Joy the Baker

Olive Oil Braised Chick Peas with Feta

by 58 Comments

Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas with Feta

You know those tangy bean salads you might find, suspiciously warm, sitting out on a picnic table at a church picnic?  It’s the salad with chickpeas and kidney beans and canned green beans and… is it vinegar?  Is that all that it is?  It’s the salad that no one wants.  Except me.  I’m the one that LOVES it.  Even suspiciously warm.  

This is not that.  This is better.  Not suspicious, rich, salty, and spicy.  It’s a good way to bean.  

This recipe is simple.  We’re using canned chickpeas.  That’s easy.  But since this dish is olive oil forward, it’s best to use a good quality olive oil.  Doesn’t have the be the most expensive bottle you can find.  My favorite: California Olive Ranch.  Another savory must:  Hot Smoky Paprika.  

Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas with Feta

Here’s how we do:  

•  Chickpeas are drained from their can and rinsed.  

•  Onions are sautéed until softened and browned. 

•  Capers are drained.

•  Feta is crumbled.  

I wedged some lime for spritzing and hard-boiled some eggs because they make a nice addition to our snack attack.  

Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas with Feta

Into a baking dish the chickpeas, capers, sautéed onions, a few sprigs of fresh thyme, sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  

The dish is covered with foil and baked until bubbling and warm through, about 45 minutes.  

We’re softening the chickpeas even more, and breaking down the flavors of the thyme, capers, and onions.  

Essentially we’re marrying a lot of savory deliciousness.  

Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas with Feta

Serve warm on crusty bread because everything should be served warm on crusty bread… except ice cream.  

This is a delicious and suuuuuper simple or appetizer, but I’ll be honest and tell you that I ate it for dinner two nights in a row.  That’s two cans of chickpeas in two days, in case you’re counting.  That’s a lot of bean. 

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Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas with Feta

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews
  • Author: Joy the Baker
  • Prep Time: 10
  • Cook Time: 40
  • Total Time: 50

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3/4 cup good olive oil
  • 1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1/4 cup capers, drained
  • sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
  • 3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/2 cup crumbled feta
  • smoky paprika for serving
  • crust bread for serving
  • hard boiled eggs for serving

Instructions

  1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. In a small skillet over medium heat, heat a splash of the olive oil. When oil is hot, add the onions and saute until softened and just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
  3. Remove from heat and scrape into a medium oven-safe baking dish.
  4. Add the drained chickpeas, capers, salt and pepper and fresh thyme. Pour the remaining olive oil over the mixture. Stir gently to combine. Cover with foil and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, until the mixture is bubbling and the chickpeas are even more soft.
  5. Remove form the oven Remove the foil. Add crumbled feta and smoky paprika. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
  6. Serve warm with crust bread, and boiled eggs.

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 4

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Comments

  1. Patricia Brown

    I love this meal. Have been making it at least once a week. I add to basic with capers, olives (green and Kalamata), marinated artichokes and golden raisins. I’m thinking of trying sun dried tomatoes next time as well.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  2. Kerri

    So yummy! Made this into a nice spinach salad. ?????? So versatile and can’t wait to use up my leftovers.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  5. Kate

    Was this posted more recently on IG? I think it was, cause it’s been on my brain lately. The most amazing preparation of chick peas ever! So delicious, thank you. The only change I made was to add a few sprigs of sage I had on hand, and a dozen cloves of whole garlic, because garlic. Perfect meal for a cold Alaskan night! Thank you!!

    Reply

  6. Monika

    How perfect! I have everything on hand and have commenced on making some deliciousness… Let me get the wine out in anticipation of dinner. Many thanks!

    Reply

  7. Amy

    Joy!!!

    This comment is wayyyy overdue as I easily make this 2-3 nights a week for dinner. I use zaatar for the spice and add lemon zest. It is quick and delicious!

    Thank You Thank You Thank You!!

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

    xo Amy

    Reply

  8. Rachel

    I made this for dinner with a friend after seeing it on Joy the Baker’s Facebook page the other day. So easy yet it tastes so much more complex than the simple list of ingredients. I added two minced garlic cloves. Instead of the hardboiled eggs, I served with a poached egg over the beans. I will keep this in mind for a future easy weeknight dinner.

    Reply

  10. Serenity Myers

    Ok, I must leave a comment! I have followed your blog for years and have been happy with most everything I’ve tried. In fact, a few of my staples are from you that I make for my family on a regular basis. So thanks! Anyway, I made this the other night and my husband and I devoured it. We liked it so much that we fought over the last couple of chickpeas left in the pan. Oh My Gosh! Soooo good! This might be my favorite recipe of yours so far. Anyway, thanks so much for the recipes, especially this one! Also, I really appreciated the canned chickpeas, because I already had everything in my cabinets to make this dish!
    P.S. I’m making it again tonight because I’ve been dreaming about it for the last 3 days :)

    Reply

  11. Tristan

    This recipe is a huge hit with my teenage son and his buddies. Instead of capers (my kiddo dislikes them), I substituted pickled green chilis.

