This chickpea casserole brings together ALLLL the comfort food goodness, from creamy pasta to broccoli-cheddar to casserole nirvana. I LOVE this Broccoli Cheddar Chickpea Noodle Casserole!
We’ve got chickpeas, broccoli, and pasta in a creamy, cheesy sauce, topped with cheddar and baked until melty and bubbling. Vegetarians don’t have to miss out on the casserole comfort when we have this cheesy, creamy chickpeas with pasta recipe!
Table of Contents
- The Story Behind the Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Chickpeas with Pasta Recipe
- Ingredients
- Adaptations/Variations
- How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Chickpea Noodle Casserole
- Tips for Success
- More Chickpea Comfort Food Recipes
- Get Good Recipe Karma
The Story Behind the Recipe
Fall is just about here, and with it, I’m craving all the comfort food. I’m also craving easy dinner recipes that have the bonus of easy leftovers for lunches or another dinner later on in the week. I’m also craving pasta and creamy broccoli cheddar.
Basically, this Broccoli Cheddar Chickpea Noodle Casserole is the result of all of my cravings.
I wanted to riff on tuna noodle casserole, but make it vegetarian, hence the chickpeas … but then I was really liking the idea of adding a cheesy component, and broccoli seemed like a natural addition.
I wrote down a recipe I thought would work and gave it a try, fully expecting to have to tweak it before the recipe hit prime time. It was perfect the first time. I LOVE it when that happens!
Why You’ll Love This Chickpeas with Pasta Recipe
It’s easy to make with homemade, wholesome ingredients. It starts with onion and garlic and some seasonings, then we add flour to make a roux. From there, we add veggie broth, milk, and cheese, creating a full-of-flavor, luxuriously creamy sauce. Stir in the pasta and broccoli and pour it into a casserole dish. Top with cheese, bake until bubbly, dig in!
All you need is a simple salad with a light vinaigrette alongside, or even just a hunk of bread, considering your casserole has some veggies already!
Ingredients
- Pasta – I love using curly pasta (rotini shape) in my chickpea pasta casserole. For an added boost of protein and in keeping with the theme, I like to opt for chickpea pasta, but plain ol’ pasta will do.
- Broccoli – You’ll want it blanched so that it’s cooked just right when you serve your casserole. It’s a pain to cook it separately, so I like to throw the broccoli in with the pasta in the last couple of minutes of cooking. Easy peasy way to accomplish blanched broccoli!
- Butter – I like to use unsalted in order to better control the overall salt levels. You can use half and half olive oil and butter instead, if you want to add a dose of healthy fats.
- Flour – To thicken the sauce for a luxuriously creamy result.
- Thyme, dried mustard, and smoked paprika – These herbs/seasonings add some nice flavor notes and highlight the cheesy flavor.
- Onion & garlic – For a nice backbone of flavor.
- Veggie broth – Grab some low-sodium vegetable broth at the store, or save your scraps and make vegetable broth in your Crock Pot!
- Milk – You can use dairy milk or your favorite unsweetened plant-based milk. I like to use full-fat oat milk in this one just because it’s super creamy and it’s what I usually have on hand.
- Chickpeas – One can (about 1 1/2 cups), drained and rinsed.
- Cheddar cheese – I like to use sharp cheddar for a nice cheesy boost of flavor.
- Salt & pepper
Adaptations/Variations
- Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Chickpea Noodle Casserole: Substitute vegan butter, vegan milk, and vegan cheddar, or you can even leave out the cheese entirely. It will still have excellent flavor!
- Vegan Chickpea Noodle Casserole: Leave out the cheese and top with breadcrumbs or cracker crumbs. You can even sauté some celery and red bell pepper and/or add some cauliflower florets with the broccoli to increase the veggie factor.
- Gluten-Free Chickpea Noodle Casserole: Use chickpea pasta or swap in brown rice pasta or another gluten-free pasta.
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Chickpea Noodle Casserole
First, you’ll want to cook the pasta, but only to al dente (it will cook the rest of the way in the oven). In the last couple of minutes of cooking the pasta, toss in the broccoli so it’ll blanch. Drain the pasta and broccoli in a colander and set aside.
Next, you’ll make the creamy sauce. Just sauté the onion, add the flour and seasonings and cook, stirring frequently, then add the garlic.
Slowly pour in the broth and milk, stirring frequently, until thick and rich.
Now, you’ll toss in the cooked pasta and broccoli as well as the chickpeas and some of the cheddar. Taste and add more salt and pepper if you like.
Scoop the mix evenly into the baking dish and top with the rest of the cheese.
Bake until bubbly comfort food casserole perfection and devour!
Tips for Success
- Cook the pasta JUST until al dente. Otherwise, the end result might have mushy, overcooked pasta.
- Cook the flour for the full three minutes. This is important to prevent any raw flour taste.
More Chickpea Comfort Food Recipes
- BBQ Chickpea Sloppy Joes
- Slow Cooker Pumpkin, Chickpea, & Red Lentil Curry
- Vegetarian Chicken Noodle Soup (with chickpeas)
- Lemon Chickpea Orzo Soup
- Chickpea & Rice Soup
- Chickpea Tomato Curry
- Vegetarian Wellington
- Vegetarian White Bean Chili
Get Good Recipe Karma
If you love this recipe (or even if you don’t!) please, please, please come back and leave a rating! It’s so helpful for me to make sure this chickpea casserole recipe is just right – and it’s super beneficial for other readers, too.
Broccoli Cheddar Chickpea Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini pasta (I like to use chickpea rotini pasta to increase the protein)
- 4 cups broccoli florets (1/2-inch to 1-inch in size)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 medium cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup milk (I use full-fat unsweetened oat milk but 2% or whole milk work too)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt (+ more to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (+ more to taste)
- 15 ounces chickpeas (1 can, drained and rinsed)
- 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces; shredded; divided)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and have an 8"x8" baking dish ready.
- Cook the pasta JUST TO AL DENTE, according to package directions. When the pasta has about 2 minutes left to cook, add the broccoli to the still-cooking pasta. Drain the pasta and broccoli and set it aside.
- Set a large pot or skillet over medium heat. Melt the butter in the pot, then add the onions. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the flour, thyme, dry mustard, and smoked paprika and cook, stirring continuously for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Slowly pour in the vegetable broth, whisking continuously. Add the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.
- Stir in the cooked pasta and broccoli, the drained can of chickpeas, and 2 cups of the cheese. Taste and add more salt and pepper if desired.
- Pour the mixture into your baking dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of cheddar, spreading it evenly over the top.
- Bake until bubbly and the cheese is melted, 20-25 minutes. Serve.
I’m so glad you’re here! I’m a vegetarian home cook, certified plant-based pro, and mom. I’m married to an enthusiastic carnivore, and my mission is to achieve peace in the kitchen – one tasty recipe at a time. These days, with a name like mine, I also try not to ask to speak to the manager.
Made this yesterday. It was so easy and so delicious. Will definitely be making this again.