Braised Chickpeas with Chard

A Healthy, Hearty Vegetarian Dinner

Canned chickpeas braise in a tomato-y, garlicky sauce making for a quick, nutritious meal that’s built largely out of pantry ingredients. And in these stuck-at-home, grocery store-avoiding days of self-quarantine, that’s exactly what we need, right? Flavorful and healthy, this braised chickpea recipe just might be the answer to your anything-but-pasta-again dinnertime dreams. Bolstered the addition of dark leafy greens—use chard, kale, or even a braising mix—and a sprinkle of smoked paprika, these braised chickpeas just might earn a spot in your post-quarantine rotation, too.

Five Ingredients Are All You Need to Make A Delicious, Quick Vegan Dinner

So, if you have smoked paprika on-hand, it’ll make this garbanzo bean recipe just a little bit more exciting. But if not, it’ll still be really delicious! The five main ingredients are super-flavorful as it is. All you’ll need to make braised chickpeas is:

• Chickpeas.
• Olive oil (or butter works, too!)
• Fresh garlic
• Jarred marinara sauce.
• Swiss chard. Or kale, or spinach, or really any leafy green that you’ve got around. Sometimes at farmers markets you’ll see a “braising mix”, that includes mustard greens, kale, chard and the like—that type of leafy green mixture would work perfectly here.

How To Braise Chickpeas (and Call Dinner DONE!)

Braised beans are such a cinch, think of this recipe as a bit of a gateway recipe—get the hang of it, and before you know it, you’ll be braising every bean you’ve got in your house. The gentle, moist heat allows the chickpeas to warm through, but also to soak up the wonderfully satisfying, classic Mediterranean flavors—tomatoes, garlic, olive oil—we braise them with. Serve the finished braised chickpeas with some good crusty bread, and maybe some nice cheese. Here’s how to make this ultra-satisfying, ultra-easy, vegan dinner:

1. Warm the olive oil (or butter) over medium heat.
2. Add the chickpeas.
3. Add the garlic and smoked paprika (if you’ve got it). Stir for a couple minutes.
4. Pour in the marinara sauce and bring the whole pan to a simmer.
5. After about ten minutes, stir in your leafy greens and cook until they wilt.
6. And you’re DONE!

Tools You’ll Need:

• Sharp knife.
• Can opener.
• Large skillet.
• Good, sturdy wooden spoon.

More Easy Vegetarian Dinners Your Family Will Love:

Plant-based meals—we’re pretty into them right now. And not just because we’re basically eating the entire contents of our pantry. Also because they’re healthy, and can be just as satisfying as their meaty counterparts. Here are four vegetarian recipes we’re eyeing right now:

• Vegetarian Meatballs
• Portobello Mushroom Fajitas
• Spiced Vegetable Stew
• Vegetarian Stuffed Peppers

Into Bean-Braising Now? Welcome to the Club.

We set out to make a recipe that would use just a few pantry ingredients, and while we knew we wanted to come up with something tasty and quarantine-friendly, we didn’t know that it would turn out quite this good. We hope you give this recipe a try, and if you do, let us know how it goes! Snap a photo of your braised chickpeas and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper so we can see! Happy eating!