Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Chickpeas with Broccoli Rabe and Bacon

I'm having a hard time writing about this dish. It was tasty, colorful & full of bacon. It uses healthy leafy greens & is pretty low in calories. It came together in no time flat.
Chickpeas with Broccoli Rabe & Bacon
But, it just seemed to be lacking that wow. I stuck right to the recipe except for cutting it in half to serve two & lengthening some of the cooking time (otherwise we would have had some pretty underdone bacon). I think it might just be a good starting point to be improved upon. Perhaps upping the amount or adding to the seasonings. Maybe adding some more vegetables like red pepper. I also can't get the idea out of my head that changing the chickpeas out for some creamy white beans would be really good too.

Chickpeas with Broccoli Rabe & Bacon
(adapted from Cooking Light March '10)

1/2 lb broccoli rabe, trimmed & cut into 2" pieces
1/2 T olive oil
3 sliced of bacon, roughly chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 t dried oregano
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
7 1/2 oz chickpeas, drained & rinsed
salt & pepper
grated Parmesan

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe & let cook for 2 minutes. Drain & set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bacon & cook for 3 minutes, stirring from time to time. Add the onion, oregano & red pepper. Cook for 4 - 5 more minutes, until the onion is translucent & the bacon is just starting to crisp. Stir in the garlic & cook for another 30 seconds. Add the chickpeas & broccoli rabe & cook until everything is heated through. Season to taste with salt & pepper.

Divide between two serving dishes & top with grated Parmesan.

2 servings.

If you are not reading this post in a feed reader or at http://agoodappetite.blogspot.com OR at http://agoodappetite.com then the site you are reading is illegally publishing copyrighted material. Contact me at katbaro AT yahoo DOT COM. All recipes, text and photographs in this post are the original creations & property of the author unless otherwise noted.
© 2007-2010 Kathy Lewinski

13 comments:

Maria said...

Great dish! Hubs will love the bacon:)

Amanda (Two Boos Who Eat) said...

I'm a huge chickpea fan so I'd love this. Some creamy white beans would probably be pretty delicious as well.

Fresh Local and Best said...

This looks like a great dish and the recipe looks good as is. Do you think adding a splash of balsamic or sherry vinegar would help?

grace said...

although i love chickpeas, i think you might be right about using white beans instead. and yes to the red pepper--it'll add color and crunch!

Lori said...

Maybe so pasta... maybe some dressing like you said. But I do love all the flavors here!

Scotty Snacks said...

Mmm, digging the bacon add (plus the fresh, shaved parmesan cheese atop). Agreed on the red peppers.. maybe some fruit could jazz it up a tad, too - strawberries, honeydew melon or orange/tangerine, etc.

It's nice to see some new meal ideas, I've never done chickpeas before - I'll have to give them a whirl!

Sook said...

I'm always looking for a new way to cook chickpeas and this looks phenomenal! I will have to try it sometime.

ToyLady said...

Maybe try using dried and freshly cooked chick peas instead of canned? That alone would make a world of difference.

kat said...

Some good ideas here, thanks everyone.

ToyLady - surprisingly this was the first time I actually did used dried & freshly cooked chickpeas, they did make a difference

Peter M said...

nice balance...a little healthy, a little filling, lots of bacon flavour.

Michelle said...

It was over 80 degrees here today which is quite a warm spring for IL! But this salad sounds just about perfect for tonight's dinner!

Alicia Foodycat said...

Squeeze of lemon juice - it makes chickpeas just taste so much brighter! But I think it looks like such a simple and delicious dish.

Anonymous said...

I made this with one extra piece of bacon, no oil, and substituted garlic scapes for the garlic. it added a bright green flavor that was really nice. Great recipe!

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