I love a saucy skillet situation, and this roasted red pepper cauliflower and chickpea dish is an easy but cozy comfort meal, perfect for those nights when you’re not sure what to make or you’re craving something saucy. Serve over rice for curry vibes, or have it on it’s own! This recipe is part of my April 2025 Budget Grocery Series where I turn a $55 grocery haul into your dinners for the week. Watch the full tutorial here or the recipe video here.

Saucy Roasted Red Pepper Cauliflower and Chickpeas Ingredients

Cauliflower: Cauliflower is hearty enough to use in saucy dishes, and adds a nice earthy flavor here, while absorbing the other flavors we have in the sauce so every bite is balanced and delicious. Cauliflower freezes well which makes this dish easy to stock your freezer with, or use frozen cauliflower to save time and money.

Chickpeas: These plant-based powerhouses offer a creamy bite and a solid source of protein and fiber. When roasted, they develop a slightly nutty crunch that contrasts nicely with the silky sauce. They help make the dish satisfying and well-balanced.

Roasted Red Peppers: These sweet, smoky peppers form the base of the velvety sauce, adding richness and depth. Blended with coconut milk and spices, they create a warming, flavorful coating for the cauliflower and chickpeas. Jarred or homemade, they’re an easy way to add complexity.

Coconut Milk: Full-fat coconut milk gives the sauce its creamy texture and a subtle sweetness that complements the chili and garlic. It’s a great dairy-free alternative for richness without using cream. It also ties the sauce together with a smooth, luscious finish.

Saucy Roasted Red Pepper Cauliflower and Chickpeas

Recipe by Jenn Lueke

4.2 from 75 votes

Servings

–

servings

Prep time

minutes

Cooking time

minutes

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

For the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3/4 cup full-fat coconut milk (half of a 13.5 ounce can)
1 cup roasted red peppers (about 8 ounces)
1 tablespoon tapioca flour or arrowroot starch or cornstarch
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
For the Cauliflower and Chickpeas
1 medium cauliflower head, cut into florets
15 ounce chickpea can, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
For serving
1 cup jasmine rice, rinsed
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
1 lime, quartered

Directions

Preheat oven to 425F and line a large sheet pan with parchment.
Prepare the rice: bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil in a saucepan. Add the rinsed rice, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the water is absorbed and rice is fluffy, 11 to 13 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the sauce: Add the broth, coconut milk, roasted red peppers, tapioca flour, garlic, chili powder, and salt to a blender or food processor. Blend on high speed until completely smooth, 30 to 45 seconds and set aside.
Add the cauliflower florets, chickpeas, olive oil, oregano, chili powder, and salt to a large bowl. Toss to evenly coat in the oil and spices and transfer to the sheet pan. Bake until the cauliflower are tender and browned, 18 to 22 minutes.
Meanwhile, transfer the roasted red pepper sauce to a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Bring to a gentle boil. Once the sauce is boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are done roasting, 10 to 15 minutes. Salt to taste.
Transfer the cauliflower and chickpeas to the skillet and stir into the sauce. Season with additional salt to taste.
Divide the rice between 4 plates, followed by the skillet vegetables and sauce. Garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and squeeze of lime.

Notes

Storage: Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Refrigerate the rice in a separate sealed container for up to 4 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheating: From refrigerator, microwave until warm, about 2 minutes or heat in a saucepan over medium heat until warm, about 10 minutes. From frozen, thaw in the fridge for at least 8 hours or overnight, then heat as instructed.
Coconut milk: Don’t have coconut milk? No problem! Swap it for light cream. If you choose to use heavy cream, start with ½ cup and add more if needed to thin slightly.
Greens: Add 2 cups of shredded kale or baby spinach to get in some extra greens.

Did you make this recipe?

Snap a photo & tag @jenneatsgoood on INSTAGRAM

sign up for my newsletter

If you try out this recipe, I want to know!
Leave a comment with a star rating below if you love it.

16 Comments

Yummy. I would never have chosen this recipe on its own but it was good! The red pepper sauce is flavorful. Took me about 1 hr to prep and cook. Excited for meal #3. Love the healthy eating!

SO good!! Loved the sauce and the coconut milk made it so creamy. Super flavorful and filling, will definitely make again

A absolute hit! My family who usually eats meat loved this recipe. My daughter said “That the red pepper sauce had a real pizza vibe to it “. Will definitely keep in rotation

This dish was so good you won’t have time to remember there’s no meat in it!

Pretty yummy! We love cauliflower and chickpeas. Husband and I both said we would only eat it again if we were in a certain mood. I appreciate the simple ingredients and focus on veggies, though 🙂

Hi! I’m going to make this tomorrow and I’m so excited because I love all of your recipes I’ve made! I’m curious if I can make the red pepper sauce ahead of time (one night ahead) and store in the refrigerator to toss everything together tomorrow.

jenneatsgoood says:
May 2025 at 4:01 pm
Hi Lindsey! Yes, one day ahead should be fine to make it ahead, just reheat it slowly the next day
Reply

This was our last recipe of the series and my family isn’t huge on roasted cauliflower but I knew that going in. They all ate it and had 2nds, the youngest just picked the cauliflower out. We had leftover red pepper sauce from the loaded potatoes so we added it in and it was a perfect way to avoid waste. I would make it again, it’s hearty enough as a meatless meal to satisfy everyone!

Loved the sauce, would tweak the rest. I would double the amount of chickpeas. I topped it with some walnuts for extra nutrition. I think I would add some nutritional yeast and/or hemp seeds to boost the protein. I was hungry 2 hours after dinner!! I wasn’t crazy about dirtying a blender, a pan, a sheet pan and a rice pot.

Diced a medium russet potato and half an onion to roast with the veggies so I didn’t serve with rice. Quite good! Added a little cayenne and cumin for a bit more of a curry feel, simmered for a while, blended some to add some creaminess and served with whole wheat naan.

I thought this was excellent for a meatless meal. I added chili crisp at serving for those who like extra heat. I have made this twice and will keep it in the rotation

My bf and I gobbled this up and went back for more! It was delicious, so easy to make and packed a punch of flavor. YUM!!!

If I would like to add meat to this meal for extra protein , what option would you suggest? Thanks!

This has been a repeat recipe in my household – it’s so delicious and I love that it’s vegan.

Love, love, love this recipe. The red pepper sauce was delicous! I agree with some of the other comments about increasing the chickpeas or cauliflower in the recipe. I also needed to add some additional corn starch to thicken the sauce a bit more. I combined with a couple tablespoons of extra broth I had before adding. Definitely will make again and may even add some additional roasted veggies.