Roasted spiced crispy chickpeas and carrots with pink pickled onions

Sweet roasted carrots, spiced chickpeas and zingy pink pickled onions come together in this dish that’s as colourful as it is nourishing. It’s the perfect blend of comfort and freshness; earthy, crunchy and fragrant all at once. Serve it warm for an easy weeknight dinner, at room temperature for a mezze-style spread, or cold for a protein packed lunch.

THE SECRET INGREDIENT: Pink pickled onions
They might just steal the show! Beyond their vibrant colour and tangy bite, pink pickled onions are a quietly powerful gut health booster.

Steeped in apple cider vinegar which naturally contains acetic acid and probiotic-friendly compounds, these onions add both flavour complexity and digestive support. The mild fermentation process preserves beneficial enzymes while enhancing mineral absorption from the rest of your meal (particularly iron and zinc from chickpeas and greens).

Nutritionally, red onions are also rich in quercetin, a potent antioxidant and natural anti-inflammatory compound that supports immune balance and cardiovascular health. The vinegar’s acidity helps temper the onion’s sharpness, turning them into a sweet-sour topping that makes every bite pop.

So yes, they’re beautiful, but they’re also brilliant food chemistry in action.

Serves: 4-6 as a side

Prep and cook time: About an hour, if roasting carrots and chickpeas one after the other, shorter if they both go in the oven together.

Ingredients

For the pink pickled onions:

2 medium red onions, peeled and thinly sliced

50ml apple cider vinegar (ideally with the mother)

2 tbsp water

10g golden caster sugar

1/2 teaspoon flaked sea salt

For the carrots:

450g carrots, scrubbed and cut into chunks

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive or avocado oil

A good pinch of sea salt and black pepper to season

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

For the chickpeas:

360g cooked, tinned chickpeas, drained weight

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive or avocado oil

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

A good pinch of salt and pepper to season

To garnish:

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil

Squeeze of lemon or orange juice

Chopped fresh herbs - small bunch of parsley and mint

Method:

Make the pickled onions ideally at least a day before serving, although they will keep for several days. Gently heat the vinegar, sugar, water and salt until the sugar has just dissolved. Remove from the heat, then pour it over the sliced onions in a non-reactive container. Leave to cool. Store in the fridge until needed. The container must be a non-reactive one (glass - heatproof, stainless steel, not aluminium or other metal).

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Toss the chickpeas with olive oil, cumin, coriander and smoked paprika. Roast in a single layer on a large roasting tray for 15-20 minutes, tossing them halfway through, until crisping - if they start to pop, remove at that point. Set aside.

Toss the carrots with oil, salt, and pepper and roast separately for 25-30 minutes until just tender with a little bite, removing them from the oven and tossing them with the fennel seeds halfway through the cooking time.

To serve, chop the fresh herbs, combine the carrots with half the mint and parsley, drizzle over a little olive oil and lemon or orange juice, mix in the chickpeas just before serving and scattered with pickled onions and remaining mint and parsley to finish.

Notes:

• Make ahead: The pickled onions can keep for up to a week in the fridge and only get better with time.

• Serving ideas: Serve warm with a dollop of thick yoghurt, crème fraîche or oat cream. For extra crunch, scatter with toasted pumpkin seeds or chopped pistachios.

• Switch it up: Swap carrots for sweet potatoes, parsnips or beetroot or add roasted cauliflower for variety.

• Extra protein: Add cooked quinoa, or crumble over feta or grilled halloumi.

• Storage: Keeps up to 4 days in the fridge in a sealed container. Enjoy cold, or reheat gently until just warmed through.

Nutritional breakdown per serving*: (per 4 servings)

Protein – 8.7g

Carbohydrates – 27g (19g are complex carbohydrates from the carrots and chickpeas, 5-6g are naturally occurring sugars mostly from the carrots and onions, no added sugars or refined carbs).

Fibre – 7g (mix of soluble and insoluble fibre from chickpeas, carrots and onion, supportive for gut health and satiety)

Healthy fats – 9g (mainly heart-healthy monounsaturated fats from olive oil)

Calories – 245 kca

*Information may vary slightly if using different nutritional calculators.