Inspired by traditional Greek dish, Lemon Roasted Potatoes with Chickpeas is a flavorful one-dish vegan Mediterranean diet meal. Potatoes are marinated in lemon and garlic for maximum flavor along with garbanzo beans, onions, peppers, and oregano. And Kalamata olives are the perfect finishing touch.
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Greek dinner inspiration
I love the flavors of Mediterranean-inspired food. Simple ingredients come together to create amazing flavors.
Some of my favorite dishes to make at home include Grilled Eggplant Salad, Pasta with Zucchini, and Greek Millet Salad.
But years ago, I used to make a Greek recipe that was one of my go-to dinners. It consisted of potatoes and chicken baked in a marinade of lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and oregano.
I made it so often, I had it memorized. In fact, I don't even remember how I first learned the recipe. But now I'm excited to share a vegan version of this one-dish meal!
Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make Lemon Roasted Potatoes:
- Gold potatoes -- I like to use medium-sized gold potatoes, although red or white potatoes will work as well. And while I almost always leave the skin on potatoes for added nutrition, I do peel them when making this dish. The reason I do this is because I want the potatoes to absorb as much of the lemony marinade as possible.
- Canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans) -- Or you can cook them from dried before you make this recipe.
- Red bell pepper -- Or substitute green, orange, or yellow.
- Onion -- Yellow, white, or red.
- Lemon juice -- While fresh is best, I won't tell anyone if you use bottled.
- Olive oil -- Extra-virgin, if possible.
- Vegetable broth -- Or bouillon dissolved in hot water.
- Garlic -- You'll want to use fresh garlic for maximum flavor.
- Dried oregano -- Or substitute Italian seasoning blend.
- Salt and pepper -- To taste.
- Kalamata olives -- Or any black olive you prefer. Omit if you don't care for olives.
How to make Lemon Potatoes
Most of the time it takes to make this recipe is hands-off. This means the majority of the time, this dinner can be left unattended while you do other things.
While the total time is about three hours, two of these hours are for marinating, and the other hour or so is for roasting.
Now, you may be thinking you don't have time for this. But you can place the ingredients in the marinade in the morning or even the night before. I like to use a gallon zipper freezer bag. Then place the marinating vegetables in your refrigerator.
Not only will you achieve maximum flavor, but then in the evening, just turn on your oven and relax while everything cooks. All you need to do is stir everything half way through roasting.
This is also a great recipe to make on the weekend so you can enjoy it for lunches during the week. It's perfect for batch cooking and meal prep.
Serving suggestions
I love the combination of roasted vegetables and legumes. Greek Lemon Potatoes with Chickpeas is such a satisfying comforting dinner, and a complete one-dish meal.
But if you have extra time, you can eat serve it with a salad or side. If I'm entertaining guests, I like to make Moroccan Carrot Salad or Vegan Tomato Cucumber Feta Salad, both of which can be prepped in advance. Or if you want to offer a green vegetable, Italian Green Beans with Tomatoes and Garlic is a great choice.
More potato recipes
According to Blue Zones researcher Dan Buettner, centenarians in Ikaria, Greece had a diet consisting of about 9% potatoes for most of their lives. And if that's not reason enough to eat more spuds, they are a tasty, filling, and versatile staple ingredient. These are some of my favorite ways to enjoy them:
- Dill Roasted Garbanzo Beans with Potatoes
- Olive Oil Mashed Potatoes
- Grilled Potatoes with Lemon Herb Sauce
- Greek Potato Salad
- Vegan Potato Leek Soup
- Slow Cooker Cacciatore
Leftovers
This easy recipe makes 4 main dish servings. Any leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days and enjoyed either reheated or at room temperature.
And for even more delicious vegan recipes, join the Insider List and receive a FREE recipe ebook! You can also follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, and join the Vegan Mediterranean Diet Recipes Facebook Group.
