
- 5 Onions≈ $1.60 per kg 40 g
- 6 Garlic≈ $10.00 per kg 3 g
- 7 Olive oil 10 ml
- 8 Paprika 1 g
- 9 Lemon≈ $4.70 per kg 15 g
- 10 Salt 2 g
Grey rows are pantry staples: salt, oil, spices. They are not counted in the serving price.
Method
Rinse the bell3 pepper and zucchini4 under cold water, peel the onion5; trim the zucchini if needed and dice into 1 cm cubes, dice the pepper into 1 cm cubes, dice the onion into 1 cm cubes, peel the garlic6; heat a skillet over medium heat.
Prepare the bulgur2: pour boiling water into a pot of about 2 liters in a 1:2 bulgur to water ratio, salt to taste, simmer over medium heat for 12 minutes, cover and steep for 5 minutes.
Fry the vegetables: add oil to the pan and fry the diced zucchini4, pepper and onion5 over medium heat for 8 minutes until lightly golden, stirring occasionally.
Add garlic6 and paprika: add minced garlic and paprika, continue to fry over medium heat for 1 minute until fragrant; do not overcook.
Add the chickpeas: pour in the chickpeas without their liquid, heat over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Combine with bulgur2: remove from heat and mix the vegetable mixture with the cooked bulgur, drizzle with lemon9 and mix well to evenly distribute flavors.
Serving: serve warm, straight from the pan or on a plate; garnish with herbs if desired.
Tips
- Why it works
- Use 1 cm cubes for vegetables so they soften evenly and don’t turn mushy while keeping texture. Smaller pieces cook faster and release moisture evenly.
- Substitutions
- Replace zucchini with 100g grated courgette or 80g diced eggplant; swap bell pepper for 80g diced red onion if unavailable. Skip paprika and use ½ tsp chili flakes for heat.
- Common mistakes
- Overcooking bulgur makes it dry and crumbly. Check after 12 minutes; it should be tender but still slightly firm. If it smells burnt, reduce heat next time.
- Storing and reheating
- Keeps 3 days in the fridge; reheat in a pan with 1 tbsp water for 3 minutes. Freeze without lemon for up to 1 month. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Serve with
- Pair with a slice of whole-grain bread and a side of tzatziki for dipping. Works well for a quick weekday lunch when you need protein without meat.
In short
- In the planner this dish is cooked for two days: reheat on day two.
- Marked healthy: the planner picks it more often for the goals “lose weight” and “eat well”.
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