Chickpea parmesan
Chickpeas and spinach baked in marinara under a thick layer of melted mozzarella and a crunchy parmesan crumb topping, everything you love about chicken parm in one easy dish.
- 35 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.43 a serving
- 570 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 jar marinara sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated parmesan
- 2 tbsp fresh basil, torn (optional)
- ½ French bread, for serving (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 570 calories, 32 g protein, 57 g carbs and 24 g fat, and costs about $2.43 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
- No shredded mozzarella? Provolone slices work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
- No French bread? Sourdough bread works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 400°F.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Stir the chickpeas, marinara, garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper flakes together in a 9-inch square baking dish or oven-safe , then stir in the spinach.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the top.
the panko with the parmesan and oil and scatter it over the cheese.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: The oily crumbs are what give you that crunchy chicken-parm crust.20 to 25 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and on top.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Timer: 22 min
Let it sit 5 minutes, scatter the basil over the top, and serve with crusty bread or over spaghetti.
Timer: 5 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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