If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! ★★★★★
📋 Recipe
Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes with Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 2 pounds medium gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
- 2 cans chickpeas, (3 cups) rinsed and drained
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 small onion, sliced
- ½ cup lemon juice
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ½ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
Instructions
- Place the potatoes, chickpeas, bell pepper, onion, lemon juice, olive oil, vegetable broth, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper in a resealable gallon freezer bag or large container with a lid.
- Toss to combine the ingredients together by shaking the sealed bag or container.
- Place in the refrigerator to marinate for at least two hours (or overnight).
- Transfer the ingredients with the remaining marinade to a large baking dish. (Line with aluminum foil for easier clean up, if desired.) Add the Kalamata olives and toss with the ingredients in the dish.
- Bake in the oven, uncovered, at 400 degrees F for an hour, or until the potatoes are tender and lightly browned, stirring half way through. Enjoy!
Paula
I want to marry these potatoes. It’s ridiculous. I’ve made a batch every week, for four weeks straight. I’m about to marinate a new batch, but realized I needed to write this review first, since they have changed my life. They are so easy and the chickpeas make this a complete meal. Red onions are transformed into some divine crispy other worldly food after roasting. And don’t get me started on the charred lemony chickpeas. Definitely let them sit overnight if you can - the flavor is so much better! Don’t forget to add the olives when you’re ready to bake (I keep doing that, and I think they are such a nice addition). I’m also going to finish this by saying I’m Greek and I approve of these potatoes!! 🥔
Amy Katz
I am thrilled to hear how much you are enjoying this recipe, Paula! Thank you so much. 🙂
Liz
Has anyone tried this without oil, or just a tiny amount of oil? The recipe looks delicious, but I'm trying to avoid oil as much as possible. Thanks~
Amy Katz
Hi Liz! Someone emailed me yesterday and told me she used less oil, and she enjoyed how it turned out.
Michelle
hi, can someone with slight diabetes eat this dish?
Amy Katz
Hi Michelle, since I'm not a health care professional, I can't answer that question. Maybe you can show the recipe to your doctor. I hope you can enjoy this dish!
LisaRose
Holy Cats! This was by far my favorite recipe of yours. And I really enjoy your recipes, Amy. The 400 oven was a bit too hot so I turned it down to 375 at the halfway point. Also, I used only 1 can of garbanzos and added some lemon zest. Kept everything marinating overnight. What a heavenly aroma. I have to admit, when I went to put away leftovers, some more went into my belly. Yummo!
Amy Katz
I am so excited to hear this, LisaRose! This is one of my personal favorites!
Laura Meservey
This was so delicious! I honestly thought it would be too watery due to all of the liquid, but it cooked into the most wonderful sauce. I will definitely make this again!
Amy Katz
Thank you so much, Laura! It's one of our favorites.
Sarah Lee
Hi Amy. I just have a question. This looks very yummy but I'm struggling with finding a time to marinate and then cook. What's the longest you can leave it marinating? Could you prep everything the night before and cook it for dinner the next day? Or would it be best to prep it early in the AM and cook it later in the evening the same day?
Amy Katz
Hi Sarah, either will work. I hope you enjoy it!
Jennifer
I absolutely love this dish! It is so easy to make and the leftovers taste even better.
Amy Katz
Thank you so much, Jennifer! It's one of my favorites, too.
Hayley
I hope to try this soon with some vegan coconut yogurt! I’m cooking for 1, so do you think it would be better to halve this recipe or could it freeze well?
Amy
Hi Hayley, I don't think this dish freezes well. I would either eat the leftovers during the week, or you can make half the recipe. Enjoy!
Bree
So so so good! Instant hit with the family, this is definitely going in the regular rotation!
Amy
Thanks Bree! I'm so glad everyone enjoyed it!
Lisa
I tried this recipe for the first time and it was so delicious!! My family loved it 🙂
I can’t wait I make it again, and share it with friends!
Amy
I'm so glad everyone enjoyed it, Lisa!