• Kate Sears for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Hadas Smirnoff.

This colorful, vegetable-filled dish has all the flavors of ratatouille but requires a lot less work to get there. Instead of standing at the stove to cook the eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes and peppers individually, they’re roasted all together on a sheet pan until they caramelize and collapse, turning silky and sweet. Spiced chickpeas are added to the oven halfway through cooking, giving them a chance to crisp up. Sprinkled onto the vegetables just before serving, they add protein and a delightful crunch.

Ingredients

Yield:3 to 4 servings

• 2 (15 ½-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• ¾ pound zucchini, cut into ¾-inch chunks (about 3 cups)
• ¾ pound eggplant, cut into ¾-inch chunks (3½ cups)
• 1 large red, orange or yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced ¼-inch thick
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
• ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 4 thyme or rosemary sprigs (or a mix)
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½ teaspoon fennel seeds (or use more cumin)
• ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne or hot smoked paprika
• Torn basil leaves (or other soft herbs, such as chives, parsley or mint) and lemon wedges, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

1. Step 1
   Arrange racks in the top and bottom thirds of the oven and heat to 425 degrees. Spread chickpeas on a clean kitchen towel or paper towels, patting them dry, then let air dry while you prepare the vegetables. The drier they are, the crispier they will get.
2. Step 2
   On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together the zucchini, eggplant, pepper, garlic, 5 tablespoons olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt, and spread everything in a single layer. Roast on the bottom rack for 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
3. Step 3
   Stir tomatoes and herb sprigs into the vegetables. Scatter onion slices on top, drizzle everything with a little more oil and sprinkle with a little more salt. Roast for 10 minutes.
4. Step 4
   Meanwhile, spread chickpeas on another rimmed sheet pan and toss with remaining 3 tablespoons oil, the cumin and fennel seeds, cayenne, and remaining ½ teaspoon salt.
5. Step 5
   Give the vegetables a stir. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees.
6. Step 6
   Put chickpeas on the top oven rack. Continue to roast, stirring the vegetables once or twice, and shaking the pan with the chickpeas, until vegetables are tender, chickpeas are crisp and everything is golden, 30 to 40 minutes.
7. Step 7
   Serve ratatouille topped with chickpeas, basil leaves and lemon wedges for squeezing.