Nothing against barbecue-style baked beans, all tangy sauced and full of smoky burnt end drippings — hi summer, get here quick please — but I hardly see why navy beans get to have all of the fun. Where are the baked kidney beans, black-eyed peas and gigantes? Baking is a phenomenal way to cook dried beans and a great way to make something more complex of canned ones; when you start considering flavors, the sky, nay, the globe is the limit. I want these red beans slow-baked in a big casserole, scooped with tortilla chips. I want baked black beans heaped over tostones, braised white beans over Catalan-style tomato bread and I want what we had for dinner last night for the first time all over again, because it was perfect.
In an attempt to wean myself from my ongoing obsessive fixation on all things Tex-Mex — taco, tortilla, fajita and quesadilla — I didn’t get as far as it may seem. Sure, I spiked my baked chickpeas with Middle Eastern spices, but once I’d scooped them onto oven-crisped pita chips, dolloped it with lemon-tahini yogurt sauce, a finely chopped tomato-cucumber salad, well-toasted pine nuts, hot sauce and a fistful of chopped parsley, I realized I’d basically made Middle Eastern nachos. And I’m not even a little sorry.
Because this was one of our best dinners in ages — I’m struggling to control my gushing here, to be honest — and I’m so glad I made a full pound of beans, so we can have more for tonight. It was the kind of vegetarian meal (and vegan, too, if you omit the yogurt) that you totally forgot was, because it was incidental. It’s playful and fun to lay out many elements and let everyone pile them on as they see fit. And, because it was crunchy and fresh but also warm, fragrant and insanely filling, it felt like the perfect meal to bridge the heavy foods of winter and the brighter ones to come. More of this, please.
One year ago: Whole-Grain Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Two years ago: Chocolate Hazelnut Macaroon Torte
Three years ago: Soft Eggs with Buttery Herb Gruyere Toasts
Four years ago: Oat and Maple Syrup Scones
Five years ago: Bakewell Tart
Six years ago: Cream Cheese Pound Cake and Strawberry Coulis
Seven years ago: Caramel Walnut Upside-Down Banana Cake
Eight years ago: Bulgur Salad with Chickpeas and Red Peppers
And for the other side of the world:
Six Months Ago: Latke Waffles
1.5 Years Ago: Frico Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
2.5 Years Ago: Crackly Banana Bread
3.5 Years Ago: Roasted Tomato Soup with Broiled Cheddar
Baked Chickpeas with Pita Chips and Yogurt
My baked chickpea curiousity began many years ago, when Amanda Hesser shared a recipe in the New York Times from a Basque cookbook for baked garbanzos in 1999 (yes, I’m old). I’d forgotten about it until the Times relaunched their Cooking section last fall, but I was thrown by the need for saffron threads, which are expensive to procure and likely meant that most people wouldn’t make it. So, I got to thinking about what other cultures and flavors could be applied, and landed in the Middle East. In short, it’s not the first time I’ve gone all the way around to realize later I was making something that already existed, a dish known as fatteh.
Note: To make this gluten-free, make your chips from gluten-free wraps or pitas. To make this vegan or dairy-free, make a lemon-tahini sauce, minus the yogurt. (It can be thinned with water, once you get the lemon level where you like it.)
Serves 6 generously, if eaten nacho-style
For the chickpeas
1 pound dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or 4 15-ounce cans cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon paprika or sumac
1/2 teaspoon cayenne, spoonful of harissa or a couple shakes of your favorite hot sauce (all adjusted to your heat preference)
Few gratings fresh lemon zest
2 teaspoons coarse sea or kosher salt (what I used for lightly salted broth, use more for unsalted, less for salted or canned beans)
4 cups vegetable broth (for dried but soaked chickpeas), 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth (for cooked chickpeas)
1 cup or more of water (will likely only need if beans weren’t pre-soaked)
Fixings (all instructions below)
Fresh pitas for pita chips
Big handful of parsley (or a mix of parsley, cilantro and mint would be good too)
1/4 cup pine nuts
Tomato-cucumber “relish” salad
Lemon-tahini yogurt or plain yogurt
Additional paprika or sumac for sprinkling
Soak dried chickpeas: Do you have to soak beans before you cook them? Nope, no, nope. But it will save a lot of cooking time, making this more of a one-hour weeknight meal. So, if you can plan ahead, soak them in an ample amount of water at room temperature for 24 hours. Don’t have 24 hours? I soaked mine for 3. I will make final cooking time estimations based on soaking times. Using canned beans? Skip this step entirely.
Prepare your chickpeas: Heat oven to 375°F (190°C). In a large, heavy pot such as a Dutch oven (mine was 4 quarts, an ideal size), heat olive oil in the bottom of the pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for 5 minutes, until they begin to soften. Add garlic and saute garlic and onions together for 3 to 4 minutes more, until everything is wilted. Add spices, zest and salt and cook with onions and garlic for one minute. Add drained soaked or canned chickpeas and:
- for already cooked or canned chickpeas: 1 1/2 cups broth
- for dried chickpeas that have been soaked: 4 cups broth
- for dried chickpeas that have not been soaked: 4 cups broth and 1 cup water to start
Bring mixture to a boil and boil for one full minute. Place a lid on the pot and transfer it carefully to the oven.
Bake your chickpeas: Please keep in mind that cooking beans isn’t a perfect science, and the amount absorbed if pre-soaked or not, the age and freshness of the chickpeas and even the softness of ones from a can are going to affect how much cooking time and liquid is needed. But, these estimates are fairly solid from my experience:
- for already cooked or canned chickpeas: bake for 15 minutes
- for dried chickpeas that had been soaked: bake for 45 minutes (estimate for 24 hours soaking) to 75 minutes (estimate for 2 to 3 hours soaking)
- for dried chickpeas that had not been soaked: bake for 1 hour 30 minutes, but start checking in every 10 to 15 minutes from 50 minutes on to see if more liquid or cooking time will be needed
Chickpeas are done when they’re firm-tender.
Meanwhile, prep your fixings: While the chickpeas bake, prepare any fixings that caught your eye:
To make pita chips from store-bought pitas: Separate the layers of pitas and cut into wedges. Arrange on a large baking sheet and brush lightly with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake alongside chickpeas for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing occasionally to ensure that they toast evenly. Let cool.
To toast pine nuts: Spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast them in the oven while the chickpeas bake for 5 minutes, tossing once or twice as they like to toast unevenly. Let cool.
To make a tomato-cucumber “relish” salad: Chop a handful of whatever decent-looking tomatoes you can find in March, and 1 large or a few smaller cucumbers into very small pieces. Finely chop 1/4 a small red onion. Mix vegetables and onion in a bowl and dress to taste with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper.
To make lemon-tahini yogurt: Whisk 6 tablespoons well-stirred tahini in the bottom of a bowl. Whisk in the juice of a whole lemon, 1 minced garlic clove and 4 tablespoons water until smooth. Whisk in 1 cup plain yogurt, about 1/4 at a time, until smooth. Season with salt. Adjust all levels to taste.
Serve and let everyone assemble: We started with a handful of pita chips on our plan, then heaped on the baked chickpeas, dolloped on the yogurt sauce, tomato-cucumber “relish” salad, sprinkled everything with parsley and pine nuts and then a couple of us also shook on some hot sauce. Dig in.
See also: The Middle Eastern food blog Desert Candy, which I’ve been reading for years but apparently missed the wrong month to fall behind, shared a recipe last week for “Nile Nachos” which use roasted instead of baked/braised chickpeas. I love this idea (and the fresh radishes on top); it feels snackier/lighter and a great fit for a party. I recommend patting canned chickpeas dry very well on paper towels before roasting them or they don’t get very crisp. I find that freshly-cooked beans, which tend to be firmer, crisp up better in the oven.
Brilliant. I’ll be making this soon.
Yum, this looks so good! Reminds me of Hana Assafiri’s signature chickpea bake recipe from the Moroccan Soup Bar in Melbourne which is an absolute institution. Hers is deliciously buttery – this looks nice and summery.
Oh, this is going on the ‘we’re having this tonight’ list immediately! Makes me want to pair it with more tex mex flavours, like guacamole. Am loving this recipe at the moment: http://kitchenfeasts.com/2015/02/25/guacamole/
I love everything chickpea and your site has been a treasure chest of ideas for them. Cannot stop eating that lemon tahini dressing from the butternut squash and chickpea recipe on all sorts of things. Thrilled to try this one too. Simple, hearty meals make the world go round.
Looks delish, will be sure to make it this evening but with canned chickpeas. Love the website as always!
