Chickpeas and Broccoli with Bacon is a tasty weeknight meal that's ready in 35 minutes and costs less than $10. Easy, gluten-free, and budget-friendly.
About Broccoli Chickpeas and Bacon
If you're looking for chickpea and bacon recipes that cost less than $10 and are ready in 35 minutes, you've found it!
This recipe takes advantage of the convenience of canned chickpeas, similar to the Balsamic Chickpeas and Spinach recipe, to have a simple meal ready in under an hour.
The beauty of this recipe is that you can use fresh broccoli and onions as well as frozen or pre-chopped veggies.
The frozen/pre-chopped veggies will cut your prep time (and dish washing time) in half. Simply open the bag and add the veggies when needed.
If you're using fresh veggies, save time by chopping the onions, broccoli, and garlic while the bacon is cooking.
Not in the mood to mince garlic? Simply use garlic powder.
Either way, this chickpea and broccoli with bacon recipe is satisfying and delicious.
Quick note that this recipe serves 3 for a substantial 2-cup serving size. If you want to serve 4 people with this recipe, serve with some bread or over some cooked pasta.
Ingredients
Bacon: Start the recipe by cooking the bacon, so you can use the bacon grease to sauté the onions. Your preferred bacon is best. Thick, regular, center-cut, turkey, whatever works. You can cook it whole and crumble, or chop it before cooking (as shown in the photos).
Broccoli: Two crowns of broccoli are about 16 ounces. When chopped, it's about 5 to 6 cups of broccoli. You can also use pre-chopped broccoli or frozen. If using frozen broccoli, cover the pot after adding and cook for an extra 5-10 minutes.
Onion: The onion adds flavor and substance to this bacon broccoli and chickpeas recipe. Yellow, white, Vidalia, or red onions are all great options. You can also use pre-chopped or frozen diced onions. You need 1 heaping cup of diced onions.
Spices: To season this dish, you'll use oregano, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. You can use all oregano or all Italian seasoning if needed - for a total of either 1 teaspoon of oregano or 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning instead of ½ teaspoon each.
Garlic: There are four cloves of garlic in this dish because garlic is delicious. You can decrease if desired, and one teaspoon of garlic powder can be used in place of fresh.
Chickpeas: One can of drained chickpeas provides the base of this dish. You can also use about 1.75 to 2 cups of cooked chickpeas.
Parmesan: To add extra protein and flavor to your chickpeas and broccoli with bacon and onion, parmesan cheese is sprinkled on top. There are tons of other suitable options like cheddar, gruyere, asiago, romano, manchego, mozzarella, pepper jack, or Monterey jack. Nutritional yeast is a non-dairy option.
Cost of Recipe
- bacon 6 slices: $2.25
- broccoli 2 crowns: $2.38
- onion 1 medium: $0.50
- dried oregano ½ teaspoon: $0.04
- Italian seasoning ½ teaspoon: $0.09
- red pepper flakes ¼ teaspoon: $0.05
- garlic 4 cloves: $0.24
- salt ¼ teaspoon: $0.01
- black pepper ¼ teaspoon: $0.03
- chickpeas 15-ounce can: $0.79
- parmesan 2 ounces: $1.74
TOTAL COST: $8.12 or $2.71/serving (Based on San Diego grocery stores 2022)
Note that this is not the recipe; it's simply to show the cost breakdown of ingredients. Be sure to scroll down to the full recipe to see the specific ingredients and directions.
How to Make Chickpeas and Broccoli with Bacon
Time needed: 35 minutes
This a simple recipe using canned chickpeas, lots of veggies, and flavorful bacon and parmesan. The whole meal is ready in about 35 minutes, from start to finish. Here's how to prepare the recipe:
- Cook chopped bacon in a pot or large skillet.
Drain and set aside. Leave bacon dripping in the pot.
- Sauté the onions in the bacon grease until softened.
- Add broccoli and spices to the onions.
Stir and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Stir in the chickpeas.
Cook until warmed through, about 5 minutes.
