Olive Oil-Braised Chickpeas and Broccoli Rabe Recipe (2024)

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.

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.

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.

Very delicious with soft polenta and pecorino

Made this and immediately went back to 2 tbls of oil. All the oil is over kill, it adds calories and adds nothing to the other ingredients.

This was fantastic!!! I actually didn't have broccoli rabe, and no one in my family likes it but me anyway, so I made it with broccolini. Yes, it is oily - but it works. The chick peas are creamy and crunchy. Next time I might use two cans (because I want more!) but that's the only thing I'd change. It's filling, it's savory, it's delicious. Like others I served it on rice.

Christa is absolutely right. After cooking dried chickpeas I will never go back to canned. You do need to soak them the night before (double the water per chickpeas), or at least 6 hours before cooking. Their cooking time is quick--30 minutes or less. Just cover with 2" of water, bring to a boil, skim off extra white stuff from the surface, then simmer until done. Per NYT recommendation, "Once done, they should be very tender, breaking easily when pressed between your thumb."

This was a simple, quick dinner full of flavor. It's also rabe season, so it's also an inexpensive meal.We went light on the salt, which left a stronger bitter flavor in the table. Next time I would consider using more salt, squeezing in some lemon, or shaving some pecorino on top as others have done.

Sounds yummy but chickpeas are already protein so meat isn’t necessary to turn it into a meal. A starch such as good bread or polenta would balance it out and mit more filling.

I couldn't find broccoli rabe so I substituted Kale. I also added carrots, black olives and a shallot. It was fantastic!

1/2 cup of oil is fine

Delicious and so easy. Used a bit less oil, broccoli, and served it over TJ's Brown Rice Medley. A great vegetarian dish.

One of the best. Have made several times. Used less oil (just winged it) and served once over brown rice and today over TJ's couscous. Also made it with wedges of green cabbage with less time in oven. Baked kabocha on the side.

I doubt I used even 3/4 cup of oil and this was still OILY...but delicious. Definitely will have a soup of leftover oil in the pan, I recommend dressing that up with some Parmesan and dipping bread in there

1/2 cup Olive Olive worked well, really beautiful dish, subtle and substantial. Served it with polenta and would probably forgo that next time (too much mush for me personally, although the taste was great) and instead toast some super crusty bread on the grill with a brush of olive oil and serve it like an open faced sandwich.

In her book, Ali recommends braising 3 cups/2 cans of beans with a tin of anchovies and 8 sliced garlic cloves and stirring in a can of tuna afterward, which I just tried. I don't know why I snatch up good cans of tuna on clearance because jarred tuna is better, and nothing seems to make canned tuna appealing, even this recipe, which I otherwise love.

I made this with gai lan and home-cooked chickpeas and served it over farro--grains, greens, and beans on a cold winter day--how can you go wrong? Total comfort food--I love this recipe.

I have really become a huge fan of these braised beans, and they are becoming my new cool-weather base for roasted vegetables instead of farro or pasta. Another idea she has in her book is for stirring in some tuna. But the best, most comforting combination of all, in my opinion, is beans and greens, particularly bitter broccoli rabe, which mellows beautifully with braising.

In her book, this recipe is presented as a pot of braised beans with the option of adding a vegetable and made with a can of mashed anchovies and 8 cloves of sliced garlic. I braised a pot of white beans and used it as a bed for Melissa Clark's slow-roasted ratatouille, and it was excellent--a wonderful, flavorful way to introduce beans into your diet, far more satisfying and healthy than pasta, a flavorful change-up from whole grains such as farro, and especially satisfying in cooler weather.

Substituted cannellini beans as cupboard bare on chick peas, delicious. Also used less olive oil too and served over pasta as meal.

I’ve been making this once a week since it was published. I use 1/2 to 3/4 cup of oil rather than a full cup, and grind the fennel seeds in my spice grinder. Always serve with polenta. I bring it to work for lunch and eat it with the polenta, at room temperature. Highly recommended.

In her book, Ali Slagle recommends slicing 8 garlic cloves and tossing in a can of anchovies and mashing them, but in the process, I forgot to add the rosemary and fennel seed, which I regretted. I normally love anchovies but think I will skip next time and definitely remember the rosemary and fennel seed, which I missed. I love this dish.

I braised kabocha squash wedges with home-cooked chickpeas, and the squash turned out beautifully. I love this dish and look forward to it every time the weather turns cool.

A drizzle of fresh lemon juice gives this dish a brightness and acidity it needs from all the oil. Cutting back to 1/2-3/4 C. oil would be fine. I topped the leftovers with a poached egg and dipped crusty bread for breakfast the following morning. Fantastic!

I am obsessed with this exquisite dish. Don't skimp on the olive oil. It gets beautifully flavored for dipping. Always start with dried chickpeas. Kind of shocking that so many NYT recipes call for canned--an abomination.

The cumin seeds, shallot and little red potatoes are great! I definitely needed more than a 1/2 cup with the potatoes and my quantity of chickpeas. This will be in regular rotation.

This dish is the second best thing to happen for me this week. Number 1 was I-95 reopening in Philly.

I love this dish on a cool, rainy day; it's comfort in a bowl; "weekends are for braising" indeed, as a recipe collection is titled, and braising isn't just for meats.

This recipe is indeed my favorite and most often made of all of Ali Slagle's recipes, and I return to it again and again, especially with broccoli rabe but also in other variations, and I am eager to try otter variations.

I could live in braised broccoli rabe and chickpeas over farro--I love this dish--so easy to make--I make it every time broccoli rabe goes on sale--broccoli rabe and chickpeas--what's not to love?