What vegetable broth do you use. I tried the better than bouillon vegetable paste because I loved the chicken when I still ate meat, but it was awful.
Lauren — This time I used Pacific organic, low sodium. It was pretty good in here. I agree some are terrible; I still have nightmares about the one that was basically thin pureed carrots. If you just want to use water, I think that can still work, but you might want to bump up the seasonings.
My absolute favorite veggie broth is Imagine Organic Vegetarian No-Chicken Broth. It has the lightness of chicken broth, but without the chicken!
Hello Friday night dinner! This will go perfectly with my recent tahini obsession. It started with your butternut squash and garbanzo bean salad, now I just put tahini dressing on everything.
Yes, please, and thank you. Holy garbanzos, I might actually set aside the leftover mac & cheese and make this tonight!
Perfect timing! Was just trying to dream up something tasty but meal-worthy I can toss together for a friend coming in from the Middle East tonight.
Just this morning, I thought to myself, “why do I have so many bags of chickpeas and when will I even finish them?” Question asked and answered in a few hours. Brilliant.
I’m trying to broaden my eating horizons. I do not usually like chickpeas but I really want to so I’m going to try this! I’ll let you know how it goes.
YAAS MIDDLE EASTERN NACHOS. This leads to a whole host of great ideas. MIDDLE EASTERN 7 LAYER DIP???
This recipe looks fantastic, and I cannot wait to make it for my family. Question, though: I always rinse and drain canned chickpeas. Is 3/4 cup veggie broth enough if they are rinsed and drained, or should I skip my usual step? Thank you!
This looks crazy good. Any suggestions for someone who is allergic to nuts (pine nuts included)?
Pepitas? (Pumpkin seeds)
No need to feel sorry, it’s called Hummus Fatteh :) It’s a thing! And it’s yummy!
Amy — Good point. I bet 1 1/2 cups might be closer to what we’re looking for. I didn’t expect canned beans to drink a whole lot once they’re drained, so I didn’t want to swamp them. (Even mine, pictured above, are wetter than they were when fully baked. We realized they needed another 15 minutes after I took these photos. After the last 15 minutes, there was very little liquid left, as I had been going for.)
Ghadah — I was just reading about fatteh this morning! Would this count as it?
Dina — Skip the pine nuts, they’re just garnish. If it’s a seed allergy too, you can just use plain yogurt.
To suit the request of my husband, who has recently decided to consume a predominantly meatless diet (I couldn’t be happier!) but who declares will only be able to do so if the meals aren’t boring (duh), I think these nachos perfectly fit the bill. How could he ever think this meal was boring?!
I’m kicking myself right now for giving away all my canned chickpeas to the neighbors for the neighborhood canned food drive. I knew I should have given away the Manwich instead! Oops. This looks uber healthy and a nice break from what I traditionally eat. And quite honestly, it’s never occurred to me to bake chickpeas.
Looks delicious!
Yes, there are many versions of fatteh :) This is a good one!
Middle Eastern nachos? Sign me up. This seems like the perfect dish to ease me out of Morroco and back into the U.S. State of mind.
Heck yes. Chickpeas are my favorite bean and I cannot wait to make this!
Middle Eastern nachos? You should never be sorry for that!
Currently on a chickpea obsession! Can’t believe it took twenty-six years for me to discover there is more to chickpeas than hummus. Can’t wait to try this!!
Wow this looks really really good! Do you think I would be able to make the chickpeas in the crock pot?
This definitely needs to become my next dinner. I will forever love all the forms of nachos. Yum!
Oooooh, lovely! Not that I had planned a different chickpea dish today (&stuffed mushrooms) but this looks like I might change the menu. Chickpeas & a spiced yoghurt are welcome in our house any time. Nicole
You are a GENIUS.
Now, since you already answered the vegan and gluten-free questions so people can’t get you with those…I am envisioning this in a slow cooker. Do you think I would need to reduce the liquid?
It’s tax season for me, so the idea of getting home (around 9:30 pm…) and eating this in the time it takes to make the salsa and toast some pita is MAGICAL.
Nicole — Since you’re not going to be home, it might be safer to use more liquid because it’s better to have too much and drain them off a little with a slotted spoon as you scoop then than to have them burning in there while you’re away, leaving you with no dinner. And thank you. (P.S. I hate tax season too, but for opposite reasons!)
OMG, must make this tonight!
This recipe looks so lovely – really perfect for a Saturday afternoon. I am bookmarking this one and will make it very soon! Thanks for the great recipe. You can never go wrong with chickpeas!
Okay this looks amazing! And almost all the ingredients are on hand in my kitchen right now. For want of a cucumber the salad will not be lost! I too have a nut allergy but I don’t think I’d be missing a thing without the pine nuts (except a stab of the epipen) perhaps some oven crisped greens instead for one more layer of crunch.Yay nachos!
this looks AMAZING and is reminiscent of a super delicious Palestinian dish called fattet hummus! see link below. bravo, deb! you must have been a middle eastern person in a past life!
http://www.kitchenofpalestine.com/fattet-hummus/
(the dish is not always as wet as it is in this recipe, and is often more generously garnished, like yours!)
This looks so good! I’m going to try putting the beans in the slow cooker before work. Unless I sleep too late…
This looks awesome, I think I might add some greens to the baking process as well!
this’ll be a delicious dinner, and hopefully dinner for a few nights. i love leftovers!
Hi Deb! Do you have a pressure cooker? I use it all the time for making dishes which involve dried beans (kidney beans, chickpeas, dal) or stews. Much faster than any other method, don’t need to buy canned beans, and I think (could be wrong) it retains more nutrients than other methods of cooking.
This looks brilliant! I’ll definitely be making it this week!
I don’t have a Dutch oven; do you suppose for the baking part, I could improvise with a foil packet in a baking dish or something?
Just saw the slow-cooker comments; never mind, I’ll try that!
what a good idea. i can definitely see adding some ground lamb too, if you really need to add meat.
When is your next cook book coming out??? Please?? I love your recipes.
Middle Easterner chiming in here – totally made me think of hummus fattah! Mexican and Middle Eastern food have a lot more in common than you would think: lots of cilantro, cumin, tomato/onion/cucumber salads, citrus, grilled meats, chiles… you can thank the Moors that settled in Mexico for the blending of the cultures.
And to think – I was just trying to dream up a recipe that would use up the leftover (and slowly turning) tomatoes, onions, and pita in the fridge. This is GENIUS. I might have to change up some of the ingredients a bit here and there, sub some overdue mushrooms, sauteed, for the pine nuts, maybe a squeeze of lime to whittle away my store from a ill planned sale purchase (or create some middle eastern inspired margaritas to keep with the theme) but the bulk will be the same and I am so so excited to feed my addiction to both tex mex and middle eastern food. Thanks Deb, yet again, for the great recipe!
Looks great! Mercedes of Desert Candy wrote about something similar a few days ago: http://desertcandy.blogspot.ca/2015/03/nile-nachos.html
Man, I am loving your vegetarian meals lately! So fresh and full of flavour! For me they feel like a good transition from winter to summer as there is the warming legumes with the freshness of the veg. I’ll be making this recipe ASAP. Tonight I am making your red bean and green grain taco bowl. Very excited for it.
We’re on the same page! I made chickpeas last night too! Unfortunately now I’m out of them :( My standby for “middle eastern-ish” chickpeas are onion, garlic, a bunch of Harissa paste, veggie broth, lemon and parsley (with flatbread if I have it). Can’t wait to add this to the chickpea repitoire!
this is one of my favorites, fatteh! Yum.
Here’s a link, but the one my Palestinian in laws families make looks like yours with the garnishes. Sahtein!
http://www.katherinemartinelli.com/blog/2013/fatteh-pita-chickpeas-yogurt/
YUM! This would also be great with a Turkish ezme salad… Deffo gonna be trying it soon!
This looks amazing! If we are presoaking dried chickpeas, could we use the reserved soaking liquid instead of the broth? Thanks!
Thx, very nice… I like this. Can I make this for one party?
I love it!! So fresh and colorful!
These are perfect for a girl’s night in!
Rachel — Can’t believe I missed it! I’ve been reading her for years, but am definitely behind on my RSS reading. Will add a link; I think the radishes look lovely, and roasted chickpeas would definitely make this more snack-y or party friendly.
Rosa — Definitely, see the link I added at the end to a blog that recently shared a recipe for a Middle Eastern-style nacho in which the chickpeas are roasted, which might make it seem crunchier and more light than the dinner-y version here.
