Crispy Chickpeas With Beef

By Mark Bittman

Crispy Chickpeas With Beef
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(3,808)
Comments
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Related to a classic chili, this fast-cooking recipe combines legumes, meat and spices, with excellent results. This dish works equally well with canned or home-cooked chickpeas; if you like a bit more kick, double or triple the ancho chiles or chile powder. Turmeric or saffron also work well. Don't want to use ground beef? Ground turkey, chicken or pork would sub in well here; add a little oil to the pan first. For a bit more flavor, add a clove or two of chopped garlic to the browning meat. The point is: improvise.

Featured in: THE MINIMALIST; Chickpeas, Dressed Up to Show Off

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • ½ to 1pound ground beef or other meat
  • 4cups cooked chickpeas (about 1 28-ounce can), drained (reserve 1 cup liquid)
  • 2teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1ancho or chipotle chile, soaked, stemmed, seeded and minced; or 1 teaspoon good chile powder
  • 2teaspoons minced garlic
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • Minced cilantro or parsley for garnish (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

584 calories; 26 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 1 gram trans fat; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 57 grams carbohydrates; 16 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 33 grams protein; 756 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

  1. Step 1

    Turn heat to high under a large, deep skillet, and add meat a little at a time, breaking it into small pieces as you do. Stir and break up meat a bit more, then add chickpeas. Keep heat high, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until chickpeas begin to brown and pop, 5 to 10 minutes. Don't worry if mixture sticks a bit, but if it begins to scorch, lower heat slightly.

  2. Step 2

    Add cumin, chili or chili powder and garlic. Cook, stirring, for about a minute. Add reserved cooking liquid, and stir, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Season with salt and pepper, then turn heat to medium-low. Continue to cook until mixture is no longer soupy but not dry.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in olive oil, then taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary. Garnish if you like, and serve immediately, with rice or pita bread.

Ratings

5 out of 5
3,808 user ratings
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Comments

Lan

suggestions from our family (my husband hails from the Levant): (1) fry onions along with the meat, (2) coriander is another good addition to the spice mix, (3) add lemon juice & chopped sun-dried tomatoes at the end to help with dryness, (4) serve with a side of arugula drizzled with lemon juice & salt

MahaaFoodie

This is basically a quicker, simpler version of the Indian dish chole keema, which I make often. If you have it, I would use garam masala instead of the cumin in this recipe for a better depth of spice flavors. A heavy pinch of sugar is also a nice counterbalance to the spices.

Figaro

How about Bulgar wheat? And please, no turkey(smells like singed feathers); use 1/2 lb ground lamb or beef w. your spices-cumin, turmeric, Aleppo pepper (Amazon) would go great for a little heat, real garlic, all in olive oil (margarine-I cringe). This is a mid-eastern style dish. Saute meat, then drain fat in colander to omit grease. Cilantro, absolutely. Lemon juice is also a plus. I've been making takes on this for years.

TJ

This is delicious, but I can't, for the life of me, figure out how the chickpeas get crispy. There is no method of crisping them in the recipe.

Bethany

Added a lot of sliced onions, coriander, smoked paprika, and lemon juice. Used homemade beef broth instead of chickpea liquid. How this is so good I'm not sure, but I will be making it again!

Abbie

I added chopped mushrooms and used a simple breakfast sausage from butcher box, delicious

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