Recipe from Hetty McKinnon
Adapted by Julia Moskin
- Total Time
- About 1 hour
- Rating
- 5(3,929)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This main-course salad has all the fresh flavors of a great falafel sandwich — tahini, mint, paprika, cucumber, cumin, garlic — plus the crunch of pita and the satisfying heft of chickpeas. The vegetarian cookbook writer Hetty McKinnon created this recipe, and the amount of olive oil she calls for might seem excessive. Don’t hold back: After cooking the chickpeas, the oil becomes part of the garlicky, paprika-warmed dressing for the finished dish. You could make her recipe even easier by using salad greens instead of cooked greens as the base. —Julia Moskin
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Ingredients
Yield:4 main-course servings
- 2(15-ounce) cans chickpeas, well drained, or 4 cups cooked chickpeas
- ¾ to 1cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 2teaspoons ground cumin, or 1 teaspoon each ground cumin and ground coriander
- 1teaspoon sweet paprika
- Salt and pepper
- ⅓cup tahini
- Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
- 1garlic clove, minced
- Warm water, as needed
- Olive oil, for cooking
- About 10 ounces kale, chard or spinach, well washed and thick stems removed
- 3cups store-bought or homemade pita chips (see Tip)
- Handful of roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Handful of roughly chopped mint
- 1large or 2 small cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
- Lemon, cut into wedges
For the Chickpeas
For the Tahini Sauce
To Finish
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1120 calories; 72 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 45 grams monounsaturated fat; 14 grams polyunsaturated fat; 99 grams carbohydrates; 26 grams dietary fiber; 14 grams sugars; 31 grams protein; 1097 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Make the chickpeas: Heat oven to 425 degrees. Pour the chickpeas into a small baking dish, about 6 inches by 8 inches. The chickpeas should be crowded together in a thick layer, not spread out. Pour in olive oil just until chickpeas are covered. (This will look like a lot, but don’t worry: It forms part of the dressing.)
Step
2
Add garlic, cumin, paprika, and 2 big pinches each of salt and pepper. Stir gently to combine. Bake until oil is bubbling around the chickpeas and they are turning reddish-brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Step
3
Meanwhile, make tahini sauce: Pour tahini into a bowl and whisk in lemon juice and garlic. The tahini will thicken and clump. Slowly whisk in warm water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until sauce becomes smooth, creamy and pourable. Taste and season with salt, pepper and more lemon juice, if desired. Set aside.
Step
4
Cook the greens: Place a large frying pan over medium heat and drizzle lightly with olive oil. When hot, add the greens in batches, along with a big pinch of salt. Stir until wilted and tender and set aside.
Step
5
When ready to serve, in a large bowl, gently mix chickpeas and their cooking oil with the cooked greens, half the pita chips, and the chopped herbs. Mound chickpea mixture in 4 shallow bowls. Divide cucumber slices around chickpeas. Drizzle thickly with half the tahini sauce and scatter remaining pita chips on top. Place a lemon wedge on the side and serve, passing extra tahini sauce at the table.
Tip
- It’s easy to make pita chips from stale pita bread. Cut each round into triangles like a pie and separate the top and bottom layers. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it ripples, add the pita triangles and cook, stirring often, until golden brown. Reduce the heat as needed to prevent scorching.
Ratings
5
out of 5
3,929
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Cooking Notes
Denise
add tomatoes, pepper, and feta, zatar seasoning
Fivel
Absolutely delicious and healthy weeknight meal that the whole crew enjoyed. We added some harissa. Don't think it needs anything changed really but my boo suggested adding feta or halloumi next time. Five stars!
Ann
Next time I would just add the greens directly to the chick peas in mid cooking. Don’t think there’s any need for another pan. But it was delicious
Barnaby Q. Carruthers
Really good. About 2/3 of the oil called for would have been ideal.
Jeff B
Excellent salad, we loved the flavors and texture. I made the short cut version with salad greens (red leaf and baby spinach), and did not bake the chickpeas with so much oil. I was in a rush, and sauteed the chickpeas with 2 tbsp of olive oil and the cumin, coriander and paprika until warm and fragrant, and dumped that onto the greens, added the cucumber and pita chips, tahini sauce, and finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon. So good, we will certainly make this again.
Bryan
Just hazarding a guess, but I would imagine this could be made with a fraction of the oil and still be delicious. If it sounds like too much for your taste/health goals then just reduce to a level you are more comfortable with!
Joyce
Loved all the flavors, felt we could have used 2/3 of the oil and been happy, and olive oil is a real fave here. We added more cukes, peppers and ate with naan. Looking forward to tomorrow’s lunch!