Oh gosh this looks amazing. I love chickpea salads but it never occured to me to elevate them to such delicious sophisication! I know what I’m making this week end :)) thank you!!
oh, don’t mind me Deb. Just here in a pool of my drool and tears over not having that in my mouth right now. If I had the time (and transportation) I would run to the grocery store RIGHT NOW AND MAKE THIS. but essay due tomorrow…. oh Deb. Why do you do this to me?
chickpeas already hummus’ized are my favorite. but as ii do love me a good vegetation dish, always, i will give this ago. and thank goodness for yogurt. our poor mothers with only sour cream for every dish!
thanks for the post :)
I had just planned on making your carrot salad with tahini and crisped chickpeas this week and now think I will add a dash of paprika to the chickpeas a la desertcandy. Have you ever tried asian sesame paste in lieu of tahini? I love the toasted taste.
Thank you, this is so detailed!! It sounds amazing and I will be making it this week :)
Cook’s Illustrated suggests brining beans (salt in the soaking water) to really make them cook through and be tender. I wonder if this would work with chick peas too? I can attest that it does wonders with pinto and navy beans.
“Middle Eastern nachos.” Brilliant! I want to eat this now.
looks so goooood:( yummy
I see that you’ve used Rancho Gordo and I love that company! I couldn’t agree more that summer couldn’t come any faster! Currently surviving on cellared vegetables…
This puts me in mind of the infamous chickpea dish at Melbourne’s Moroccan Soup Bar, with toasted almonds rather than pine nuts (highly recommend). Just googling ‘moroccan soup bar chickpea dish’ gives you an idea of how beloved it is – many versions, but somehow mine never are quite like the original. But oh my, I’m trying this one this week.
so do you do that thing where you squeeze the skin off the chickpeas like in the smoothest humus ever?
Yum! This looks like such a fun and flavorful lunch, appetizer, or party dish!
So much to love about this! Fun, festive, and healthy. :) Going on my list of meals for next week!
FYI in case you want to add a suggestion for your vegan friends: This lemon tahini sauce from (who else?) Yotam Ottolenghi totally rocks my world. First published in the guardian and then Jerusalem: http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/16/roasted-squash-stuffed-quince-recipes . He gets the proportions JUST RIGHT, as always.
I’m in my early second trimester now, and this meal is hitting all my craving buttons!
Beth, I cannot agree more! a dinner of these Mediterranean-style nachos can sure impress hungry (even not-so-hungry) souls! I won’t mind eating a few for lunch too! You won’t believe, we have similar bread in North India called Kulcha, and we eat it loaded just like these pitas but with Indian spices, tomatoes, cucumber, and masala chickpeas. Now, I’m craving for both! looks like have to try soon!!
ooops! Deb, I called you “Beth” in excitement of these nachos you posted. :) Now you know for sure, how much I liked these! lol!
Wow, this looks great, in large part because it reminds me of one of my favourite snacks, samosa chaat. Ever had it? It’s hot, crispy, potato and spice-filled samosa chopped up a bit on a plate, then drowned in saucy chickpeas, yogurt, tamarind sauce, sometimes fresh vegetables, and chaat spice. I love it! I seldom make it myself though, because I can get it for just 3$ at the friendly Indian sweet shop just up the street from me. I came to your site today to make your yellow dal (probably for the 20th time!), which I often make with white beans!
OK, I dove right in and made it for dinner tonight. Used canned chickpeas since I didn’t even have time for the quick brining method, accidentally bought pita chips because I misread “for” as “or,” and totally forgot the pine nuts, but no worries — it was AMAZING. Might be the best non-pasta/gnocchi/risotto vegetarian dish I’ve ever made. The spices of the onions and chickpeas were just wonderful with the earthiness of the tahini yogurt sauce and brightness of the lemonized tomato-cucumber salad, and I loved the way the wetter ingredients sort of began to soften the pita chips beneath while still yielding a hearty crunch. The textures of everything together were just divine. So THANK YOU. I can’t wait for dinner again tomorrow.
One quick question: any thoughts on reheating the chickpeas for leftovers? Should I throw them back on the stove (there’s actually a decent amount of liquid left — I think I used closer to 2 cups) or straight into the microwave?
I love chickpeas but I have never tried cooking them. I’m always trying to find a good chickpea recipe and go from there. This looks so delicious and I am actually inspired to cook some this weekend.
Yum! Could I use a slow cooker for this?
This does look great! I am going to have to try this soon.
On a variation on the same theme, this reminds me of samosa chaat, an Indian street food with the same sort of ideas, including chick peas.
Love it. Middle Eastern nachos. The perfect postmodern snack. xx
Wow this looks incredible! Definitely will be making this!
Reminds me of indian street food – Chaat! It’s usually made with chips made of gram flour and topped with tamarind sauce and yogurt. Looks delish!
OOOH YUMMY – this would be a perfect platter for my party this weekend, I love all the components!
These look heavenly!
deb, Thank you very much!!!
Oh my, this is absolutely stellar! Unfortunately my husband HATES chickpeas *sob*, so this will be made soon on a night he’s working late…how sad for him and how fantastic for the toddler and I. ;)
On occasion, we order dinner from Taim. This is my new Taim.
Fabulous, Deb. Just fabulous.
This looks so good! I just bought a bag of dried chick peas yesterday – when I got home to unpack – I thought, “What in the world was I thinking?”
Apparently Baked Chick Peas with Yogurt! Thanks!
Oh Deb!!! How nice to wake up to this post!! It took me back to the time a Lebanese friend introduced me to Fatteh. The most homey and heavenly dish!! Your “nachos” are actually pretty much that! The difference is that Fatteh is usually layered like a lasagna in a Pyrex-type dish. The pita chips are traditionally fried, although oven baked works fine,the chickpeas are cooked until they start to fall apart and the tahini-yogurt sauce is spiked with some fresh garlic. The chickpeas are poured over the chips while still warm with some of their liquid and it all melds together…. Ugh, I’m drooling now and soooo want to eat this!! Thanks for sharing your fantastic and creative recipes and always brightening our days with your witty stories!!!
Lynn — No, not here at all. I only do that when pureeing them for hummus.
Slow-cooker — Yes, I definitely believe you could. I wish I had better time estimates. For unsoaked beans on high, I’ve seen it take anywhere from 3 to 6 hours for black beans, but I’d estimate in the higher range here. Maybe 6 to 8 hours?
So good!
I just made this for breakfast. Yum!
my mouth is actually watering! this will be dinner tomorrow
ooooh, I love this recipe!! I have a thing for chickpeas! Also loving all the beautiful veges going with them in this dish!!
Oh this makes me sooooo happy! As a vegan, and dying for some warmer spring, the timing of this could not be better. My inspiration has waned and now it’s back! Thanks so much.
I think this will be a perfect Friday Lent supper idea. And easy to make at the end of a long week! Thanks Deb!
This is a great way to cook with chickpeas or garbanzos as I call it sometimes. I often use it as a condiment to casseroles or stews, but to make it the star ingredient looks delightful like you did here. Thanks for sharing this recipe of Baked Chickpeas with pita chips and yogurt, Deb. Happy Spring!
Thoughts on timing if I want to do this just on the stove? (My otherwise well stocked kitchen is lacking a dutch oven…)
Hi, This looks great. Can you recommend a good hot sauce? Thanks!
I made this last night and it was awesome! Folded in some sauteed Kale (one of those bags of Tuscan Kale from Trader Joe’s) towards the end of the cooking process and it was great. Equally great with just the chickpea element and a poached egg for breakfast.
yum! This looks so delicious, can’t wait to try it.
How much of this can be make ahead? It looks delicious but multi-step. I’m imagining making it for guests but not wanting to be cooking right up until we eat.
Oh my!! This kind of sounds like a popular Indian Street food called Papri Chaat (http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com/papdi-chaat-delhi-papdi-chaat-recipe/) which has crisp chips, chickpeas, yogurt, tamarind and mint chutneys..there are variations that add tomatoes and onions. Must try your version..
Thanks!
This looks like some delicious comfort food and would go so well with coconut yogurt and gluten free tortilla and love that your chickpea recipe is already gluten and dairy free! :)
Great Post! This is exactly what I’ve been craving.
Made this tonight, yummy!!!!!!!!
And our vegan daughter, 22 y/o joined us for dinner for the 1st time since Christmas Day!!!!
Thanks Deb!
