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.
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.
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.
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.
PrintOlive Oil Braised Chickpeas with Feta
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 40
- Total Time: 50
Ingredients
- 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
- Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- 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.
- Remove from heat and scrape into a medium oven-safe baking dish.
- 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.
- Remove form the oven Remove the foil. Add crumbled feta and smoky paprika. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving.
- Serve warm with crust bread, and boiled eggs.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
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.
★★★★★
Kerri
So yummy! Made this into a nice spinach salad. ?????? So versatile and can’t wait to use up my leftovers.
★★★★★
Laurene Cota
Absolutely loved these! Easy, healthy and delicious ?
Erik
Think I could turn the leftovers into a hummus?
joythebaker
Add some tahini, sure!
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!!
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!
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
joythebaker
Zaatar must make this dish extra incredible!
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.
Sarah Michelle Malo
This was so amazing even my 1 year old loved it!
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 :)
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.
The Queen of Dreaming
This looks exactly like what I want to eat for dinner!
https://justsem.wordpress.com/
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)
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.
Avocadoearthnutrition
This looks so good!! Definitely will need to try it :)