Mediterranean Smashed Chickpeas

Name: Mediterranean Smashed Chickpeas
Total time: 30 min
Yield: About 3 1/2 cups chickpea spread
Cuisine: greek, mediterranean, middle eastern
Ingredients: Extra-virgin olive oil; 1 medium onion, diced; Salt and pepper; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground toasted cumin; 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes; 1 cup finely diced celery; 4 cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans), cooked or canned; 2 tablespoons lemon juice; 4 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered (optional); Minted yogurt (optional), see notes; Tahini sauce (optional), see notes

By David Tanis

Updated May 8, 2023

Mediterranean Smashed Chickpeas — Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(443)
Comments: Read comments

You smash half the chickpeas in this recipe to make a spread, sort of a warm rustic hummus enhanced with garlic cumin and hot pepper, along with a liberal drizzle of olive oil. You can use either freshly cooked dried beans or canned chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), though freshly cooked is always preferable. Tuck some into a pita for a vegetarian sandwich or serve as a dip to eat with bread and olives; a dollop of minty yogurt and a drizzle of tahini sauce make nice additions.

Featured in: First Time’s the Charm With Fresh Pita

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Ingredients

Yield:About 3½ cups chickpea spread

Extra-virgin olive oil
1medium onion, diced
Salt and pepper
4garlic cloves, minced
½teaspoon coarsely ground toasted cumin
½teaspoon red pepper flakes
1cup finely diced celery
4cups chickpeas (garbanzo beans), cooked or canned
2tablespoons lemon juice
4hard-cooked eggs, peeled and quartered (optional)
Minted yogurt (optional), see notes
Tahini sauce (optional), see notes

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook gently until softened, about 10 minutes. Raise heat to medium-high. Add garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes and celery. Stir to combine let sizzle without browning for 1 minute.
Step 2
Add chickpeas and let them heat through. With a potato masher or wooden spoon, crush about half the beans. Stir well, taste and adjust seasoning. Add ½ cup water (or bean cooking liquid if you have it) and let mixture simmer briskly for a minute or two. Stir in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Serve warm in pita or as a dip or side dish. Garnish with quartered eggs, accompanied by minted yogurt and tahini sauce, if desired.

Tips

To make minted yogurt, stir 2 tablespoons chopped mint and 1 minced garlic clove into a cup of thick yogurt. Season with salt and pepper.
To make tahini sauce, mix ¼ cup Middle Eastern sesame paste with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 minced garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon salt and 3 tablespoons olive oil.

Ratings

5 out of 5

443 user ratings

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Comments

Figaro7 years ago

Spice it up: add cayenne &/or Harissa; more lemon juice, omit celery or serve celery sticks with final product; don't cook garlic, use garlic press; add tahini paste directly to final mixture. If adding cumin &/or coriander, toast seeds & grind before adding. Add some olive oil to yogurt mixture.

Make this more like a warm hummus & above all, keep tasting & adding ingredients until you like the flavor. Serve with your own toasted pita chips, if you like.

Judy7 years ago

I think it has plenty of flavor if served as pictured: sliced avocado and the mint yogurt really compliment the dish. Thanks for a great go to recipe!

Harriet1237 years ago

The ingredients are bland. I'd add a bit of chili, flakes, sriracha, etc.

Teeena11 months ago

Really delicious. Added some parsley and ate with a sweet potato.

.11 months ago

. Increase cumin amount Add some chili flakes, cayenne And some ground coriander. (Maybe grind coriander and cumin fresh for this one?)

Lisa I3 years ago

This was delicious! I didn't have pita or tahini. But I had sourdough bread so we sliced that in thick slabs and toasted it. We poured this over the warm toasted bread for a chickpea "bruschetta". And it really worked well. I was a little "generous" with the garlic and the heat but that worked out nicely. A perfect dish to warm up!

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