I can’t wait to make this. Speaking of other baked bean dishes that aren’t really traditional baked beans, I saw this and bookmarked it the other day. I want to try it soon too. http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chorizo-and-gigante-bean-cassoulet-394692
Made this last night for dinner and it was amazing! We live in a Greek neighborhood in Vancouver so I picked up some of our favorite creamy Macedonian Feta from the market across the street and it was the perfect topper to all this. We have half the package of pitas that we did not bake, and I plan to use them with the rest of the leftovers for wraps for lunches the rest of this week. Good one, Deb!
Had this for dinner last night and again for lunch today – so, so so good! It’s borderline perfect food. :) I completely forgot the homemade pita chips when I was packing my lunch this morning, so I had to use Sun Chips (the only thing remotely close to pita chips for sale in my building’s cafeteria) and it was also delicious. I imagine you could just eat all the ingredients as a stew in that case and still die happy ;).
This was delicious, thank you! My husband made it this evening, with seeded tortillas (toasted in the oven) instead of pita. Thank you. I wonder if there’s a way to separate out the comments from people who haven’t made your recipes yet from those who have? It would make scanning through for ideas, questions and answers easier given how many fans you have!
You know what I have no problem with your mexican cravings… I have them too but mine are not from a bun in the oven mine are purely from the lack of mexican foods and ingredients available to me. This middle eastern dish looks delicious! can’t wait to give it a go :)
What does baking the beans do that a slow simmer on the stove top wouldn’t accomplish? I don’t have any cookware that is safe for both the stovetop and the oven (I know, I should really get on that) and am wondering if I could just simmer it on the stove top.
I just made this today and it was WONDERFUL! Thank you!
I did have a lot of liquid left over in my chickpeas. I had them soaking for about 24 hours. Perhaps 4 cups of broth was too much?
I’ve been following this blog for a while and have already tried a recipe or two. The Middle Eastern Tex Mex is one of the best chickpea recipes we have ever eaten! DELICIOUS!! Will definitely become one of our favorite recipes! Thanks for blogging these great meals!
Delicious! Perfect in every way! Easy to make, warm and comforting while still seeming fresh and healthy. Thanks so much for a gorgeous recipe, I will be making this a lot. (And I will be looking for sumac- I think that would put this over the top.)
I made this last night using a chipotle pepper for my seasoning and it was wonderful! I bet these chickpeas would make a great hummus as well.
Your recipe was amazing! I made it tonight and LOVED it!
I just bought all the ingredients and am excited for dinner :)
Super idea! I’m loving Chickpeas at the moment! Really want to try this recipe!!
I have such a hard time saving the chickpeas and not eating them all once they’re cooked! Love it! :)
Good tip on patting the chickpeas dry before roasting, I could not get mine crispy when I tried. Now I know why!
Oh, I also wanted to ask, I spend a whole lot of time pulling the skins off each and every chickpea, is that necessary? Am I the only one?
We made this last night with canned chickpeas – delicious! We added roasted eggplant and feta. My four year old was crazy for it, and I ate so much that my pregnant belly still feels stretched this morning. Very quick too! And endlessly adaptable.
This was so delicious! Thank you! Came home very late yesterday evening to discover I only had one can of chickpeas and one can of cannellini beans, but I had to make this after seeing the photos. So good that I put the package of dried chickpeas I have in to soak overnight to make it again this weekend. I did have some chicken that needed to be grilled, so I marinated it in buttermilk, garlic, and ras el hanout. It was really nice pulled and tossed in with the beans, but definitely not necessary. I imagine this will be in very regular rotation at our house!
We have a ton of the tahini-yogurt sauce left over. Do you have any suggestions on what else can be done with it? Perhaps marinating or as a dressing on a salad?
I cooked garbanzos (Rancho Gordo!) stove top this morning…saw this post and although I intended to cool them for hummus and freeze some, saved a few warm and mashed them. I often have the “relish” which I eat as a salad so I mashed the beans on homemade toasted crusty bread, topped with relish, yogurt, lemon and parsley and called it a delicious breakfast! I guess I’ll call it middle eastern beans on toast :)!
I didn’t take time yet to read all comments, but in case no one has said…beans freeze VERY well. It is just me, but I usually make a big pot of whatever kind, cook them and freeze single use portions.
I had some dried garbanzo beans that had been in the pantry for who knows how long, so I didn’t hold out too much hope for this, but it was so delicious. I got a call while the onions were in the pan so they got brown, which made them even more flavorful. Simple comfort food. Thanks Deb.
how many cups of dry chickpeas is in one pound? I plan to cook the chickpeas in my pressure cooker first. Do you think that will work ok?
Stephanie, Katy — The reason for baking them is that I find it to be a gentler way to cook them, and cook them evenly. That said, I do think this would work on the stove, just keep it barely simmering and use the heaviest pot you have. It’s also totally fine to make this without a stove-to-oven pot. Just sauté everything in a skillet and transfer it to a casserole dish; you can wrap it in foil if you don’t have a lid.
Florence — Yes, there will be, or at least some threading of comments if The Slowest Redesign Ever for this site (1 year and counting!) is ever finished. :)
Shireen — My husband likes Tapatio. I like Rancho Gordo’s Mild Sauce for Hot People. :)
Sara — I think a lot could be made ahead. Definitely the beans, up to a couple days. They might need a little extra broth or water when reheated because they’ll likely keep “drinking” as they rest. The pita chips I made kept well for a few days, as did the toasted pine nuts. The sauce keeps in the fridge. The salad ingredients could be chopped and just dressed before eating. You can dress it sooner, but soften things more. Hope that helps.
Mary — I had 2 1/2 cups. I think this would work great in a pressure cooker.
Samanatha B — I originally used that sauce on roasted halved eggplants in my cookbook; it’s really lovely with other roasted vegetables too (there’s a warm butternut squash salad on this site that uses a lemon-tahini dressing too).
Janice — Why did you peel them? I do this for hummus, but certainly wouldn’t here. Plus, for roasting, having that skin is essential to getting them crackly/crisp.
Had this for dinner tonight…delicious!
THIS WAS SO DELICIOUS!!! Everything I wanted last night for dinner. Thank you!
Had this for dinner, it was great…I had no coriander for the chickpeas so subbed in a generous amount of za’atar, next time i’ll follow the recipe properly…Delicious anyway, and the tahini yoghurt is fantastic. Win.
Oh my gawd, this is the best thing I’ve made in ages, Deb! Easy to put together. Redolent with spices. Delicious! I cannot wait to get into the leftovers today. Maybe right after I finish this cup of coffee…
I made this for dinner last Night. I thought it was very good but my husband thought it was a bit bland, he did not care for it much. Just one note: is it supposed to be a bit soupy? I used the measurements but even when the chick peas were cooked there was a lot of liquid left.
Just one word of caution for fellow cooks: 1 pound of dried chickpeas is A LOT of chickpeas. At least 6 generous helpings. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Bland as in needed salt or spice? Or something else?, It’s not supposed to be soupy, although a little extra liquid is fine, but the amount of liquid dried beans will absorb is never an exact science; it can have to do with how old they were, how long they soaked, how much they absorbed when they soaked, etc. The liquid shouldn’t have too much effect; you can just scoop the beans with a slotted spoon. That said, these are estimates that have worked for me over the years with various soaking times. Re, serving size… I think we agree; I noted it for 6 generous servings.
I made this last night and now I’m eating the cucumber tomato salad and chickpeas together for lunch. I also added feta cheese and some olives. Thanks for the recipe Deb!
We do this at home too – taco night is a twice monthly mainstay, which almost always carries over into the next dinner thanks to so many leftovers (we are 2 people, I cook for 3+ every time). Then when we don’t feel like TexMex, we have “Mediterranean Night” , with pita, hummus, Israeli salad, chickpeas, tahini, the works. Looking forward to trying it your way!
Just had this for dinner. Amazing! Thanks for the inspiration and greetings from Helsinki :)
Nummers. Try this variation on the pita chips: brush the pita with oil, then sprinkle with za’atar (1 tablespoon fresh thyme, 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, 1 teaspoons ground sumac, 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt) before baking.
Deb, thanks for your response. My husband thought it lacked for spices. I however thought it was just right! Just reporting because I like to have other pple’s comments on how the dish was.
Mine was very very soupy. Needed to be served in bowls. I soaked my dried beans for 24 hours – I would suggest only the cups of broth without the additional cup of water to other cooks, especially if to be used with the proposed pita chips. Ours would have gotten totally soggy if we had served them with the chickpeas and pitas on the same plate.
Yes – I saw afterwards that you put “serves 6”. I guess I’m just concurring that even with our very healthy (glutinous) appetites, there were 6 servings.
anne — Thanks for the feedback. (I was in a rush before and forgot my manners.) You are the second person to say that with 24 hours soaking, you had too much final liquid so I’m now seeing a pattern and will add an adjustment.