Tim Coates
-Don't cover chickpeas with oil, that's too much. Make sure top layer is not submerged. Those on the top get crispy.
Susan
Well, of course your version was full of flavour! you added tomatoes and pickles and smoked paprika, all things that add zing and crunch. My version tasted pretty good, too--made it with a LOT less olive oil (in a frying pan, to avoid heating an entire oven), added harissa and more garlic, baked my pita chips in the oven with a sprinkling of zaatar and coarse salt. In fact, both of us made something different and better than the original.
Leslie
Wowwwwww this was so good. I doubled the volume of greens and used spinach, sauteed and then drained it before adding the chickpeas and their magic oil. With the extra greens the ratio felt right, so I'm glad I doubled. Used both cumin and coriander. Added cherry tomatoes to the veggie mix and I also had a small cauliflower on hand so I roasted it with salt and pepper while the chickpeas were in the oven. This was incredible and I can't wait to eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Erin
Food satisfaction at a time when the world feels like it's coming undone.
Janie
Great recipe! Full of flavour! I added a 1/2 tsp of smoked paprika to the chickpeas. I also added tomatoes and pickles to the salad at the end. I used baby spinach that I cooked briefly and mixed with baby gem lettuce as I couldn’t access any full leaf green which I think would be better than baby greens as they melt to nearly nothing. Looking forward to leftovers.
Leslie J
This was very good. For 2, I baked one can of the chickpea mix in a small crock with a few tablespoons of EVOO. Sauteed and drained a 14-oz pkg of baby spinach. Served as a rice bowl, layering ~ 1/3 c rice, spinach, chickpea mix and tahini sauce. Per suggestions, topped with feta, chips, chopped cukes and tomatoes, pickles & pepperocini, and harissa. Sprinkled w za'atar.
Amy
I added a Trader Joe’s falafel and dab of tzatki on top, as well as peppers and tomatoes to make the meal more substantial. Surprisingly delicious.
Tyson
So, so good. Crumbed some feta on top and made it a dinner and lunch by keeping the additional chips and sauce separate until plating. Will be making again and again.
Jamie D
Delicious. My toddlers & husband devoured it. I scooped the beans out of the oil for fear it might be too much oil. It was, definitely oil left in the pan. I also added some of our favs like pickled red onions, tzatziki sauce, Harris paste, scoop of hummus, fresh jalapeño and some air fryer salmon on top. We will definitely make this again.
CGH
I saved then unsaved and saved again - with intention to make without 90% of the oil. I appreciate that you included nutritional information on all recipes (please keep this up)! but 72g fat PER SERVING (648 calories from fat) and over 1,000 calories is really not good for most people despite all the excellent nutritious ingredients outside the oil. Perhaps some recipes like this could have variation to reduce the fat. this is a lot more than most people should have in a day or even 2 days.
Sue
? Sounds good. Substitutes for PITA chips for gluten free?
rachel
I agree that this is way too oily, even without confiting the beans (i did use the volume of oil called for, it just didn’t cover them). However, i like the idea, so next time i might skip the tahini dressing and just squeeze some lemon over the bowls.
kssinbrooklyn
Also I agree with earlier comment that the greens could just be cooked at the end, with the chick peas. I’ll definitely do this next time instead of in a separate pan.
kssinbrooklyn
So so good. I made the chick peas and tahini sauce and greens and herbs as written. I did not do the pita chips or cucumbers (as this was part of a larger meal that included both). Made it for guests, and everyone loved it, even the two 10-year-olds at the table. (Served with oven roasted chicken shawarma, zaalouk, labne, hummus, raw bell peppers and cucumbers, pita chips, and pita.)
Michelle
Add the greens to the same pan to make this a one pan recipe
Elliot C
The flavors are fantastic! I’d add a wedge of lemon directly to the salad itself once it’s all mixed. Also, crumble the pita chips on top after mixing to avoid sogginess. But biggest thing is WAY too much oil in the recipe. I made it exactly as stated but I felt like I basically just drank a cup of oil after finishing it which is a shame because this is supposed to be a healthy recipe. Would highly recommend lowering the amount of oil as others have said.
sabrina
Did less oil, less chickpeas, and added pre cooked and marinated (in vinegar) beets. The beets are a fabulous addition with the additional sweetness and acid.
Margaret Rogers
I added some beets and it was a nice touch of sweetness and color to the dish.
note
Add pomegranate seeds
tricia
Used rainbow chard. Sliced stems and put in shredded purple cabbage.
CK
Good but think you should add more elements
Adair
Added pickled red onion, boiled egg, and feta. Yum!
merry b
This one was a lot of work and calories for not a lot of flavor or enjoyment.
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