Olive Oil Braised Chick Peas 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.

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.

Olive Oil Braised Chickpeas with Feta

★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews

• Author: Joy the Baker
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 40 minutes
• Total Time: 50 minutes
• Yield: Serves 4
• Category: Lunch, Dinner

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Description

A super easy and adaptable braised bean dinner.

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Ingredients

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• 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**

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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. return to the oven, uncovered, for another 10-12 minutes for even softer beans and veggies.
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.

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Notes

** This recipe for braised beans is super adaptable.  Add any veggies languishing in your fridge.  I also like to add whole garlic cloves because they soften to spreadable.  More veggies may mean a longer cook time but there’s no wrong answer here.

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Nutrition

• Serving Size: 4