Just made this tonight. Absolutely delicious!! Thanks, Deb!
Anything Chick pea for me!
Smitten Kitchen, I must say that your ‘Baked Chick Pease W/ Pita Chips And Yogurt’ looks like HEAVEN! I love love love chick peas and I feel like I should try this. Thank you for always putting up your Recipes so that the rest of us can enjoy these healthy and delicious food with you. How do you come up with these things?? You’re a Chef when it comes to the kitchen, and if I had the money to make these things I would. But, I’m trying to save up for a car and my mom always says that she doesn’t want to buy anything, but wants me to eat healthy. I don’t have that typeof money, but she does. But really Thank You for sharing these delicious looking and tasting dishes.
Thanks, Deb, for a great recipe! Made it tonight for my family, and my normally picky son gobbled it up (along with the rest of us). That’s a major win in my book!
A-MAY-ZING!!! So delicious! The combination of everything together is perfect! Thank you for posting this!
I made this today for lunch, almost exactly as written. (I can’t believe I had sumac hidden in the cupboard.) I used chickpeas soaked for about 20 hours and found that four cups of broth was just about perfect. We ate it nacho-style for lunch. To the rest of the pot, I then added roasted eggplant cubes, a can of drained, fire-roasted tomatoes, and some parsley. I put it back in the oven to cook for about 30 minutes. Voila! A whole new dish for later this week! Thanks so much for the inspiration.
Man, you are detailed. I love it. My mom often makes Indian chickpeas, I’m gonna see how long she soaks it as well. I don’t think she’s ever baked chickpeas in a dutchoven, this is cool. She pressure cooks it.
We made this on Friday for dinner and it is one of the BEST meals we’ve had in a long time. For others who may be making this with dried beans they’ve had in the pantry for over a year (like me)–it did take me about 30 minutes longer than recommended to cook them after soaking for only 4 hours. (About 1h 45m.)
We ate the beans with fresh pitas (instead of making chips) and a green hot sauce called zhuk. I roughly followed the recipe here, using jalapeños and serranos: http://humus101.com/EN/tag/zhuk/. (This is very close to the green hot sauce they serve at The Hummus Place. It is so so good. I can’t believe I waited so long to try to replicate it!)
Made it for dinner tonight using pita chips on the bottom for crispy texture. When the sauce from the beans and toppings comes together at the end of the meal, it is absolutely delicious. Very reminiscent of another favorite of ours, your sweet potatoes with celery/cranberry/shallot salsa. Thanks for helping me find great ideas for a vegetarian daughter.
Wow – I think I’ve been undercooking my chickpeas my whole life. I had no idea they could taste this good! I made two-thirds the recipe (because 1 lb of chickpeas is a LOT of chickpeas) but kept the spices the same, and it worked out beautifully.
I love that this recipe is a sum of many smaller recipes, which can each be eaten on their own!
How long will the tahini yogurt sauce last in the fridge?
This was so good! Will definitely be making it again!
I made the chickpeas and lemon-tahini yogurt sauce this weekend and I cannot get enough. This is great for work lunches, too – I put a few handfuls of pre-shredded broccoli/carrots bagged mix in my tupperware, put some beans on top, and then a few spoons of dressing and a soft-boiled egg on top of that. Very yummy.
I made this to take to the office for lunch and it has totally made my week! I bumped up the spices and the garlic (maybe almost doubled them?) and it was delicious. Complete recipe win :)
I just tasted the chickpeas after they came out of the oven. I used homemade chicken stock. They are so good I can’t believe it. Thank you so so much! To your health, Deb!
Just made this tonight. Turned out great. I used canned chickpeas, and the 1.5 cups of water/broth was too much, but I just scooped them out with a holed spoon to drain. Also, this is great for kids. My son hates yogurt, so he used coriander chutney on his chickpeas instead. Anything where my kids can assemble their dinner to their specifications is always great. A couple more things, the pine nuts really got lost in the flavor/texture of the dish, so I won’t use them next time. Also, I was too lazy to run out and get tahini, and I knew I’d have a lot of leftover with nothing to use it for, so my yogurt was tahini-less. Still great topping though. I also burned my pita chips, so I’ll probably just buy a big bag next time (I’m not above taking shortcuts!). Thanks Deb.
I just made this tonight and wow, it turned out fantastic! The flavors are a party in your mouth! Thanks for this keeper!
4 words: CROCK POT THOSE LEGUMES! If flavor isn’t a big enough argument in favor of using dried, how ’bout price? When I make hummus, I throw a big, rinsed bunch in salted water in the crock pot (often overnight) and, with almost no effort, have some to use, some to eat, and some to freeze.
For the working crew that needs to feed little hungry mouths shortly after getting home, it seems like your recipe here, Deb, is a perfect candidate for a crock pot adaptation. I know spices can get sadly muted in a crock, but dry toasting them briefly on the stove before adding, then tossing in another pinch or two right at the end keeps the depth and livens things back up. From there, perhaps the last thing to work out is the crockville ratio for spice/chick pea/veg stock.
What do you think, Deb, et al?
Hi Deb! I’m sincerely hoping that you will post recipes like those you mentioned in the first paragraph! I’m always looking for ways to make beans more flavorful/exciting/appetizing…
Megan — Thanks; I should really write these ideas down for the next time I’m in an idea drought. :)
Laura — Yes, definitely definitely is. If only I had finally taken mine down from the shelf and tested this there, I think it would have been helpful. Soon, I hope.
Lindsay — Definitely a week, maybe a little longer? (Safely, though, a week.)
Made it! Man have I got a lot of chickpeas now. It was fun to make, though! I used dried beans, soaked for 18 hrs. and they baked for 45 minutes. Pretty delicious!
This was fantastic. Especially the fact that it’s meatless but you totally don’t feel like you’re skipping anything…
I just made this for dinner this evening and it’s incredible!!
Hi Deb – thanks so much for posting this recipe – my partner and I loved it, and our 4-year old ATE IT ALL! Congratulations – a winner! ;) We will be making it regularly now.
The leftovers also made for superb lunches – I’m trying to do a food diary right now, so I easily portioned everything out into mason jars, except the pita bits, took it to work, then assembled it there and was so, so happy that I did. Fresh, filling, balanced lunch. Thank you!!
Hi Deb. I made this last night and it was great. I have *never* seen my daughter ask for more helpings of any dish, and that includes pancakes. So thank you! There’s something I’m curious about, though: do you think that baking this dish in the oven provides a certain benefit that would be absent if this were simmered (covered) on the stove? I’m wondering what would happen if I skipped the oven step next time.
Pretty sure this will be for breakfast tomorrow in addition to dinner tonight. Maybe lunch, too, but that’s only if I have enough (because you guys, i’m INHALING it as I type!).
Chiming in to say this was great. I’m not a fan of raw tomatoes or cucumbers so I replaced that with a spicy date chutney but otherwise made this very close to as-written (used Stacy’s pita chips and doubled all spices). It was phenomenal – sweet and salty and savory all at once. My omnivorous partner said, “this doesn’t taste like it’s a “beans!” dish.”
My chickpea loving 6 year old declared this “chickpea heaven” :) the rest of us loved it too!
I did mine with some cilantro, and a cucumber onion vinegar slaw type thing! What a meal!!
In low carb mode so served this over some lightly seasoned sauteed spinach and it worked out great. Also, had to replace the cucumber with a yellow pepper and it did not disappoint.
Okay Deb, these are the bomb.com! Just made them for supper with what I had on hand. We all loved them husband, 16 year old son and myself. Husband took some to work tonight and I’ve got more for lunch tomorrow. This is the cure for the hummus fallback. Thanks!
Simply quite delicious! Super-satisfyingly so. Best dinner we’ve had at our house in awhile. Vegan version was perfection. Thank you, Deb!
Deb, thanks for all the great recipes! There are as many variations to Lebanese recipes as there are villages in Lebanon. My family used very little cumin, no cilantro, and TONS of cinnamon and seven-spice (you can get a wonderful version of this at the Middle Eastern spice store across from Sahadi’s on Atlantic Ave in Bk). So, we would eat this with cinnamon and maybe some allspice or seven-spice, with chopped parsley & mint. I also wonder if chopped dates or even chopped booked eggs would be nice on top? I love that your creativity sparks my own. Best thing about this blog. Have a great holiday weekend! xo
Ha. “Boiled” eggs, not “booked.” Damn iPhone.
