Roasted Broccoli and Chickpeas With Mole Verde
Published April 17, 2024
Kerri Brewer for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Spencer Richards.
- Total Time
- 50 minutes
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
2 large heads of broccoli, cut into large florets, stalk peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
2 (15.5-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large chile poblanos, stemmed, seeded and coarsely chopped
5 large scallions, root ends trimmed, coarsely chopped
5 medium tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
¾ cups pepitas (preferably toasted)
⅓ cup white sesame seeds
5 ounces spinach (preferably mature), coarsely chopped (if using baby spinach, no need to chop)
½ cup cilantro leaves and tender stems, packed, coarsely chopped
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
91 grams carbs; 868 calories; 22 grams monosaturated fat; 13 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 46 grams fat; 30 grams fiber; 1847 milligrams sodium; 39 grams protein; 19 grams sugar
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
- Step 1
Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 450 degrees. Toss together broccoli, chickpeas and 4 tablespoons oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season generously with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until tender and browned, 30 to 40 minutes.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add poblanos, scallions, tomatillos, garlic and 2 teaspoons salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until just beginning to brown and the tomatillos are beginning to fall apart, 7 to 9 minutes. Add pepitas and sesame seeds and cook, stirring occasionally, until the seeds are fragrant and smell like roasted nuts, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Remove from heat.
- Step 3
Carefully pour mixture into a blender, then add spinach and cilantro and blend until completely smooth, working in batches if necessary (or alternatively, blend with an immersion blender until smooth). Taste and season with salt.
- Step 4
Divide mole evenly among the plates or shallow bowls, pouring about 1 cup into each. Top with roasted broccoli and chickpeas.
Private Notes
Comments
The sauce definitely needs an acid. I didn't have any limes, but added the juice of half a lemon, which brightened it up considerably (along with a healthy addition of salt). To make it more of a complete meal, I added tofu cubes, which roasted with broccoli and chickpeas. Overall a great meal -- different and healthy. Will definitely make again.
A jar of Trader Joes Salsa Verde substitutes very well for the tomatilloes & Poblano. A dollop of sour cream (maybe creme fraiche next time) was welcome. Other's comments of squeeze of lime juice as garnish was spot on! Thanks everyone. Love this recipe!
Okay, I read through all the notes, but forged ahead as I planned. Since I had a good supply of homemade tomatillo sauce frozen from last year’s crop I used that instead of fresh and adjusted the recipe accordingly. My sauce already had lime in to so no need to add more. Yes, lime should be used. Despite some’s criticism of the compatibility of the mole with roasted chick peas/broccoli, that’s what I had and used it. It was excellent! We plan to try the mole with a white fish of some sort.
I threw all the mole ingredients under the broiler (sans spinach & cilantro). Gotta watch the green onions because they're done quickly. Turned everything over once so there was a good char on both sides. Cut the stems off the poblanosand threw everything in the blender. So easy. So delicious. The squeeze of lime is right on. Did need to add some broth to thin it out a bit. Served with brown rice & chicken breast.
The mole is lovely. Next time I'll substitute roasted tofu for the chickpeas, along with the broccoli, I think it'll be better enhanced by the the mole. (Or, as someone suggested, a white fish like cod, sable fish or halibut.)
Makes a good amount of sauce! We had leftover sauce and used the next day for baked tofu and sweet potato. As others mentioned, lime (and for us, more salt) was necessary - happy I read the comments before making!