    Reply

  13. Joanne

    I am in love! This was so delicious that I forwarded the recipe to a host of friends. Cold leftovers the next day were heavenly sprinkled.over a green salad! My husband and son raved, too! (You even won me over on capers-don’t leave them out)

    Reply

  14. ChrisfromLI

    Made this tonight for DH and I– used Progresso canned (19 Ozs.) chickpeas and reduced fat crumbled feta. This came out delicious. Thank you for a great recipe– great for Lent usage.

    Reply

  16. Connie

    This looks delicious! Totally making this for myself the next time I’m home alone for supper. I think both the husband and the roomie would balk at it, but that just means it’s all for me.

    Reply

  20. Heather

    While I agree that there are few things better than a hot bowl of freshly cooked chickpeas, I must say that for this recipe, canned worked just fine. The only thing I omitted was the thyme. This was the perfect snack turned dinner for a cold Friday night. Monday I added the left overs to whole wheat penne and now, I never want to eat pasta without this again. Thanks Joy for a great recipe! Oh, and I’m with michiganderintexas on trying as a dip – my husband suggested that also.

    Reply

  21. ashluvspugs

    So I made this last night for dinner, as I just so happened to have all of the ingredients on hand. It was SO GOOD. Simple food is always best, amiright? I finished the rest off for lunch at work today and the hubs was slightly bummed there was none left when he got home (it was the first thing he asked me).

    Reply

  23. Kelly

    I just made this today…..delicious! I did add some minced garlic before I baked it and added some crushed red pepper when it came out of the oven. Will definitely make again.

    Reply

  24. Kelley

    Garbonzos can be pretty dry and uninspiring right out of the can, but this looks like a delicious cure! I’m all for using dried beans, but without a pressure cooker, it takes hours that I don’t always plan ahead for.

    Reply

  25. andi

    I’m not a big fan of garbanzo’s, but for some reason, I knew I had to make this as soon as I saw it…..and I’m so glad I did! It was as delectable as the photos that tempted me. I live alone, so halved the recipe, savoring the rest for tonight’s dinner. I took your suggestion and accompanied it with a hard boiled egg and, for color, a campari tomato (with a drizzle of rosemary olive oil and sea salt).
    New to your site and love it….also equally enjoy the links you provide on Sundays.

    Reply

  26. Allison

    Had this last night – but left out the onions (I’m allergic and don’t like onions) and thyme (didn’t have any) and substituted chopped green olives for the capers (again, didn’t have capers on hand) – omg – I’m in love. This is fantastic! Cant wait to have some of the leftovers for lunch today!

    Reply

  28. Peggy

    I had a bag of dried garbanzos in my pantry. I cooked them in my electric pressure cooker and used them in your recipe. It turned out great and I’m looking forward to having the leftovers for lunch.

    Reply

  30. Lizzie

    This reminds me of my trip to Greece many years ago…the best chickpea dish I’ve ever laid taste buds upon was in a tiny basement restaurant in Athens. Clearly I have to give this one a go. Love the idea of hard boiled eggs with it.

    Reply

  33. rebecca | DisplacedHousewife

    I’m with you, I love three-bean salad. I think it’s Italian dressing that’s globbed on there? This looks super yummy…I’ve been messing around with sourdough bread over her and I’m thinking this would be perfect smeared on top. xo

    Reply

  34. masha

    WOW this sounds delicious. And I love garbanzo beans. Cozette I have not had Rancho Gordo’s garbanzo beans, but am going to try them. Thanks for the tip. Thanks for this recipe.

    Reply

  35. Rachel

    When are recipes going to STOP USING CANNED garbanzo beans?? I buy wonderful dried beans from Whole Foods (which use a local source) and bought in bulk they are cheaper than canned and taste superior (and very easy to prepare)
    They also freeze wonderfully if you want to make a large batch at a time to keep on hand.

    I’m NOT a snob! – You don’t have to shop at Whole Foods either – dried garbanzos are very easy to find.

    (I 1/2 cups prepared beans = 1 15oz can)

    Reply

    • Lynn

      Rachel – Just made a recipe w dried chickpeas and I totally agree that they are so much better than canned. Can you just share how you cook the dried ones to be able to use them in a recipe like this? Thanks!

      Reply

    • dirtgirl

      I’m with you on that one Rachel. I cook up dried beans by the bagful then freeze in cliplock bags so I always have heaps of various beans ready to use in salads, soups etc. So much cheaper and healthier than canned, processed beans.
      This recipe will certainly be getting a whirl in my place, we love chickpeas!

      Reply

  39. Michelle H.

    Home with the kids today on a snow day. Kids who love sheeps milk feta and chick peas too. I have everything to make this except capers which we are not fond of. Thanks for giving me the perfect recipe for our lunch today.

    Reply

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