Deb, I made this is a side dish for Passover seder and served it with matzoh (Shmerer). It was delicious and a great change from the ordinary. Thanks.
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This was frickin awesome! Sooo loving that I have leftovers for tonight too! :)
I’m making this for the second time tonight. Thanks, Deb. I love your site!
I made this last week and it was a huge hit! Very easy; I had a friend drop by and she loved it.
When I ran out of pita chips, the chickpeas were also great over rice and in a tostada shell, which I guess doesn’t quite get beyond the Tex-Mex thing…
This was delicious! Fun to make with a hungry 4 year old too, as he could just stand at the counter and eat yogurt and cucumber relish while I worked, so much better than having bunny crackers and a cheese stick. I used Zatar in the beans and on the chips. I forgot the pine nuts, but we did top it with parsley and cilantro, and I wouldn’t skip that step, it really brightens the whole thing up.
Hey Deb, since I got your cookbook for x-mas, I have basically made Smitten kitchen recipes every other night. Reading your blog is one of my faaaavorite things to do :) Quick question: how long exactly do dried chick peas last? Last time I made mine, the little white skins all came off the peas and made for a pretty ugly bowl of chickpeas! Someone said it might be because they were old. How long do they keep?
Alana — I don’t see why they can’t last a year or even up to two if in a cool dry place, well-sealed. Of course, they’ll be better in the first year, and they’ll also be better if they weren’t a year old when they got to your grocery store. I’m not sure if the skin coming off is always about age; this is just a property of a lot of chickpeas, though I suppose it’s more likely to happen if they’re quite old.
Made this for dinner (and lunch the next day) and will definitely make again (and again and again). Using canned chickpeas worked fine. I had some homemade tzatziki sauce leftover from earlier in the week – I topped my beans and pita chips with that, some feta crumbles and chopped tomatoes. Delicious!
This just in!!! I had leftover sauce and leftover chickpeas, and I just sauteed some spinach with garlic, topped it with chickpeas and a soft-boiled egg, then doused that all in the sauce and OH MY GOD. It was better, I’d dare say, than my original dish. YUM SO EXCITED FOR LEFTOVERS.
This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it! (I’m thinking Saturday). As always, your pics are amazing as well!
This was prepared and destroyed for dinner last night! Absolutely declicious. Pie shell is chilling in the fridge as I speak, ready to be filled with your chocolate pudding pie :)
I just made these for dinner, and i found scooping all of the toppings on top of the baked pita chips made them soggy pretty quickly. I think next time, I would prefer to create a bowl of everything, and then scoop things with the pita chips, kind of like a chips and dip situation.
I made this last night and it was delicious. Thanks. Unlike your previous commenter, I like Better Than Bullion vegetable stock base. I guess it is just a matter of “taste”.
Yum, Yum, Yum! Can’t wait to try this recipe out!
They’re in the oven now! Can’t wait! Thanks for another great read and another great recipe.
Really enjoyed and made the following modifications. Used dried beans I made In the pressure cooker with 2 inches of kombu. I use extra water when I cook beans as when they sit in the fridge it gets soaked up. In this case I used right away and just stirred in the Kombu and did not need any broth. My beans were a little more done then canned, but I still cooked for 30 mins. The dish was saucy but I just scoped them out. Rather than the Chips I made pita sandwiches. Cut I half, spread some of the lemon-tahini sauce, romain lettuce, beans and topped with dressed cucumber and tomatoes. Skipped the pine nuts, tip for veg broth- I save all my veggie peels (on, kale etc) during the week in a ziplock bag in the fridge and then throw in a pot with a bay leaf and simmer an hour, fresh stock every week,
Made this tonight. Phenomenal!! Even my carnivore boyfriend, who normally whines about eating anything not covere in bacon, had seconds! I added some feta and completely forgot about the pine nuts until I was halfway finished with my plate. And at that point, much more important things were happening. Needless to say, they weren’t missed.
I made this over the weekend and halved the recipe since there were only two of us. Very tasty!
This looks so good! Can’t wait to make it. I bet it’s a crowd pleaser.
Finally made this; it was a hit. I made all of the “fixings” you listed, as well. Thanks for a great meal! And the broth amount (1 1/2 c.) with the canned chick peas was perfect. Can’t wait to enjoy the leftovers tomorrow…just need to make a bit more of the relish.
Hi all, I made this last night and it was delicious. I brined 1 lb of dry chickpeas for 24 hours (using about 3 teaspoons salt) and they came out lovely and tender.
Thanks for your blog and your work, Deb, I’ve been reading and cooking since 2007 :)
I made this tonight and it was really good. I split the recipe in half and used 2 cans of chickpeas. I forgot that I was halving the recipe and used the full spice amount. I thought the spice level was good. I think if if I made the full recipe then I would double the spices.
I’ve made this twice since I read this. It’s sooooo very delicious! A new favorite!
I don’t understand why you think this would only keep a couple days in the fridge. With vegetable broth, there are no meat products, so shouldn’t it keep more like 4-5 days? Maybe it would need added water from the fridge to the table, but I shouldn’t think it’d go bad quickly.
Anyhow, I accidentally made the full recipe (instead of 1/2) last night, so I’m going to see how long the chickpeas and dressing last in the fridge. In addition, I put some of the chickpeas in the freezer, so we’ll see how that works out as well.
Hi Deb, This sounds great! I’d like to make it tomorrow and use some leftover pita bread that I’ve frozen. Any idea if I should thaw it before making the chips? Or just toss them in the over frozen and bake for a longer amount of time?
Thanks!
Elisa — You can toast the pita bread right from the freezer.
Made this last night for dinner, and it was so good! I rarely make anything more than once or twice, since there are so many fabulous recipes to try, but this will for sure be made again at our house. Thanks so much for a wonderful recipe.
Indeed very appealing in taste and texture chips. However, the temperature had little tweak the 100 alloy is not enough. It is a pity that so hard to track down this veggie worth a sin
This looks amazing! That salad you made is what we call in Iran, salad shirazi. Something that we use in cooking here, is ver juice (made with unripe grapes). Try adding a splash or two of that to your salad next time – if you can find it, I don’t know who available it is in the us- along with a bit of dried crushed mint. Delish!
You can also make ver juice yourself. Just find seedless unripe grapes (the tiny round ones are the best) and juice them! Using them whole in eggplant stews is also heavenly, we keep them in our freezer year long
We really, really loved this! It is truly addictive! For once, I really didn’t do that much different. I did use some mint instead of parlsey (which was delightful!) and walnuts instead of pinenuts (didn’t have any). I think the pinenuts would be better. ;)
Nice work-I think this would be a great party plate! Thanks!!
I just had to come by and leave a comment for this recipe, I can’t believe I haven’t yet. The day you posted this I got so enthusiastic about this recipe, I immediately made it the day after. Ever since it’s one of my favorite go-to meals. It’s surprisingly quick to throw together! First time making it was a bit of a hassle because I don’t have a very big oven, I couldn’t put both the chickpeas and the pita’s in at the same time. So the second time making it I decided to just leave the chickpeas on the stove on low heat in a Dutch oven. It actually didn’t make the recipe taste or feel different to me, so that’s how I’ve been making it since. Thank you, thank you, thank you for this recipe :)
Such a delicious and satisfying meal!! I made a different yogurt sauce because I am not a huge fan of tahini (I made traditional tzatziki with Greek yogurt, cucumber, mint, salt, and pepper). Your recipes never fail me and my husband. My 11 month old is now eyeing everything we eat and wants to try. She will be a Smitten Kitchen baby for sure! :)
This makes a lot, and just to switch it up for lunches I put some in a bowl, smashed it with half an avocado, and smeared the mixture on toast. Delicious.
So good and so fast to make (I used canned chickpeas) – and as the person above me said, it makes a lot. The tahini sauce and tomato salad are perfect with it. Excellent vegetarian meal.
A few questions as I prepare to make this for a potluck:
a) Can this be made in advance/refrigerated(/reheated)?
b) I don’t own a heavy pot! I own … a cast-iron pan, and then some regular pots. Could I do the stove portion in a regular pot, and then transfer to e.g. a pyrex for the oven portion?
T — Yes and yes.
Wow! Middle eastern food is my favorite (all the spices) and this recipe was just recommended to me. I’m on a food making binge as we’re expecting a baby in a few days. Maybe this will be our last “pre-baby” meal. :) Also at the end of a kitchen renovation—so I made this in the crock pot. Probably a little more souped than baked, but still absolutely delicious. P.S. Used both paprika and sumac. How can you choose?
