I’ve had this idea in my head for a while now, and I’m so pleased to report that the actual dish itself came out even better than I was imagining.  I love it when a plan comes together, and I love a sheet pan dinner that packs a flavorful punch.  This dish actually uses two (!!) sheet pans to roast up a ton of food – one whole cabbage sliced into wedges on one, and two cans of chickpeas in a flavorful coconut curry sauce on the other.  All of the cooking is done in the oven, so if you have a big bowl to mix and some very basic knife skills, this meal can come together for you.  No stovetop cooking at all, and totally hands-off once it’s in the oven.  This is the perfect weeknight meal, and I think you should make it.

As an added plus – this meal happens to be totally vegan!  Plenty of plant-based protein comes from the chickpeas, and plant-based fats from the coconut milk and the olive oil makes this meal hearty and filling.  Plus, all that good fiber for gut health and antioxidants from the spices and the kale.  Truly a perfectly balanced vegan meal!

This recipe uses kale that I had pre-chopped and steamed for meal-prep earlier in the week, but there are plenty of easy veggie swaps that would work great here if you don’t have prepped kale on hand.  Frozen peas, carrots, broccoli, or cauliflower would be delicious, freshly steamed broccoli or cauliflower would also be great.  Any green that you have on hand here (spinach, chard) will work, just give it a quick blanch in boiling water to soften and you’ll be on your way.  This is also a great application for any leftover veggies that need to be repurposed, so use what you have!  If you want to skip the greens entirely and go full chickpeas, that will also be great.  I honestly added the kale because I had it prepped and on-hand, but this dish would be just as good without.

Recipe down below, photos up top and below!  This makes enough to feed a family of four for dinner, or a good amount of meal prep for the week.  Serve with rice for extra bulk, or keep with just the veggies like I did for the full-on veggie goodness!

Sheet Pan Coconut Curry Chickpeas with Roasted Cabbage

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cabbage
• 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 cup blanched kale
• ¼ cup shredded sweetened coconut flakes
• 2 tbsp curry powder
• 1-3 Thai Dragon chilis (optional)
• 1-2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. Cut the head of cabbage in half (from top to bottom, through the core), and cut those halves in half again (from top to bottom, through the core) to create quarters.  Using the knife, cut the core (center, harder part of the cabbage) to remove the core.  Cut each of the cored cabbage quarters into three thick wedges.
3. Arrange the cabbage wedges in a single layer on one sheet pan.  Drizzle 1 tbsp of olive oil over all of the cabbage wedges, and gently slide the cabbage wedges around to make sure that the bottoms of the cabbage wedges also get coated in oil.  Sprinkle the tops of the cabbage wedges with salt.
4. Place the cabbage wedges in the oven and bake for a total of 1 hour to fully roast.  Right after the cabbage goes into the oven, proceed to the following steps to get the chickpeas going, as they take about 45 minutes to cook.  That way, everything will be done and out of the oven at the same time.
5. For the chickpeas, open, drain, and rinse 2 cans of chickpeas, and shake the chickpeas in a colander to fully drain.  Add the rinsed chickpeas to a large bowl.
6. Add a full can of coconut milk to the chickpeas, along with the kale (or other pre-cooked or leftover veggies), shredded sweetened coconut flakes, curry powder, Thai Dragon (or any other) chilis (optional if you don’t want this to be spicy!), and salt to taste.  Use a large spoon to mix everything until fully combined.
7. Take your second sheet pan, and drizzle the remaining tablespoon of olive oil on the bottom of the sheet tray. Use your fingers to spread the olive oil into an even layer on the bottom of the sheet tray to keep the chickpeas from sticking. 
8. Pour your chickpea curry mixture onto the oiled sheet pan, and spread into as close to a single and even layer as possible.  Place the sheet tray into the oven with the cabbage and bake for 45 minutes.  The cabbage and the chickpeas should both be done at the same point, assuming it took about 15 minutes to assemble the chickpea mixture.
9. After baking for 1 hour (for cabbage) and 45 minutes (for chickpea curry), remove both trays from the oven.  The cabbage should be tender and lightly browned in spots, and the chickpeas sauce from the chickpeas should be concentrated and very fragrant. 
10. To serve, spoon the chickpea curry into a large bowl, and top with a few wedges of roasted cabbage.  Serve with rice for extra bulk, or serve on it’s own for pure veggie power!
11. Enjoy!