Crispy Chickpeas With Beef

By Mark Bittman

Updated December 12, 2018

  • Craig Lee for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
30 minutes
Rating
5(4,802)
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.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • ½ to 1 pound ground beef or other meat

  • 4 cups cooked chickpeas (about 1 28-ounce can), drained (reserve 1 cup liquid)

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin

  • 1 ancho or chipotle chile, soaked, stemmed, seeded and minced; or 1 teaspoon good chile powder

  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic

  • Salt and pepper

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • Minced cilantro or parsley for garnish (optional)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

57 grams carbs; 60 milligrams cholesterol; 584 calories; 11 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 26 grams fat; 1 gram trans fat; 16 grams fiber; 756 milligrams sodium; 33 grams protein; 10 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

  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.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
4,802 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.

Nice fall-back option, not spectacular

Spur of the moment, had-everything-on-hand, kind of meal. Great for nights when you truly don’t feel like cooking, but need to whip up a one-pot wonder. Added onions according to someone’s comment, tumeric, and served with rice cooked with a ginger-miso broth instead of water, seasoned with a Japanese furikake seasoning blend from Trader Joe’s. Three stars for easy, fast, and decently delicious. Took two stars away for the lack-luster flavor and being snubbed by my toddler.

amelia

i have no idea how to get the chickpeas crispy. with two cans plus the meat, i don’t have a big enough pan for them to even be against the bottom of the pan consistently. i tried cooking the garbanzo beans first and they still weren’t crispy. in addition, the flavor wasn’t as deep without doing the meat first. any advice?

S

Nice easy recipe. 1 can garbanzos has only about ¾ cup of liquid so added enough to make a full cup. I would also do it on medium/high to avoid scorching and add some oil in the beginning instead of all at the end to help brown the meat and garbanzos. After reading that others found the seasonings bland I just used a package of Kinder’s (sorry, but it was easier) with a similar profile which worked out well.

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