I’m making this for dinner (again!) tonight. I added a little mint to the relish – delish!
Just made this tonight! It was absolutely delicious. One of my favorite all-time meals. I love the yummy savory roastedness of the chickpeas against the freshness of the relish…and the yogurt is to die for! I’m so glad there are leftovers! So many wonderful flavors!!!!!
chickpeas are very good for health. This is like some chatpata dish. I will to love to try it. Thanks for sharing.
Awesome food!! Want to prepare this healthy and tasty food recipe to my dinner :). Will give an attempt.
I made this last night and wanted to say it was SO delicious. Unbelievably so for such humble ingredients. Thank you. Today I reheated the leftover chickpeas, made a fresh batch of tomato salad, and plated the chickpeas with the salad, some yoghurt and added avocado and a crispy egg fried in olive oil and paprika for my brunch. It was great. Will be making this again and again. Xx
Omg this was so delicious! Thank you!
I made this tonight, and it was a household hit. My husband had seconds (I shamelessly piled my plate high and ended up stuffed.) We did a deconstructed version for my 2 year old. He dipped everything in the lemon tahini yogurt dressing and cleaned his plate.
I soaked my chickpeas for about 5 hours, and ended up needing to cook them for as long as the 3 hour soak directions. I made the cucumber tomato relish, and added red bell pepper because I had it on hand. And in the chickpea base, instead of hot sauce I minced up a jalapeño (also because I had one) and threw it into the sautéed onions when I added the garlic. Oh, and I sprinkled flaked sea salt on the pita. The bigger pieces of salt on the chips were really tasty.
This is definitely going into the regular rotation. And I’m making lots of plans for that yogurt dressing.
I do something like this – a lot using store bought or home made labneh with evoo and za’taar and pocket-less pitta triangles. I am going to bite the bullet – prepare dried chickpeas – follow your recipe start to finish (except for the labneh…). You never steer me wrong!! Thank you.
Just took some old pitas out to make chips and of course this recipe pops up. Serendipity as always! A note to add re: pita chips. Instead of cutting before brushing I save time by splitting my pitas into halves, then I brush and salt each circle. Stack the circles up, cut them into wedges like a pie, then bake them. This also gives the advantage of adding a little oil to the back of the pita for extra crispness. Store in an airtight container.
Made this for dinner tonight and it was a hit! The fella and the teenager even loved it — I was told to add it to the rotation. Really great blend of robust flavors on a warm and cool pallet! Thanks!
I’m wondering if this can be easily halved?
The finished photo looks great… what do you think of doubling the recipe, then serving the chickpeas and relish in the same serving bowl (for a crowd), with sauce and pita chips in the side? Is it good at room temp
I think so. It’s better warm-ish but mostly cooled off should be fine.
Great recipe! I’ll definitely make it again. I think they’d be fun as an appetizer. I totally forgot to buy pita chips – because I have a knack for forgetting one very important ingredient at the store, almost every time – so I ate all the elements on a salad, which I still enjoyed. I’d much have preferred the pita crunch, though!
I made this last night with overnight soaked chickpeas, baked for a little over an hour. Everyone, including 3 kids, loved it! I’ve been using a lot of recipes from your cookbook and site lately and my 8 year old daughter said “Mom every night you cook incredible meals.” Thank you, Deb!
what a phenomenal dish!!! I absolutely loved every aspect, especially the yogurt, which I could’ve sinfully eaten it alone!!!!
I made this today (soaked the beans overnight. Loved it. Since we are avoiding carbs, I put it over spring greens and made a big salad with all the fixin’s. Really good! Oh, and FYI, I mistakenly thought I had tahini, but Nope! I just left it out…the yogurt dressing was delicious anyway!
Also my dried beans took about 65 mins, but worth it!!!
Thanks!
Do you ever cook chickpeas in the slow cooker? I do it all the time with black beans, should work here too?
Yes and yes.
Soooo gooood!! Made this with canned chickpeas and they were creamy and succulent. Served it with the tomato-cucumber salad, homemade babaganosh and chips, and it could not have been a better summer meal! Already dreaming about the next time…nom nom nom 😋
Made this last night as a snack for book group. It was absolutely delicious but I would tweak the following next time: I used canned beans (after seeing the Cook’s Illustrated taste test where canned beat dry I may never use dry again) and I’m not sure you need the brief bake for them; maybe just a few more minutes stove top? Next, I will probably drain the beans if I’m serving as an app as the liquid almost immediately make the pita chips a soggy mess. My relish was also a bit of a wet mess so I might drain the tomatoes and cukes a bit before combining and serving (and don’t make this ahead, as I did, it doesn’t hold well). Finally I thought the pine nuts were lost among all the other great flavors so I’d skip them. The tahini-yogurt sauce, however, is luscious! I can see what a great dinner this would be, when everyone’s got a knife and a fork and seated at the table but it’s a bit challenging as an appetizer as written.
Also want to add: I had leftovers of this last night, four nights after I initially made it, and it was fabulous. Drained the beans, plopped them on top of the yogurt sauce, threw some chopped grape tomatoes on top, drizzled with olive oil, S&P, and the BF and I just scooped it up with pita chips. So you can definitely do parts of this ahead!
I love this dish! I prefer dried beans’ flavor and texture here, but I’ve also made it with canned beans when I’m short on time and it’s still delicious. I usually cook the beans, bake the pitas, and toast the pine nuts a night or two ahead. The beans are so good on their own, though, I have never been able to resist eating them on their own straight from the pot and I have on occasion ended up with a less-than-optimal ratio of beans to fixings on the night I planned to serve the actual meal…. Don’t skip any of the extras – I think they make the meal!
These were amazing! I added some crumbled feta on top, of course. Thanks for a new favorite week night dinner!
We use store bought pita chips for nachos sometimes…we call them pichos…this recipe looks delicious! I think I could be a semi-permanent vegetarian…with the occasional chicken or hamburger.
I made this today after someone sent me a photo.
I used some padron pepper with chickpeas and avocado with the tomato salsa cause I had one.
Just a perfect meal. Yum.
SO SO SO good!!! My whole family loved it.
Made this tonight, and it was a hit—we’re even fighting over the leftovers for tomorrow’s lunch! My ten-year-old was sneaking chickpeas out of the pan while I was prepping everything else.
I used canned chickpeas, which were just fine. I think the brand of yogurt I bought was too tart, so I added extra tahini and a bit of honey to the sauce to mellow it out somewhat. And I deconstructed the cucumber relish, since my daughter isn’t a fan of raw tomatoes, so we could all add what we wanted.
And I took the suggestion in your note and included thinly-sliced radishes, which our local Lebanese place uses on their eggplant fatteh. Next time, maybe I’ll sauté or roast some eggplant and try to mimic their dish. That one uses smaller pita chips, which make it less of a nacho-style meal and more something you’d eat with a fork. So next time I may just cut the pitas into squares and toss them in a plastic bag with the olive oil, to save the time it took to brush all the triangles.
Made this again tonight, with the modifications I was considering above. I also added pomegranate seeds, and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses, which added a nice sweet/tangy note against the spicy chickpeas. They definitely added something to the dish!
The eggplant was good, but I think not really necessary, flavor-wise‚ since the chickpeas are really the star of the show here. I probably won’t bother next time, unless I have eggplants I need to use up. Or I’ll use the same technique for cooking the chickpeas, but keep the flavors more muted.
I did think the texture of the dried chickpeas were better than the canned, so I’ll try to stick with those in future. Also, I used heaping measures of the spices (except cayenne), which I think helped bump up the flavor a little. I also added a squeeze of lemon and some chopped parsley at the end, which really brightened up the flavors.
I soaked the beans for about 18 hours, and I did have some broth left in the pot. I’d made them a bit ahead of time, so I pulled them just before they were done, then simmered them uncovered on the stove to drive off the extra liquid while I prepped everything else right before we ate. Unfortunately, this did really consolidate the flavors, and made the chickpeas a lot spicier than I’d intended! Will remember to go easy on the cayenne next time, and add more heat at the table if needed.
Definitely a keeper, and I’m looking forward to experimenting with variations!
I love the chickpea portion of this recipe and just got an Instant Pot. Have you attempted this one with a pressure cooker? Thanks!
Just made it tonight in the instant pot–soaked the chickpeas about 18 hours and then 10 minutes at high pressure with 15 minute natural pressure release (could have done more like 8-9 minutes–Rancho Gordo chickpeas, so they were fairly fresh as far as dried beans go). I think I could have reduced the liquid to three cups with the pressure cooker–I ended up with too much broth (and the spices concentrated in the broth) so I cooked it down separately and then poured the reduced and flavorful broth back over the chickpeas.
