I’m diverting from showing you my Christmas dinner menu because, well, because, it’s my blog and I can, right? 😀 Today, I want to share with you a super quick dish that when paired with a salad is a meal in and of itself. Here’s how it was born.

A friend had stopped by. We were both famished. Christmas dinner preparation was on the horizon and the last thing I felt like doing was preparing an elaborate meal. I wanted Indian food. To be specific, I wanted channa  and I wanted aloo gobi. But, I had no clue where to order from in DC and I definitely didn’t feel like making it myself.

Well folks you know what they say–Necessity was the mother of all invention! Enter this dish–a quick and easy rendition of some of my fav Indian dishes, made with what I had on hand. I didn’t have cauliflower, I had broccoli–voila! And I didn’t have all of the spices on hand to make channa, so I stewed chickpeas in the savory spices I did have. In the end, we couldn’t have been happier! We saved a ton of cash (as you all know, Indian food is expensive!) and enjoyed a stuffed potato that packed flavor without all of the bad stuff that stuffed potatoes often have. Long story short? Make this. Nom! 😀

Spicy Roasted Broccoli and Stewed Chickpea Stuffed Potatoes

(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients:

2 large Russet potatoes

Broccoli:

1. 1 16 oz. bag of frozen broccoli
2. Olive oil
3. Salt
4. Pepper
5. ½ teaspoon cumin
6. ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
7. 1 teaspoon curry powder
8. Dash cinnamon

Chickpeas:

1. 1 16 oz. can chickpeas—drained and rinsed
2. 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3. ¼ onion—diced
4. 2 cloves garlic—minced
5. 1 tomato—diced
6. Olive oil
7. Salt
8. Pepper
9. ½ teaspoon curry powder
10. 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
11. ½ teaspoon ginger powder
12. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
13. 1/8 teaspoon cumin
14. 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds
15. ¼ teaspoon celery seeds

Method:

*Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Add frozen  broccoli, ~2 tablespoons olive oil, salt, black pepper and additional spices to baking dish. Mix. Roast approximately 20-25 minutes, stirring 1-2 times. Set aside.

*Bake potatoes in microwave until soft. Set aside until cool enough to handle.

*Add ~2 tablespoons of olive oil to medium sauce pan. Heat over medium low heat. Add all spices. Stir and heat ~3 minutes. Add onion. Turn to medium. Saute ~5 minutes. Add garlic. Saute until garlic is soft. Add drained and rinsed chickpeas, vegetable broth, and tomatoes. Turn to medium low. Cook ~20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

*Drop heat to 350 degrees F. Butter baking dish. Slice each potato in half lengthwise. Scoop out inside leaving ~1/4 inch border around the edge of the potato to create a “boat.” Smash potato flesh until smooth. Set aside.

*Add roasted broccoli to the bottom of the potato shells. Add a scoop of chickpeas. Top with a dollap of potato flesh to the top of the boat. Drizzle lightly with olive oil. Bake ~10-15 minutes. Serve with additional chickpeas and fresh herbs on top. Enjoy!