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Today, we\u2019re excited to kick off a new food series: one ingredient, three ways. And we\u2019re starting with a good one, y\u2019all: the mighty chickpea. It\u2019s flexible, it\u2019s filling, and it\u2019s almost always knocking around the back of the cabinet, waiting to be transformed into a killer stew<\/a> or open-faced sandwich<\/a> or a show-stopping party dip<\/a>. So, we asked three foodie friends for their favorite ways to use them\u2026<\/p>\n Hetty McKinnon<\/a>, cookbook author<\/a> and writer of To Vegetables, With Love<\/a><\/strong> Chili Crisp Chickpea Salad<\/a><\/strong> 1\/2 small red onion, diced In a large bowl, add the red onion, garlic, vinegar, sesame oil and chili crisp. Toss to combine. <\/p>\n Next, add the cucumber, chickpeas, mint and\/or parsley, and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.<\/p>\n Greta Caruso<\/a> & Fanny Singer<\/a>, co-writers of The Green Spoon<\/a><\/strong> \u201cWe make these chickpeas for both everyday meals and special occasions (they\u2019re a hit with all ages), or batch-cook them to stock the freezer with last-minute dinners. Serve them with rice for a satisfying two-ingredient meal, stuff \u2019em into tortillas with cheese and guacamole for easy veggie tacos, or ladle them over pasta for a quick riff on pasta e fagioli<\/em>. Whatever you do, just make it a big batch. You won\u2019t regret it.\u201d<\/p>\n Perfect Chickpeas<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n 1 pound dried chickpeas Optional:<\/em> *Note<\/em>: Don\u2019t skimp on the Parmesan rind! It\u2019s the umami-delivering star of this recipe, and it must<\/em> be included. After making this for the first time, you\u2019ll start religiously saving rinds in the freezer, but until you do, you can just slice the rind off the Parm wedge in your fridge.<\/p>\n Soak chickpeas overnight or for a minimum of eight hours. (Some say this isn\u2019t necessary, but we\u2019re in the \u201cdon\u2019t fix what ain\u2019t broke\u201d camp. Soaking has always worked for us, so we\u2019re going to keep doing it.) You can soak them with a tiny<\/em> bit of baking soda (no more than 1\/8 of a tsp per pound), to help speed up cooking time later. <\/p>\n When you\u2019re ready to cook, strain the chickpeas in a colander and give them a quick rinse with cold water. Add 1\/4 cup of olive oil to the bottom of a heavy bottomed stock pot. Turn the heat to low, and add the garlic (and chili flakes, if using). When the garlic starts to sizzle gently and become fragrant (about 4-6 minutes), add the chickpeas and cover them with fresh water by two inches. Turn the heat to high, and add the cheese rind and bay leaves (as well as fennel seeds and kombu, if using).<\/p>\n When the water is at a roiling boil, turn the heat back down to low and cover the pot. Now you can walk away for a while. The chickpeas will take 1-2 hours to cook (older beans will need more time than fresher ones). Check them for the first time after 30 minutes \u2014 this will give you a good idea of how long they\u2019ll take to cook. They may still be totally hard or they might have a bit of give already. Check the pot every 20 minutes or so. When the beans are about 2\/3 cooked \u2014 softened, but still kinda crunchy \u2014 add 2 tablespoons of salt and keep cooking (if cooking for babies, either reduce or omit the salt \u2014 adult servings can be seasoned later).<\/p>\n You\u2019ll know your chickpeas are done when they become the texture of velvet with a very<\/em> gentle bite. It\u2019s easy to lose patience when something\u2019s been cooking for a while, but our rule of thumb with chickpeas is to give them an extra 15 to 20 minutes, even when we think they\u2019re done. Undercooked beans are a texture bummer, but they\u2019re also hard to digest, which is a whole different kind of chaos.<\/p>\n When the beans are done<\/em> done, turn off the burner and let them cool for a bit. Resist the urge to taste and salt until the chickpeas have gone from super-hot to warm. (The danger of over-salting is VERY HIGH when something\u2019s fresh off the burner, because you can\u2019t properly taste for salt levels.) When they\u2019ve cooled to a pleasantly warm temperature, salt to taste, adding anywhere from 1 to 3 more tablespoons.<\/p>\n Keep leftovers in an airtight container, submerged in their cooking liquid. They\u2019ll keep like this for a week in the fridge, or six months in the freezer.<\/p>\n Jenny Rosenstrach<\/a>, writer of Dinner: A Love Story<\/a><\/strong> Curried Chickpeas with Tomatoes and Greens<\/strong> 2 tbsp olive oil Optional:<\/em> In a large skillet (like the one shown) set over medium-low heat, add olive oil, onions, garlic, ginger, pepper flakes, salt and pepper, and cook until slightly softened (about 4-5 minutes). Turn heat to medium, add curry powder, smoked paprika, and cook, allowing the spices to toast a bit.