- Serve with bacon and parmesan.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
Variations
Ingredient Options
Bacon: Chopped ham can be used in place of the bacon. Use about ½ cup of chopped ham in place of the bacon. For a vegetarian version, sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of oil, and sprinkle with extra parmesan or nutritional yeast for protein.
Oregano or Italian Spice: Use all oregano or all Italian spice for a total of 1 teaspoon.
Parmesan: Some alternatives are cheddar, gruyere, asiago, romano, manchego, mozzarella, pepper jack, or Monterey jack. Nutritional yeast can also replace parmesan cheese.
How to Make Allergy-Friendly
This recipe is already gluten-free, egg-free, nut-free, and soy-free.
Dairy-free: omit parmesan cheese, which can be replaced with dairy-free parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast.
Vegetarian: omit the bacon and sauté the onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil or butter. Sprinkle with extra parmesan cheese for more protein and/or add toasted walnuts or pecans for crunch, if desired.
Vegan: omit the bacon, sauté the onion in olive oil, and use nutritional yeast to sprinkle on top.
How to Fix a Mistake
Not enough flavor: Sprinkle with a little more cheese or nutritional yeast. You can add more salt if desired, but this is already higher in sodium in case that's a concern for you.
Broccoli too crispy: Add an extra 2 tablespoons of water to the pot, and cook for a few more minutes.
Make-Ahead Ideas
This can be made in advance as directed. Wait to top the broccoli and chickpeas with bacon until just before serving, if possible.
Storage Suggestions
If possible, store the bacon separately from the broccoli and chickpeas. This will help it stay crispy; however, it's not completely necessary.
Keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days. It's not recommended to freeze this dish because the texture of the chickpeas isn't ideal when defrosted.
Frequently Asked Questions
Chickpeas pair with tons of different ingredients. Bacon and chickpeas are a great combo, as are broccoli and chickpeas. In this recipe, you combine canned chickpeas with broccoli and spices. Then sprinkle with crispy cooked bacon and parmesan.
Nutrition Benefits
One serving has a satisfying 25 grams of protein to keep you full and 12 grams of fiber which is half of the recommended amount for the day.
Plus, each serving is an excellent source of Vitamin C (24% RDA), Vitamin A (182% RDA), Iron (22% RDA), Calcium (37% RDA), and Potassium (24% RDA).
This chickpea and bacon recipe is also full of veggies thanks to broccoli and onions, so you get antioxidants and phytochemicals from the plants.
What to Serve with Bacon Chickpeas with Broccoli
This meal is a little on the lighter side. To bulk it up, serve the bacon chickpeas with a slice of garlic bread, or you can toss it with cooked pasta.
Final thoughts:
An excellent weeknight dinner or lunch that's ready in about 35 minutes. You can use fresh ingredients or convenience ones, like prechopped or frozen veggies.
To top it all off, it is budget-friendly, even if you use pre-chopped veggies. Yay for nutritious and easy!
MORE CHICKPEA RECIPES YOU'LL LOVE:
- Avocado Chickpea Toast
- Balsamic Chickpeas and Spinach
- Cheesy Beef, Chickpeas, and Veggies
- Chickpea Salmon Burgers
- Lemon Chickpea and Rice Soup
Chickpeas with Broccoli and Bacon
Ingredients
- 6 slices bacon chopped
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 crowns broccoli chopped
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning no-salt added
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese freshly grated (about ½ cup)
Instructions
- In a very large skillet or dutch oven, add bacon. Cook over medium heat until bacon is done, about 7 minutes.
- Once bacon is cooked, transfer to paper towels. Leave the bacon grease in the skillet.
- Heat skillet over medium heat, and add the diced onions. Cook until the onion has softened about 5 minutes.
- Stir in broccoli, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 5 minutes, until broccoli is tender.
- Add chickpeas to the pan, and cook another 5 minutes.
- Transfer to plates, and top each serving with about 3 tablespoons of Parmesan. Enjoy!
Notes
What to Use in This Recipe
Meme
This post was originally published on July 25, 2012. Text, recipe, and photos have been updated.
Bacon Chickpeas and Broccoli Nutrition Facts
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