Olive Oil-Braised Chickpeas and Broccoli Rabe

By Ali Slagle

Updated September 17, 2018

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
4(918)
Comments
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Braising in a pool of olive oil can turn tough ingredients creamy and luxurious without any of your attention. Canned chickpeas turn buttery-soft, and broccoli rabe’s bitterness succumbs to an oil seasoned with garlic, rosemary, chile and fennel seeds. Speaking of that oil, it’s as much a reason to braise as the silky chickpeas and rabe themselves. Soak it all up with crusty bread, or ladle it over pasta, yogurt, feta or mozzarella. The underpinnings of this recipe — chickpeas, vegetables, olive oil and seasonings — also make it great to riff on. Consider simmering chickpeas and olive oil with carrots, harissa and black olives; cherry tomatoes, thyme and lemon slices; or potatoes, shallots and cumin seeds.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • 6 garlic cloves, peeled and smashed

  • 1 rosemary sprig

  • 1 teaspoon fennel seeds

  • ½ teaspoon dried chile flakes

  • 1 bunch broccoli rabe (about 1 pound), woody stems trimmed

  • 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

  • Kosher salt and black pepper

  • Crusty bread, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

76 grams carbs; 927 calories; 41 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 62 grams fat; 15 grams fiber; 877 milligrams sodium; 22 grams protein; 10 grams sugar

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

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large ovenproof skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, combine the oil, garlic, rosemary, fennel seeds and chile flakes. Cook until the mixture is fragrant and the garlic is golden, 3 to 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Turn off the heat, then add the rabe and toss until coated in oil. Scatter the chickpeas around the rabe and stir to coat in oil. Season generously with salt and pepper.

  3. Step 3

    Cover with a lid or foil and bake for about 40 minutes, until the chickpeas are soft and crispy in parts and the broccoli rabe is tender, but the stems are not mushy.

  4. Step 4

    Let cool slightly. Before serving, remove the rosemary and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with crusty bread for mopping up the seasoned oil.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
918 user ratings
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Comments

Jeffsee

Nope - all the olive oil does nothing to enhance the ingredients. After making this I immediately went back to 2 tbls of oil for a fresher result.

Christa

This time I cracked/crushed the fennel in a mortar and pestle, as David Tanis suggests for his broccoli rabe in "One Good Dish." It may seem like a small, inconsequential step, but I think it's like smashing the garlic as opposed simply to throw in whole, peeled cloves: crushing/cracking the fennel released its aroma and flavor, and I found it more pleasant to eat than whole seeds, even though they're small. I add only 1/4 teaspoon of chile so as not to overwhelm the dish.

Emily Penfield

This is a very typical dish also from Puglia, where I currently reside. Here olive oil is a food, not a fat. Braising greens in it, drizzling on top of a dish of "beans and greens" (fav'e foglie, the PUGLIESE classic) is very much a part of the cuisine.... Here we serve it with wood oven baked bread, polenta is NOT part of the culinary culture. And it is a complete protein dish.

Christa

Made with mature dandelion greens, but not as good as broccoli rabe.

Pam

Have made this in the past and am just returning to it to try again. I just noticed that the instruction says to turn off the heat after just 5 minutes of cooking, and to seal and let the pot rest in the warm oven for 40 minutes. Is that correct??? I recall cooking at 375 for the duration in the past. Curious about others’ experiences with the oven temp. Thank you!

Pam

FYI - I ended up cooking it in a deep pot on medium heat on top of the stove so I could watch its progress. I like chickpeas softer rather than crispier, and this worked well. Used about half of the oil suggested. Added thinly sliced onions and some mushrooms and used collard greens instead of rabe. Lemon zest and some lemon juice. Fifteen minutes before adding greens and about the same after. Served with pasta. Very good!

Melissa W

We’ve been making variations of this dish for many years after feasting on similar in Puglia. We very finely chop about triple the amount of rosemary to infuse the olive oil, double the garlic and fennel seeds, add chopped leeks, shallots or onions, and lemon zest at the very end. We also make it sometimes with cannellini beans, but add those toward the end as they are much softer. The herby olive oil, all of it, is wonderful to sop up with bread. Don’t skimp!

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