Chickpea casserole with lemon, herbs, and shallots (6-8 servings)
0 comments Posted by Kate at 9:35 AM
As I was planning out this week's meals, I realized that a huge percentage of my main dish recipes involve chickpeas. I've already posted 13 recipes involving chickpeas, and I have lots more than I haven't yet posted. Chickpeas are so versatile and they pack a great protein punch. So when I saw this recipe on the Kitchn the other week, I knew I had to try it out. This recipe comes from Faith Durand's Not Your Mother's Casseroles, which I'd love to read sometime. I changed the temperature and baked the casserole covered for part of the time, going off readers' suggestions. I also added more rice for bulk and some broth for moisture.
You will need:
- 3 15-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cooked brown rice
- 4 shallots, minced or grated (or ground up in a food processor - yay!)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced (food processor again)
- juice and zest of one lemon
- salt and black pepper
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup cottage cheese (small curd if you can find it)
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used Greek)
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup grated parmesan, divided
- 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, minced
- 2 stalks rosemary, leaves stripped and minced
- 2/3 cup dry breadcrumbs
- extra-virgin olive oil (opt.)
Steps:
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spritz a 3-quart baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
- Add the chickpeas, rice, shallots, garlic, and lemon zest and juice to a large bowl and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- In a medium bowl, combine the eggs, cottage cheese, yogurt, broth, and half the parmesan. Mix in the parsley and rosemary. Add the egg mixture to the chickpea mixture in the large bowl and stir to combine.
- Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining parmesan and the bread crumbs. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil, if desired. Bake, covered, for 30 minutes; uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes. The casserole should be bubbly and golden. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
There are so many wonderful things about this recipe. As the Kitchn's writer states, "It's quick and easy -- a modern, lightened-up version of the 'dump-and-mix' dish, where you can open up a few cans and mix everything together." But, as the writer points out, it doesn't rely on predictable ingredients like pasta or cream of mushroom soup. I loved the combination of the tender chickpeas and the custardy, creamy filling. The lemon worked really well with the other flavors. This is another bright, flavorful dish that works well for the transition from winter to spring. Serve it with a big ol' spinach salad and you'll be full for hours!
A word about shallots: I don't know much about them and they tend to annoy me. I love their mellow, slightly sweet flavor, but they frustrate me. First of all, peeling them is a pain in the arse. They're much worse than garlic or onions. Also, when the recipe calls for four of them, I don't know if that means four "bulbs," which might contain more than one "clove" (for lack of a better description) or if that means four "cloves," which could only be two or three "bulbs." Ugh. I found two big ones -- almost the size of a tangerine -- at Whole Foods and used both. The end result wasn't overpowering, so I guess that was a good choice!
It seems I've dipped into another lazy blogger cycle lately. (I feel like I make this confession once a month or so.) Yes, my home life has been hectic lately, especially because of a grad class that keeps me super busy but so far has taught me nothing, but I've also just been lazy about cooking. This is my first February in North Carolina, and my body is so confused. It's the middle of February, yet I was outside in a t-shirt yesterday. To a Pennsylvanian girl, this is just mind-blowing. Of course, we always have a freak warm day or two each winter in PA, but I'm not used to gearing up for warm weather this early in the year. My cookbooks' winter recipes are still dog-eared, and my Crockpot is still sitting patiently on the counter, yet cold-weather recipes just feel out of place right now. I've been relying mostly on year-round staples like this and this and this, but I have tried a few new things lately, and one of the standouts has been the Pioneer Woman's baked lemon pasta. Just typing out the name made me salivate a little.
You will need:
- 1 lb dry spaghetti (I'm in love with Barilla's spaghetti rigati lately)
- 4 Tbsp salted butter
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or sliced very thin
- 1 whole lemon
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste
- grated parmesan (a handful or two)
- flat-leaf parsley, chopped (maybe 1/4 cup or so -- I didn't measure)
Steps:
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions. While it's cooking, zest the lemon and put the zest aside in a small bowl. Drain the pasta as soon as it's al dente.
- While the pasta is draining, melt butter and oil in a skillet over low heat. When the butter is melted, add the garlic to the pan; cook and stir for less than a minute. Squeeze the juice from the (naked) lemon into the pan and then turn off the heat.
- Add the sour cream to the pan; stir mixture together. Add in the lemon zest and salt. Taste to see if you need more salt.
- Pour the drained spaghetti and the sauce into an oven-safe dish and toss gently with tongs. Bake, covered, for 15 minutes. Then bake, uncovered, for another 7-10 minutes. You want the sauce to be nice and bubbly, but you don't want the spaghetti to turn brown and dry out.
- Remove the dish from the oven. Sprinkle the pasta with parmesan and parsley and a little more lemon juice, if desired. Serve immediately.
As you probably surmised, this isn't exactly a low-fat, low-calorie recipe. However, I see it as a lovely transition from winter to spring: it's rich enough for winter, but the bright, fresh flavors will remind you of a sunny spring day. However, if you want to make it slightly more healthful, you can do what I did and use vegan sour cream -- either storebought or homemade. I made my own, and while the tofu did make the sauce a little crumbly, I didn't find it distracting or off-putting. The lemon is really what shines through here. Don't expect the sauce to be sour; the combination of ingredients makes the sauce slightly sweet and very refreshing.