I made these chickpeas (with canned chickpeas) last night. We had it with salad, your smoky eggplant dip and the yogurt flatbreads from the new book and everything was fantastic! I didn’t expect the chickpea treatment to make such a dramatic improvement upon the meager canned beginnings.
Where do you buy your Rancho Gordo beans?
I order them online, usually. Maybe once a year or so, loading up on what I think I’ll need.
This was totally delicious, and perfect for meatless monday. Skipped the pine nuts, since my Monday evenings are insanely busy. Have you tried zataar as seasoning on your pita chips? Heavenly! Even just for snacking.
Might I suggest peperoncinis to take the place of the jalapeños on the nachos? And sliced kalamata olives are so good too. Love it!
We just had this last night and it is going into permanent rotation! So good, healthy, vegetarian, and really convenient for a work night, as I was able to make the beans and other components ahead of time. Even my kids (5 & 2) loved it–the kindergartner had me pack leftovers for her lunch! I also made Cook’s Illustrated’s homemade pita’s (soooo easy and amazing) and they went awesome with it! You rock, Deb!
Thank you now I can make it myself…
I make this all the time. The leftovers make the very best hummus ever.
I decided to make this for dinner because I trust Smitten Kitchen and wanted something pretty hearty but healthy for dinner but to be honest I was not very excited about it. I should have been though! This was amazing. I used canned chickpeas (TJs). I don’t love cumin so instead of the 2 tsp of ground, I put a sprinkle of cumin seeds and upped the other spices a bit (used coriander, paprika, cayenne, and sumac). Had it with tomato/cucumber/red onion salad, yogurt with garlic/lemon/sumac, and the yogurt flatbreads from SK everyday. Such a good dinner and an awesome lunch of leftovers.
This recipe is on regular rotation in our house, regardless of the season. The flavors are way more than the sum of their parts, and every time I make it I can’t believe how delicious it is. I usually start with dried chickpeas and soak them. I’ve tried all 3 ways, though, and found that the canned chickpeas don’t absorb as much flavor, while the unsoaked dried chickpeas never soften up enough for me, despite lengthening the cooking time significantly. Still, I love that I have the option of throwing this together last-minute if don’t have the foresight to soak the beans. I usually halve the lemon-tahini yogurt topping, which is just enough for us. Thanks for an amazing recipe that the whole family loves!
This is the only vegetarian dish that my meat-loving husband likes. We all love it in my family and eat this meal at least once a month. I know this is an old post, but I just wanted to thank you for a wonderful recipe – one of our family favorites!
Also, I accidentally used smoked paprika once, and have made it that way since – it made an already fabulous recipe just a tiny bit yummier.
Thank you!
In lebanon its called fatteh hummus, look it up online.
Loved this so much. Our 8yo went back for seconds. She’s a sucker for anything “nacho”. Thanks for the great recipe…it will be made again in our house!
This was absolutely delicious! My husband even ate the chickpeas (which he thinks he doesn’t like) Loved the lemon tahini yoghurt. I added some kalamata olives to the mix as well. Will definitely make this again!
Unlike many SK recipes, this one served more than I expected. Delicious! In regular rotation.
I LOVED this – I used 50% more spices as I want to live dangerously, ha ha, I just like spicy food. My kids, to my utter delight, liked it and all the fixin’s, including the relish (I called it salsa to sell it) and declared it ‘better than good’. I agree, this is a keeper and will make it again and again. YUM YUM!! Thanks for sharing, Deb!
I just made this and it was absolutely one of the most delicious recipes anywhere!!! I followed your instructions exactly – except that I used the Better Than Bouillon vegetable base. I cannot say enough about how much my husband and I enjoyed this meal. It was like a party – festive and delicious! Thank you, Deb!
I made this last night for the Queen and I – OUTA SIGHT!. I used a can of chick peas and reduced spices accordingly (1/2 tsp rather than 2 tsp). I had leftover (always extra in frig) small corn tortillas, which I cut into quarters and fried. Had ripe avocado, fresh cuc and tomatoes, red onion, scallions diced, grated pecorino, pickled radishes with salt and lime juice.
This will become a regular in our menu rotation.
This was SOOOOO GOOD. And so easy!! A perfect meal in every way. Thanks Deb!!!
I don’t normally post comments, but I just wanted to tell you that I’ve made this recipe four times in the last two months. It’s the only vegetarian dish that my carnivore husband will eat, my four year old loves it, and many of the ingredients are shelf stable or freeze well. (We haven’t been making the salsa but will once our garden gets going!) Thank you – this is a family favorite for us even in ordinary times, and in these surreal days of social distancing and limited grocery options, it has been a lifesaver.
Just a thought, but I know I’d love a collection of Smitten kitchen recipes made largely with shelf-stable ingredients? Or freezer-friendly recipes? Thank you so much!
I’ve made this several times now and I am obsessed. Delicious. I prefer canned chickpeas in the recipe and I put it back on the stove at the end to thicken the gravy. This is a winner!
Hey Deb! Is there a way to make this in the crockpot? I LOVE this recipe so much! Just curious what you thought! Thanks!
I definitely think you could although I haven’t tested it for specific cooking times.
This was absolutely perfect. So flavorful, and I don’t think I’ve been this satisfied after a meal in a long time. I used pita chips from a bag, because it’s Tuesday, and it the right choice. Thank you for this recipe!
I’ve been making and loving this recipe for a long now, but tonight was the first time I cooked the beans in the instant pot.. I wanted to share that it turned out great! I only had 2ish hours to soak the beans, cooked them under pressure for 42 minutes, let pressure release naturally for 15 minutes, and then manually released for the rest. They were perfect!
Thanks for the great recipe!!
Served this to my skeptical children last night and they LOVED IT – a total winner. Thank you!
This might be one of my favorite recipes this year. This made a lot of chickpeas so I’m going to use some of the leftovers to make hummus. It will be delicious! I added feta cheese to this and served it as a salad as well. The rest is going with me for lunch tomorrow. Thanks!
Looking for a winter alternative to the tomato-relish, since tomatoes are out of season (and supermarket ones not worth eating).
Thoughts?
Just do the cucumbers. Peppers might be nice too. I use grape or cherry tomatoes in the winter. Not amazing but will work here.
I made this for dinner yesterday evening. It was really delicious. And there was a bit of the chickpea mixture left over which I have just fried up with an egg for breakfast. That was almost even better!
Wondering if all of the liquid should be absorbed?
I soaked the cp for 2 days, used 4 cups of broth and baked for 45 minutes. Still pretty soupy. Keep baking or is this much liquid normal?
Thank you!
Would you recommend cooking my chickpeas in my instant pot to save time?
Sure, you definitely could.
This was an interesting supper—- yummy flavors, fun to eat, and very satisfying.
I mashed the chickpeas a bit to make them more sticky and scoopable. Roasted sweet peppers cooked in the oven alongside the chickpeas added nice color to the chickpeas.
The cuke salad was tasty made with Campari tomatoes and tiny Persian cucumbers. Also added a bit of fresh fennel because that was on hand.
I prepared this recipe last night and it was an instant success. Even the leftovers are in high demand for tomorrow’s lunch! My ten-year-old couldn’t resist sneaking some chickpeas while I was getting everything ready.
I opted for canned chickpeas, which worked perfectly. The yogurt I used was a bit too tangy, so I balanced it with extra tahini and a touch of honey. I also customized the cucumber relish to cater to my daughter’s dislike for raw tomatoes.
I incorporated thinly-sliced radishes as suggested, a feature I’ve noticed at our local Lebanese restaurant. Next time, I might add some sautéed or roasted eggplant. I also plan to cut the pitas into squares for a less nacho-like dish and a more fork-friendly meal.
Oh my goodness, this was a hit! I was in a *big* hurry, so I made some modifications, while still staying true (hopefully) the recipe. I dumped in some ras el hanout (Middle Eastern spice blend) in the chickpeas instead of the individual seasonings and then pressured them in the Instant Pot for 15 mins after an overnight soak. Did not make my own pita chips but used Issa’s za’atar and thyme pita chips. And didn’t have pine nuts, so we added feta on top, which really pulling things together. And, of course, a little hot sauce on top. (Also, for those that can’t go a meal without meat, I cooked up a pound of ground turkey with liberal salt, pepper, ras el hanout, extra paprika, and a dash of Worcestershire sauce.) This will *have* to go into the regular rotation!!