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Braised Chickpeas with Chard

Updated September 3, 2024 / By Holly Erickson & Natalie Mortimer

Another few-ingredient, scour-the-pantry recipe, coming in hot! Smoked paprika and jarred marinara sauce punch up a simple vegetarian dinner of tomato-y braised chickpeas with chard.
braised chickpeas in a tomato sauce with chard shown in a ceramic bowl with crusty bread

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.

swiss chard, crustly loaf of bread, can of chickpeas, butter, smoked paprika, garlic and a jar of tomato sauce shown.

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.
chickpeas with tomato sauce and swiss chard shown in a large white skillet
braised chickpeas with chard shown in a large white skillet with a wooden spoon

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!
braised chickpeas in tomato sauce with a large wooden spoon

Tools You’ll Need:

braised chickpeas in tomato sauce with chard shown in a ceramic bowl with sourdough bread and a wooden handled 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:

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!

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braised chickpeas in a tomato sauce with chard shown in a ceramic bowl with crusty bread

Braised Chickpeas with Chard Recipe

  • Serves:  4
  • Yields:  2½ cups
  • Prep Time:  5 min
  • Cook Time:  15 min

Description

Another few-ingredient, scour-the-pantry recipe, coming in hot! Smoked paprika and jarred marinara sauce punch up a simple vegetarian dinner of tomato-y braised chickpeas with chard.
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    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil or unsalted butter
    • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
    • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
    • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
    • 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
    • 2 cups stemmed Swiss chard leaves or curly kale, roughly chopped
    • 4 slices bread, toasted

    Method

    1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is glistening, add the chickpeas and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and paprika. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 more minutes.

    2. Pour in the marinara and cook, stirring, until the sauce begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Add the greens and stir until just wilted, about 2 minutes.

    3. Spoon the mixture over the toast, dividing evenly.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 279
    • Protein 7 g
    • Carbohydrates 24 g
    • Total Fat 18 g
    • Dietary Fiber 6 g
    • Cholesterol 0 mg
    • Sodium 236 mg
    • Total Sugars 1 g

    Braised Chickpeas with Chard

    Questions & Reviews

    Rated 4.9 stars by 32 readers

    or
    • Sarah

      I love modern proper and have been making your recipes for years. I miss the part of the page that shares goes well with.. section. Ever consider bringing that back?

      HI Sarah, we actually started bringing that back into our newer posts a couple months ago!

    • Colleen

      Can I substitute something else for the chard?

      Sure! any leafy green will do the trick (kale, spinach etc..)

    • Natalie

      Looks delicious. Do you have a metric measurement for the marinara sauce? Is this volume or weight? Thansk

      You need a 24 ounce jar of marinara. Hope you enjoy!

    • Sue

      I now have all the ingredients. However, I haven't used chard before. Do I use the stems? They are quite colorful but also seem rather thick so please let me know. Thanks -Sue

      Just use the leaves for this recipe. Hope you enjoy Sue!

    • mary

      Does it freeze well?

      We haven't tried it but it should work fine!

    • Milgred

      I want to make this but I don’t know how to make bead. do you also have the recipe for the bread on the photo?

      Hi Mildred, you can just buy any crusty loaf of bread that you like from the store!

    • Debbie

      hat size is the can of chickpeas? I think can sizes are not the same in US and Canada, so it would be useful if you could specify.

      A can of chickpeas in the U.S. is about 15 ounces, or roughly 1 1/2 cups.

    • Jennifer

      Quick question: I’ve never cooked with chickpeas before, and am assuming you start with cooked chickpeas. I have dry garbanzo beans in my pantry and am assuming I would sprout and then boil these first?

      Correct. If you aren't using canned chickpeas cook your dry beans first before using them in the recipe.

    • Anna

      5-star rating

      Made this tonight and it was truly amazing! And so easy. I swapped the marinara for crushed tomatoes and added an onion (with the chickpeas), Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Also added leftover sausage. Sautéed the kale separately, like another reviewer suggested. The husband asked to make it again. High praise!!

      Thanks Anna, so glad you loved it!

    • Liz

      5-star rating

      My husband and I love this dish and make it all the time. We serve it over brown rice.

      Thanks Liz, so glad you love it!

    • Natalie

      5-star rating

      This is such a great easy but flavorful & healthy meal! Will make again and thank you for the recipe!

      Thanks Natalie, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Erin

      5-star rating

      Just made this! I hit it with a big squeeze of lemon at the end. So delicious! This recipe is a keeper!

      Thanks Erin, so glad you enjoyed it!

    • Haley

      5-star rating

      Really enjoyed this recipe! I added 2 italian sausages and Dino kale because I needed to use them up and it was fabulous. Will absolutely be making this again!

      Thanks Haley, so glad you enjoyed it!

    • Jen

      5-star rating

      I was really hesitant about this dish - I have a thing with textures... But I’m trying to do “Meatless Mondays” as part of my meal planning for the week. OMG. My 3 yo and 9 yo are eating it, my hubs wanted seconds and said “It’s definitely a 5 star recipe!” - I was a vegetarian for 10 years, and in all honesty, this is the best vegetarian meal I have ever tasted. Thank you so much for sharing!!!

      Wow, this is so great to hear. We are so happy your family loved it, thanks Jen!

    • Cynthia

      5-star rating

      Easy but so flavorful and delicious!

      Thanks Cynthia, we are so glad you loved it!

    • Lorena

      5-star rating

      This was incredibly fast to make, and does not lack flavor at all. It was amazing!!!

      Thanks Lorena, so glad you loved it!

    • Cynthia

      5-star rating

      Wonderful dish, prepared using all ingredients listed except I used Lacinato Kale.

      Thanks Cynthia, we are so happy you loved it!!

    • Liz

      5-star rating

      Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I tweaked the recipe a bit and added a scant 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes when I added the garlic and paprika to the skillet. Also used kale and sauted that with the chickpeas to wilt them a bit before adding the sauce. Everyone really liked this and will make it again.

      Only thing I might do different is to put some olive oil on the bread and lightly toast it in a skillet.

      Thanks for sharing this recipe!

      Thanks Liz! We are so happy you loved it!