Baked zoodles with chickpeas in a sweet tomato sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 3 large zucchinis
• 3 spring onions
• 2 red onions
• 5 cloves garlic
• 7 dried dates
• 500g polpa
• 150g canned chickpeas
• Salt and pepper
• 100ml water
• 1tsp onion powder
• 1/8 tsp smoked paprika powder
• ¼ tsp oregano
• ¼ tsp thyme
• 2 tbsps nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp agave
• 30g vegan grated cheese

Method

1. Prepare the zucchini by cutting them in zoodle style (spiralised zucchini using a spiralizer. If you do not have one, you may also proceed with cutting the zucchini in julienne style using a peeler or knife)
2. Chop the onions and garlic.
3. Start by lightly frying the red onion, then add the garlic and finally the green onion in some oil.
4. Fry for around 10 minutes on medium heat on a pre-heated pan (or until just as they start turning golden).
5. Add the polpa and 100ml water. Mix in the ingredients well.
6. Then add the dried dates and agave.
7. Add in the dried herbs, powders and nutritional yeast. Mix everything well.
8. Add a light drizzle of olive, pinch or two of salt and some crushed black pepper.
9. Keep cooking for around 15 -20 minutes on medium to low heat. Set aside when finished.
10. In a large dish, place the zucchini noodles in spiral bunches. I used a fork to do this. (Here I cooked the zucchini noodles in a cast iron pan – of course you may use any dish you normally use, for example, a good-sized lasagna dish).
11. Give the zucchini a nice drizzle of olive oil.
12. Next, with a large serving spoon, fill the zucchini dish with sauce, in between the zucchini spirals (not on top of them).
13. Scatter the chickpeas across the dish.
14. Again, lightly drizzle with olive oil and bake in pre-heated oven for 30 minutes at 200°C.
15. After 30 minutes, take dish out and add the grated cheese.
16. Bake for another 5 minutes (until cheese melts).

Note: The less you bake it for, the less water the zucchini release. I cooked for the time stated in this recipe as I like to allow the sauce to release its flavours and for the chickpeas to get more of a bite to them.