Think spaghetti puttanesca, minus the spaghetti, plus chickpeas. It’s all the flavours you love of puttanesca in stew form, with more protein and fibre (if you care about stuff like that!) Amazingly, this recipe uses just seven ingredients, making it a great weeknight dinner.
Equipment
Here’s everything you need to make chickpea puttanesca at home:
- large, oven-safe pan
- chef’s knife
- cutting board
- wooden spoon or spatula
- strainer
You can find the full ingredients list and recipe instructions below!
Cooking Tips
- Whole tomatoes… not diced tomatoes. Whole tomatoes have less liquid, which help make the dish more like a stew rather, than a soup!
- Buying feta can be overwhelming. There’s a lot of options and some of them are more expensive than others. I prefer to shop for authentic Greek-style feta made from sheep and goat’s milk. My favourite version comes as a big block soaked in brine, rather than pre-crumbled, which tends to be more flavourful and less dry.
- Smash your chickpeas before baking! This will help thicken the sauce and maintain a stew-y consistency. When the chickpeas are soft enough they will easily break under the pressure of your spoon. If it seems difficult, let them cook for a few more minutes and try again.
Ingredients
Method
- Thinly slice 5 cloves of garlic. Then heat a large, oven-safe pan on medium, add ¼ cup olive oil. Once hot, add garlic and cook until soft but not browned, about 3 minutes. Add 1/2 cup olives, 1 tbsp capers and 1/2 tbsp chilli flakes. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes, or until the chilli flakes get a little toasted and become fragrant.
- Using your hands, add the whole tomatoes (from 1 796mL can) by crushing them between your fingers. Discard any liquid left over. Mix the broken tomatoes into the olive oil, further breaking up any large chunks with your spoon or spatula.
- Drain and rinse 5 540 mL cans chickpeas and add to the pan. Season with a generous pinch of salt and a few cracks of black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 10 minutes. While that simmers, preheat your oven to 400°F.
- When the liquid has reduced and the chickpeas are softened, use the back of your spoon to smash about half of the chickpeas, this will help to further thicken the stew.
- Break up the feta into large chunks and nestle it into the chickpeas. Transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is softened and the sauce has further reduced. Top with fresh herbs, if you have any! And serve with fresh bread, like focaccia!