<\/p>\n Add chickpeas, stirring to cover with curry powder. Cook about 5 minutes, until they look like they\u2019re crisping slightly. Now, give them a taste. If you think they need more seasoning, adjust accordingly.<\/p>\n Stir in tomatoes and half the broth, and let simmer on the stovetop for another 10 minutes or so, until everything is warmed through. (If it looks too gloppy, add more vegetable broth to loosen.) Add kale and cook until wilted. Stir in coconut milk.<\/p>\n Serve on its own, or with rice, topped with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.<\/p>\n Huge thanks to our friends, Hetty<\/a>, Greta<\/a>, Fanny<\/a> and Jenny<\/a>! Do you have a favorite way to use chickpeas? Any other staples you\u2019d like to see in this series?<\/strong><\/p>\n P.S. Craving more<\/em> chickpeas? Here are crispy chickpeas with caesar dressing<\/a> and the iconic smashed chickpea sandwich from Smitten Kitchen<\/a>.<\/p>\n (Chili-crisp salad photo by Hetty McKinnon<\/a>. Perfect chickpeas photo by Greta Caruso<\/a>. Curried chickpeas photo by Jenny Rosenstrach<\/a>.)<\/p>\n![\"What's](\"https:\/\/cupofjo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Hetty_Chickpea-and-Chili-crisp-Salad-4.jpg\")
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\u201cChickpea dinners are my weeknight go-to \u2014 one of the easiest and most economical ways to get dinner on the table, quickly! I never use dried chickpeas during the week \u2014 canned ones do the job nicely. I try to pair them with a fresh vegetable, for crunch, and a bold dressing, to keep the flavor interesting. I often go for this chili-crisp chickpea salad, which has heat from the chili crisp (not often paired with chickpeas, which is part of why I love it here!) and acidity from vinegar. The whole thing is rounded out by fresh herbs (you can use mint, parsley, or both!). I like to eat this dish alongside flatbread; it travels well too, making it perfect for potlucks, picnics, etc.\u201d<\/p>\n
Serves 4<\/p>\n
1 garlic clove, grated
1 tbsp black or rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tbsp chili crisp, or more to taste
2 Persian\/Lebanese cucumbers (about 250g), trimmed, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
Handful chopped mint
Handful chopped parsley
2 cans chickpeas, drained (about 500g, drained weight)
Salt and pepper<\/p>\n![\"What's](\"https:\/\/cupofjo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/PerfectChickpeas.jpg\")
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\u201cWe are both lifelong, irrepressible fans of the humble chickpea, and adore it in all its forms: chana masala, hummus, socca \u2014 you name it. But if we had to choose our very<\/em> favorite chickpea meal, it would be Perfect Chickpeas \u2014\u00a0one of our most popular all-star recipes<\/a>, and with good reason: This dish offers velvety chickpeas in an umami, garlicky, Parmesan-infused broth. The recipe is straightforward and simple, and it comes out beautifully every time.<\/p>\n
1 head garlic (or 10 cloves), minced
1 rind of a wedge of Parmesan or pecorino cheese*
2 bay leaves
Olive oil
Salt<\/p>\n
1 pinch smoked chili flakes
1 pinch fennel seeds
1 strip dried kombu seaweed <\/p>\n![\"What's](\"https:\/\/cupofjo.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/FavoriteChickpeas_03.jpeg\")
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\u201cDo you know that stunning baby book by Margaret Wise Brown \u2014 The Important Book<\/a> \u2014 where she lists the characteristics of common objects before landing on their most important attribute? [A spoon] is like a little shovel you hold in your hand. It isn\u2019t flat; it isn\u2019t hollow, but the important thing about a spoon is that you eat with it.<\/em> Well, if Margaret Wise Brown wrote about this dinner, she\u2019d say something like: This meal is vegetarian. It\u2019s super flavorful. It takes only one pot. But the important thing about this meal is that it\u2019s delicious.<\/em> What I\u2019ll say is this is a favorite chickpea meal of friends and family of all ages.\u201d<\/p>\n
Serves 4<\/p>\n
1\/2 onion, chopped (about 1\/3 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
shake of red pepper flakes to taste
3 tbsp curry powder (your favorite kind)
1 tsp smoked paprika
2 14-oz cans chickpeas, drained and dried as much as possible
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes
1 cup vegetable broth, plus up to another 1\/2 cup as needed
4-5 lacinato\/Tuscan kale leaves, de-stemmed and chopped*
1\/4 cup coconut milk
*Note:<\/em> feel free to use a cup of thawed frozen spinach, or peas!<\/p>\n
Cilantro and lime wedges for garnish <\/p>\n