Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce with Greens

Chickpeas in tomato sauce with mixed greens is one of my favourite dishes to make in summer, because its super easy and quick to make and I can use all those ripe tomatoes and loads of greenery. Even though now is definitely not summer yet, I made this dish, because I  had some fresh swiss chard, spinach and wild garlic to use, a can of chickpeas and tomatoes in my cupboard and wanted something quick and delicious on my table for lunch. Plus its healthy and so versatile, definitely one of my top go-to recipes when I need something on my table fast.

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Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

small onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic (more or less if you prefer), minced

1 tbsp capers, chopped

1 tbsp cumin

salt and black pepper to taste

4 chopped artichokes hearts, roughly chopped

1 can tomatoes

1 can chickpeas

bunch of spinach, wild garlic, swiss chard

Preparations:

Warm olive oil in the pan and add in chopped onion. Cook, stirring the onions until they are tender and translucent. Add minced garlic, chopped capers, chopped artichokes and a tbsp of cumin and stir until they are nicely fragrant.

Pour one can of tomatoes, if they are whole smash them with a fork while stirring. Fill the can with water and add to the sauce. Add a little bit of salt and pepper. Simmer for around 10 minutes, so that tomatoes develop sweeter taste and water reduces a bit.

Drain and rinse chickpeas. Roughly chop your greenery. Add them to the tomato sauce, cover the pan with a lid and cook for few more minutes until your greenery is cooked. Check the taste and add salt and pepper if needed. Serve with some bread or pasta. Garnish with parsley or cilantro, if you have some. 

This recipe will make enough for 2. If you will eat it with pasta or something else, you might also have some leftovers. Totally depends on how hungry you are.

 

What makes this dish so amazing is how versatile it is:

• You can use all sorts of vegetables: swiss chard, spinach, kale, wild garlic, mushrooms, add dry tomatoes, olives, capers, artichokes,…
• You can use frozen greens, dry or frozen mushrooms (just soak them for a few minutes in warm water and add water to the sauce as well for extra flavour), fresh or canned tomatoes. Just use what you have.
• Instead of chickpeas you can use beans, lentils, quinoa, rice,…
• When it comes to spices, you can easily go for spicy by adding chilies, curry powder, smoked paprika,…
• Eat it as it is or as a sauce for pasta, rice, potatoes. Make it less thick by adding more water and have it as a soup with some bread.
• It makes a great leftover to take to work next day for lunch.
• Crack some eggs into the sauce and cook until they turn opaque, but still jiggle when you shake the pan and you just made “shakshuka” for breakfast the next day.

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Which ingredients would you use in this dish? What are you favourite go-to recipes?

Let me know how it turned out if you tried it and if you want me to share more recipes here. 

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