Make Ahead

Pan Fried Garbanzos

by:
February  6, 2011
4
8 Ratings
Pan Fried Garbanzos
  • Serves 2 (but I could eat the whole batch!)
Author Notes

This is a variation on a Mark Bittman recipe from the NY Times. I used olives and lemon in place of chorizo and sherry. I think the slightly sweet earthiness of the garbanzos pairs nicely with the salty olive and bright lemon flavors. —hardlikearmour

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup grape seed or olive oil, divided
  • 1 15.5 oz can garbanzo beans, rinsed and dried well with paper towels (the drier the better)
  • black pepper
  • 15 to 20 oil cured salty black olives, coarsely chopped
  • 5 ounces container baby spinach or arugula
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 to 3 teaspoons lemon zest
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • table salt
Directions
  1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high. Once the oil is shimmering add garbanzo beans, and season with black pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low.
  2. Sauté garbanzo beans shaking the pan occasionally, until they begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the olives. Continue cooking for another 5 to 8 minutes or until garbanzos are crisp. (They won't be crunchy, but they will almost pop when you bite them.) Pour garbanzos and olives into bowl or rimmed plate and set aside.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan, and heat over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the spinach, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, crushed red pepper, and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Stir spinach occasionally until soft and liquid has evaporated. Add garbanzos and olives back to pan and toss to combine. Serve warm.
Tags:
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • allysahn
    allysahn
  • borntobeworn
    borntobeworn
  • TheWimpyVegetarian
    TheWimpyVegetarian
  • RMScott
    RMScott
  • nannydeb
    nannydeb
hardlikearmour

Recipe by: hardlikearmour

I am an amateur baker and cake decorator. I enjoy cooking, as well as eating and feeding others. I live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest with my husband and our menagerie. I enjoy outdoor activities including hiking, mushroom hunting, tide pooling, beach combing, and snowboarding.

Popular on Food52

28 Reviews

allysahn
allysahn March 7, 2012
I made this tonight and it was wonderful! I'm not sure I was patient enough when cooking the chickpeas, because some had a really wonderful texture and the others were just warm beans - next time I'll be sure and really crisp them up.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour March 8, 2012
Thank you! The drier the chickpeas the better they crisp, too.
 
borntobeworn
borntobeworn August 17, 2011
We made these tonight to go with our crab "toasties" by Merrill. They were excellent!! I thought we'd have more left over (I upped the recipe to handle about 5 cups of beans) but they were just too popular with our crowd (vacationing at the NC beach). I uploaded a photo :) Thanks!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour August 19, 2011
Love your photo! Glad you enjoyed them. They are surprisingly tasty.
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian July 15, 2011
Made these again tonight for a little dinner for myself. Really just perfect! I'm so glad you posted this recipe.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour July 15, 2011
Thanks, CS! I love it as a quick an easy, but filling meal, too.
 
RMScott
RMScott February 15, 2011
This looks great. I am much less a fan of canned garbonzos...has anyone tried dried/raw (uncooked) garbonzos that are sprouted as a substitute? The canned beans are missing a lot to me and I do not mind the crunch of sprouted beans. Better yet, let me try this and I will let you know how it works.....sprouting the beans takes a day or so.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour February 15, 2011
Sprouted beans sounds like a great idea! Let me know how it works. I agree that canned beans aren't the best, but I love their convenience.
 
nannydeb
nannydeb February 8, 2011
This is my kind of dinner, everything I love!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour February 8, 2011
Thanks, nannydeb! It's a nice, simple & healthy dinner. As a main, I'd suggest eating the whole batch with a nice hunk of crusty bread.
 
drbabs
drbabs February 8, 2011
I could eat the whole thing, too.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour February 8, 2011
I shared with my husband, but seriously contemplated not doing so!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian February 8, 2011
Love this!! I'm making these this week for sure! I love the addition of some greens to the dish too. Thanks for sharing this one!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour February 8, 2011
I can't take credit for the greens. Bittman's original recipe had chopped up spinach. Let me know if you try it!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian February 8, 2011
I will! I'm going to pick up some greens today to go with it. I have everything else! I love seeing all the vegetarian dishes this community has been developing this year with these great themes!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian February 8, 2011
Decided not to wait. I didn't have any spinach, but I had a whole bunch of arugula, so used that instead. It was my lunch just now and was just delicious. I'm going to make another batch for tomorrow to take on a hike! Oh, and I can see where theoretically this could serve 2, but I fell in the category of eating the whole batch. Love the combo of garbanzo beans, olives and lemon.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour February 8, 2011
It means a lot to me to have some one with as much culinary talent as you try my recipe and like it. LOVE the arugula idea, next time I make it I will use it!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian February 8, 2011
Are you kidding me? I LOVE your recipes! Between that and your comments on Food Pickle, I'm pretty sure you know much more than I. Honestly we're all learning so much from each other - it's one of the (many) things I love about this great site, and what keeps me coming back month after month.
 
Sundayinthekitchen
Sundayinthekitchen February 7, 2011
This looks wonderful -- thanks for sharing. Fried beans (especially garbanzos) are so indulgent, but you can still feel completely virtuous eating them. Agree that dried beans will be even better....
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour February 7, 2011
Thanks, Sunday! I don't always plan ahead plus I'm pretty lazy, hence the canned beans. I almost always have some cans in the cupboard for spur of the moment use.
 
adamnsvetcooking
adamnsvetcooking February 6, 2011
This sounds like its going to be my lunch soon! Great recipe!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour February 6, 2011
It would make a great lunch! Hope you enjoy.
 
Ordinary B.
Ordinary B. February 6, 2011
This looks wonderful. Olives, garbanzos, and spinach are three of my best foods ever.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour February 6, 2011
Thanks, Rivki. I really like the combo, it's earthy & spritely, and I seriously could eat the whole batch.
 
Greenstuff
Greenstuff February 6, 2011
Great picture. I have some dried garbanzo beans that I'm going to start soaking immediately.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour February 6, 2011
Thanks, Greenstuff. The dried garbanzos will be even better than the canned, I'm sure. Let me know how you like it.
 
Greenstuff
Greenstuff February 7, 2011
Had it tonight. I especially liked watching the garbanzo beans turn brown and tasting them to see if they popped in the mouth. They did!
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour February 7, 2011
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed them.