Grab a can and a pan. Dinner will be ready in less than 30 minutes.
This is cooking with one eye on your bank account and the other on your rapidly waning will to make dinner. Each recipe starts with a can, ends in one pan, and lands somewhere between “that was stupidly easy” and “how can this taste so good?”
These recipes feed between two and four people when served with a little something on the side – think pasta for the marry me chickpeas and puttanesca chickpeas, and flatbreads or rice for the harissa and feta number.
Creamy marry me chickpeas
Move on, marry me chicken. This is how you put a ring on it. Love is in the air – and it smells like garlic, smoked paprika, and your new favourite dinner.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp olive oil (from a jar of semi-dried tomatoes)
- 1 brown onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 150g semi-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 2 tsp dried basil
- ¼ cup finely diced fresh mixed soft herbs (basil, oregano, parsley), plus extra to scatter
- 250ml (1 cup) thickened cream
- 250ml (1 cup) chicken or vegetable stock
- 2 x 400g cans chickpeas, rinsed
METHOD
- Place a frying pan over medium heat. Add the oil from the semi-dried tomatoes and, once hot, add the onion and cook until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute or until fragrant.
- Add the chopped semi-dried tomatoes, lemon zest, paprika and dried basil and cook for about a minute before adding the fresh herbs, cream, and stock. Turn the heat to low and simmer until the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Taste, checking that the flavours have melded and the mixture has thoroughly warmed through.
- Add the chickpeas and continue to simmer until the sauce reduces a little further and your house smells amazing. Spoon the mixture into bowls and season generously with sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper. Scatter with remaining fresh herbs and serve.
Puttanesca chickpeas
This is the dinner equivalent of yelling “I’m fine!” while dramatically stirring olives, capers and chickpeas into a bubbling, tomatoey bowl of satisfaction.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 8 anchovy fillets, finely chopped
- ½ cup black olives, pitted, chopped
- 2 tbsp capers
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 4 tbsp finely chopped fresh mixed herbs (rosemary, basil, oregano, flat-leaf parsley), plus extra to serve
- 700ml tomato passata
- 2 x 400g cans chickpeas
- grated parmesan, to serve
METHOD
- Add the olive oil to a large saucepan and place over medium heat. Add the onion and anchovies and cook until the onions are soft and translucent and the anchovies have melted into the mixture, between 5 and 8 minutes. Add the olives, capers and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the herbs and passata, turn the heat to low, and simmer until the mixture has thickened and reduced slightly, about 20 minutes if you have the luxury of time. If time isn’t on your side, try to give it 10 minutes so the sauce reduces and the flavours intensify.
- Add the chickpeas and cook until they have warmed through, then turn into a serving bowl and top generously with grated parmesan and the remaining fresh herbs.
Harissa and Persian feta chickpeas
This is comfort with a kick, and it comes almost as fast as you can pour a glass of wine.
INGREDIENTS
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, crushed
- 140g tub tomato paste
- 2 tsp harissa (or to taste)
- generous pinch ground cumin
- generous pinch of ground coriander
- 400g can chickpeas, including liquid
- 150g soft Persian-style feta (if not available, use goat’s curd)
To finish
- a dollop of Greek yoghurt
- 1-2 tsp sumac
- 1 tbsp dukkah
- 1 tbsp rose petals
METHOD
- Place a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the oil and, once hot, add the garlic and cook until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook until it darkens and comes away from the sides of the pan. Add the harissa and spices and stir to incorporate.
- Add the can of chickpeas (and their liquid) and the feta, and cook for five minutes, or until warmed through and the feta has melded into the sauce. Season generously with salt and pepper.
- Spoon into bowls and add the suggested toppings – or none of them. It’s delicious regardless. Serve piping hot with something carb-adjacent. I love to serve just-warm flatbreads alongside for dipping and scooping.
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