Za'atar Chickpeas and Greens with Farro
From: Ian Seddon's Cookbook
🥘 Ingredients
- za'atar 1 tbsp
- Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes ½ tsp
- kosher salt 1 tsp
- Freshly
- Cooked Farro (With Bay Leaf) 2 ½ cup
- extra virgin olive oil 3 tbsp
- small yellow onion 1
- garlic cloves 4
- sun-dried tomatoes 1 oz
- green olives 1-2 tbsp
- medium lemon 1
- white wine vinegar 2 tbsp
- chickpeas 2
- pure maple syrup 1 ½ tsp
- water ½ cup
- soy sauce or tamari 1 tbsp
- baby spinach 5 oz
- flat-leaf parsley 1 cup
- Kosher
- A few sprinkles of za'atar
Za’atar Spice Blend
If you didn’t buy za'atar, make this substitute. See the za'atar grocery note on your grocery list for whether you need to scale the recipe.
If you love the flavor of sun-dried tomatoes, feel free to replace 1 tbsp of the olive oil in step 2 with 1 tbsp of the oil from the jar of sun-dried tomatoes. See the Za’atar Spice Blend notes if you bought ingredients to make the homemade za'atar substitute. If you have vegetable broth, you can use that instead of the 1/2 cup of water in step 5, but be sure to use less soy sauce (~2 tsp). You can quickly “chop” spinach by putting it in a bowl (or just leave it in its bag/clamshell) and cutting it with kitchen scissors. Storage: Store the farro and chickpeas separately in the fridge in airtight containers for 3 to 4 days. Reheat the farro and chickpeas in a saucepan on the stove with a splash of water or broth (or in the microwave) until heated through. Top with a bit of olive oil and a dusting of za'atar right before serving. Nutrition boost: Replace the baby spinach with Swiss chard: remove the rib and discard; slice the leaves thinly; add it when you add the water and soy sauce; cook until wilted and tender. For a protein boost, chop some roasted pepitas and almonds; add them to the dish along with the farro in step 7. Shortcut: Use ready-to-heat brown rice if you didn’t cook farro during meal prep. Shortcut: If you didn’t prep the Sun-Dried Tomato Mix, omit the garlic and olives, and simply use the chopped sun-dried tomatoes.
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1Prepare: za'atar , Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes , kosher salt , Freshly cracked black pepper to taste.
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2Add all the ingredients to a small ziploc bag, seal, and shake to combine. Or, add to a small bowl, stir well, and transfer to an airtight container.
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3Label and store on the counter or in your pantry for up to 6 months.
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4Gather: Cooked Farro (With Bay Leaf) , extra virgin olive oil , small yellow onion . For the sun-dried tomato mix (from vegetable prep): garlic cloves , sun-dried tomatoes , green olives , Za’atar Spice Blend ( timer tbsp) (from meal prep) (see Note 2), medium lemon , white wine vinegar , chickpeas , pure maple syrup , water , soy sauce or tamari , baby spinach , flat-leaf parsley , Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, A few sprinkles of za'atar .
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5Take the Cooked Farro out of the fridge.
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6Heat a Dutch oven or large, deep sauté pan over medium-high heat with the olive oil. Once hot, add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes , or until just starting to soften, stirring occasionally.
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7Add the Sun-Dried Tomato Mix, and cook for 3-4 minutes , stirring frequently, or until it starts to melt together. If the garlic starts to brown, lower the heat to medium. Add the Za'atar Spice Blend and lemon zest. Cook for 30 seconds, stirring frequently. Optional: If using, pour in the vinegar and scrape up any browned bits. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the vinegar smell has cooked off, 1 to 2 minutes.
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8Stir in the drained chickpeas and maple syrup. Cook for 3-5 minutes to allow the chickpeas to pick up some of the flavor, stirring occasionally.
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9Pour in the water and the soy sauce. Cook for 5-6 minutes , stirring occasionally, until the liquid has reduced a bit.
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10While the chickpeas simmer, roughly chop the baby spinach and parsley, and prepare your side salad (if you’re making one).
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11Add the chopped spinach to the chickpeas in batches and cook until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Cooked Farro and stir through until heated.
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12Off the heat, add the chopped parsley, 1/2 tsp of kosher salt, and a few cracks of pepper. Taste, adding more salt as needed.
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13Divide the farro and chickpeas between bowls. Drizzle each with a bit of olive oil if desired and a dusting of za'atar. Serve with your side salad, if you made one.