Pan fried chickpeas, baby spinach, smokey applewood bacon and garlic come together to make one of the most delicious side dishes I have ever known!
Bacon is first fried in a skillet and removed, the chickpeas are briefly cooked then spinach and garlic is tossed in. The crispy bacon is crumbled over top to finish.
To transform this into a complete meal you can mix in or serve over a cooked grain, couscous or rice.
There’s a pop of heat from red pepper flakes but feel free to season this anyway you like. Smoked paprika, cumin and chile powder would work well as would an Italian twist with herbs like basil and oregano.
I’m bringing back Side Dish Saturdays, an event I started to bring more attention to side dishes and give them the respect and love they deserve. I want you to think of side dishes in a whole new way.
What if you pick a fabulous side first and build the meal around it rather than the protein/meat part of the meal? The side would have to be something extra special! And unforgettable. Worth sharing with the world!
Side Dish Saturdays will be a weekly event open from Saturday until Monday at midnight eastern time. If you get here late – no worries – just link up the next week.
There are only two guidelines.
The link must be a side dish; no soups or recipes with meat/poultry. Old posts are ok but. . .The post must have a link back to my site. All other links will be deleted; every link will be checked.
I can’t wait to see what you bring to the table!
Pan fried chickpeas, baby spinach, smokey applewood bacon and garlic come together to make a delicious side or even a main dish.
Ingredients
- 3 slices thick-cut applewood smoked bacon
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes
- sea or kosher salt and fresh black pepper
- 6 cups baby spinach, stems removed
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
Instructions
- In a large skillet cook bacon until browned and crispy. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels. Carefully drain grease from skillet.
- Add 2 tablespoons oil, chickpeas and red pepper flakes to skillet and saute over medium heat about 5 minutes, seasoning well with salt and pepper. Add garlic and spinach, toss with chickpeas, when spinach begins to wilt remove from heat.
- Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil and crumble bacon over top.
Notes
Adapted from Epicurious
Absolutely a dish to keep in mind.
This looks great. I love your side dish Saturdays!
Oh yum! I love the leftovers – usually have them for lunch but for breakfast? Yes, please! A perfect way to start off a fall day, nice and hearty. Have a great day!
Just wanted to say that I threw the last of the leftovers of this recipe into the pan this morning and scrambled them with two eggs for breakfast. Divine!
Hi! We made this tonight. It took me all of a half hour and we both agreed it was a keeper and we'd do it again. I threw in a spoonful of sesame seeds for good measure and no regrets there. I really like the idea of using greens in a dish where the main event is actually something else like chickpeas. We have some chard plants and I have a lot of trouble finding ways to use the chard that are really pleasing to the palate, but this recipe serves that purpose well.