One-Pot Spicy Chickpea Pomodoro

by Liz Fetchin, Octofree (@octofree; octofree.com)

September 10, 2023

When it comes to weeknight dinners, it doesn’t get any easier than this. Everything comes together in one pot, is easy to prepare and clean, requires zero specialty ingredients to be gluten-free and vegan, and is very affordable. You can swap kale or another seasonal leafy green like Swiss Chard or spinach, and the chickpeas for cannellini beans. The longer you let it simmer, the better the flavors combine, but 23 minutes is plenty of time for the sauce to thicken. A vegan weeknight dream!

For more quick weeknight dinner recipes and a one-month meal plan, purchase Octofree’s new digital cookbook, Weeknight SOS, out this month at octofree.com/shop, and find her on Instagram at @octofree.

Serves: 6 people
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 35 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes

Equipment:
Large saute pan

Ingredients:
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, sliced thinly
• 1 28-ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp fennel seeds
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 cups kale or other seasonal leafy green,
• such as collard greens or Swiss chard,
• de-stemmed and sliced into thin strips
• 2 15-ounce cans of chickpeas,
• drained and rinsed

OPTIONAL GARNISH:
Large saute pan

Instructions:

1. Heat olive oil over medium-low heat in
2. a large sauté pan.
3. Add sliced garlic and cook, stirring often, until
4. fragrant and slightly transparent, about 5 minutes.
5. Add crushed tomatoes, fennel seeds, crushed
6. red pepper flakes and salt and stir to combine.
7. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 25 minutes,
8. stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened.
9. Add kale ribbons, stir to coat with sauce, and
10. cook about three minutes.
11. Add chickpeas, stir to combine and cook another
12. couple of minutes until heated through.
13. Garnish with torn basil if desired and serve.

Liz Fetchin is a regular contributor to The Green Voice