This post contains affiliate links.
Ready in just 15 minutes, this pesto chickpea recipe is extra creamy and high in protein thanks to cottage cheese! It’s a quick vegetarian comfort food that’s as delicious as it is fun to eat.
If you loved my Lemon Pepper Chickpeas or Marry Me Chickpeas, this recipe will be a sure-favorite! Pair with Air Fryer Veggies and good bread for an easy weeknight dinner.
save this recipe!You know the feeling: 5 p.m. hits and you’re hungry but feel like there’s nothing to eat. That’s where pesto chickpeas shine!
Made with just four ingredients and high in protein and fiber, they are a hearty meal perfect for a busy weeknight.
Weeknight dinner? check!
- High Protein Vegetarian Meal: With an entire tub of cottage cheese blended plus chickpeas, this recipe is packed with protein and fiber!
- Versatile: You can enjoy these chickpeas with crusty bread or over rice, pasta, or quinoa, just to name a few possibilities.
Reader rating
“So delicious, fast and easy!! Loved eating it with toasted fresh sourdough bread.” —Ivy
Key Ingredients
This is just an overview of the ingredients. Jump to the recipe card for the measurements.
- Chickpeas: We kind of love chickpea recipes around here (though any white bean would do–butter beans are great in this recipe!).
- Cottage Cheese: I prefer full-fat cottage cheese for this sauce since it’s the bulk of the cheesiness. But, low fat will work if you’re watching macros.
- Pesto: I love using homemade pesto, but store-bought is convenient and will work well too.
- Spinach: This is the best recipe for using up wilting spinach because it all blends into the green sauce!
just keep blending
Most people think they don’t like cottage cheese because of the texture and I get it! The trick is to fully blend out all the curds, and that can take longer than you think. As the blender heats up, the curds will blend easier so just keep blending. And if you don’t get it perfectly smooth, that’s ok too. It’ll still taste great!
P.S. Try my creamy pesto butter beans with cherry tomatoes next!
Creamy High Protein Pesto Chickpea Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 24-oz tub low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 6.5-oz jar pesto
- 2 to 3 handfuls fresh spinach
- 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained
- To serve: freshly grated parmesan
Instructions
- Blend: Add 1 24-oz tub low-fat cottage cheese, 1 6.5-oz jar pesto, and 2 to 3 handfuls fresh spinach to a blender. Blend on high-speed until smooth, about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Heat: Pour mixture into a pot or high-sided saute pan. Stir in 2 15-oz cans chickpeas (drained) and gently warm over low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
- Serve: Top with grated parmesan and serve warm with good crusty bread, over rice or pasta, or with veggies!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
I honestly expected this to be something I kinda “force” myself to eat, to have a good breakfast, but it was actually unbelievably delicious and enjoyable. I used a red pesto and also added a can of butter beans (since it had a lot of sauciness for just the chickpeas), and enjoyed it over toasted slices of ciabatta. With the red pesto, I did leave out the spinach, since I saw your tip that mixing those colors might not give the most appetizing visual result.
What a lovely and unexpected recipe, which helped me gift my future self 4x a great breakfast or lunch. I wonder if you’ve got any tips for any little things that can be added in here to mix it up sometimes. I have a lot of different pestos I can’t wait to try it with!!
I’m so thrilled to hear that you loved it, KK! You can add diced or shredded veggies (like zucchini, bell pepper, artichokes, or broccoli). Happy eating!
Hubby was a big fan and thought it was superbly easy to make. He would make this again.
I’m not a fan of pesto we had bought and needed to find a dish to use up the rest of the jar. This recipe was great for that cos the cottage cheese really helped soften the pesto. We had this for today’s lunch with toasted and buttered sourdough bread.
So glad he enjoyed it Lily, thanks for the feedback!