Toasty Parmesan Chickpea Salad.
Were you wondering how many packages of bacon I have in my fridge right now?
Because the answer is four. Four packages. One less package than I had yesterday.
Sometimes I can be a bit excessive.
Would you still be my friend if I told you I buy butter in bulk? How about if you saw the purple tie-dyed scrunchy I wrap my hair up with when I wash my face at night? Or the catastrophe that I call my closet? Or even worse, my makeup drawer, dusted with bits of glittery Midnight Cowboy? That’s an Urban Decay eye shadow by the way. I don’t hoard burly men wearing cowboy hats in the middle of the night inside my dresser drawers.
Or the fact that I made a strawberry peach crumble and ate the entire thing in 24 hours?
Or what if you knew that I forgot to shower for two days? Wrong? Mr. How Sweet thought so. I didn’t mind.
How about if I told you that I toasted these chickpeas in bacon grease? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Appalled?
Raise your hand if you believe that bacon should be rewarded with a national holiday. Twice a year even. I’d celebrate. I’d throw the party. You’re all invited.
This chickpea salad is a dream come true. And yes, my vegetarian friends, I will use the word ‘salad’ loosely. Because I can only get away with frying something in bacon grease and calling it a salad so many times. It’s bratty. Nobody likes a brat.
The way I see it, this chickpea concoction should be at the top of your list. It has fiber. It’s kinda crunchy. It has green peppers and red onion and garlic that have been sizzled in salty bacon grease, in turn making it slightly reminiscent of a cheesy pizza coated with bacon crumbles. It’s sprinkled with freshly shaved parmesan cheese that holds everything together like glue. Savory, creamy glue. Delicious right? Don’t worry. Tastes much better than it sounds. Note to self: buy a thesaurus.
Toasty Parmesan Chickpea Salad
serves 2
1 15-ounce can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 slice of bacon, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/4 green pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
a bunch of freshly chopped parsley
Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add bacon and fry until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a paper towel, leavng grease in the skillet. Add onions and green peppers to the bacon fat, and cook for 2 minutes.
Make sure chickpeas are dry and toss with paprika and pepper. Add to onions and peppers, stirring and toasting for 5-7 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Turn off heat and add parmesan cheese and parsley. Sprinkle on bacon. Serve immediately.
Would you still be my friend if I told you this really only served one person? I was a little hungry.
118 Comments on “Toasty Parmesan Chickpea Salad.”
Is there really no bacon holiday? I mean, there’s peanut butter day, ice cream day . . . there’s got to be a bacon day! What I’m more interested in is a baconfest! Baconpalooza! Let’s do it!
I’m in!
Consider my hand raised… bacon DEFINITELY deserves its own national holiday! I think the only thing that could possibly make this sound more delicious is the addition of a little chocolate, but I doubt that would go well with chickpeas. :P
Making this for dinner TONIGHT! I can polish off an entire can of garbanzos like no one’s business. Favorite daily activity: throwing garbanzos in the magic bullet with garlic, lemon and salt and proceeding to eat it all from the magic bullet jar.
PS: Your photography is beautiful, I feel like I’m reading a food magazine.
I made a big ol’ pan of chickpeas last night, too. They’re amazing. And with bacon, they’re even better. Obviously. Somehow I hadn’t thought of combining them with cheese. This may be the last food in the world I haven’t thought of mixing with cheese…how I let that one slip by I’ll never know. :)
Why is makeup so messy? My toothpaste is also always clumped with rubbery paste… it’s gross.
this is right up my alley!
I have all that I need…thanks!
It looks so good for lunch today. :)
sooooo…. if you need a roommate that likes to clean toilet and the kitchen and reguarly vacuumms baseboards, i’m your girl.
will clean for food.
and a running buddy.
y.u.m.
Done!
yesss! when do i move in! lol :)
This looks amazing!
The other day, I overheard my brother tell my mom not to throw out the bacon fat because he was going to cook something in it, and totally thought of you. :)
Only you can make chickpeas look so insanely good!!
as you’ve proven time and time again, bacon goes with everything:)
This salad looks like a good combo of flavors! I have some chickpeas in my pantry right now but I was thinking of making your falafel… or maybe some hummus…which would you choose if you could only make one??
I’m a new reader, and I love your sense of humor! I enjoy every post! Please check out my blog, I just started! http://mycookingwithabandon.blogspot.com
Chickpeas are so yummy. And I love how yours are crisped up. I want to make this…without the bacon….but a version with the bacon for the man. I’m telling you- you must try that jalapeno bacon I posted about- Josh cannot get enough
I know! I need that!
Cover it in bacon and my husband would eat anything. I’ll come over for your bacon celebration! With a big spoon in hand too!
I’ll always be your buddy.
Chickpeas look like corn nuts… I’m sure they don’t taste like that. Can we make a ranch flavor? hehe
Okay, you seriously can! Sprinkle with ranch seasoning then roast them. ;) Crunchy nuts!
This makes me really wish I liked chickpease :( They’re on the no-like list with mushrooms, squash, and a few others that everyone else loves and I just can’t get a taste for!
Sort of like vegetables for me?
Bacon is awesome! This dish looks so good. I buy butter in bulk too! :)
Mmm delicious! Meeker always tells me he doesn’t like chickpeas, but I bet he would if they were cooked in bacon grease. And were eaten with bits of bacon, too.
I’ve never had chickpeas, but if they are fried in bacon grease you can count me in… and my hair scrunchy is lime green ;)
Oh my! A non bacon version of this will make my liiiife…ok, maybe day, lol. I heart chickpeas.
I want the wooden spoon. I want the napkin. I want the white handled bowl. And I must have that salad!!
Hallmark would definitely want you working for them if National Bacon Day ever becomes a card giving holiday…lol.
This looks ah-mazing. I can’t wait to try it! And I just so happened to make a pot of chickpeas last night…how did you know?
You are hilarious. And your “salad” looks delicious.
There’s a really funky cafe/coffee shop near my apartment that sells really cool knickknacks, and they have BACON soap. I almost bought it the last time I was in there, thinking it was funny, but I could actually smell the bacon scent through the package, and it kind of weirded me out. I took a picture of the box on my phone, which I plan on putting in my next post. It’s so strange! I should totally buy it and just send it to you. Do you think Mr. How Sweet like it if you came out of the shower smelling like bacon…?
Best chickpea recipe EVER!
Beans…I love beans…in green bean form, chick pea form, kidney bean form…then you add bacon??? And toasty goodness…with cheese…come on! LOVE this…the added MidWestern humor puts you at the very top of my favorite blogs list!
Can’t wait to make this…after I make those crazy Oreo brownies :) Truth be told, I am Mrs. Sweet…sweets always come first…then bacon…
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*hand raised for bacon holiday*
A) as long as that scrunchie STAYS in your bedtime routine, I don’t judge
B) I shower every other day (when I’m on top of things) so two days is not really shocking. And my best friend actually only showers once a week because her skin dries out really easily. But she is also blessed with baby-fine curly hair that actually looks fantastic unwashed.
I hereby raise my hand on behalf of BACON! Im not much on green pepper, but it sounds like it would be good with the other ingredients in the recipe. Definitely going to try it!
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I made this last night and put it on top of some spinach…it was delicious. I will defiantly make it again, maybe next time I will wilt the spinach. Thank you for the great recipe and i love your blog.
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I feel like you should know that I’ve become entirely obsessed with your blog and have decided to make two (or three) of your recipes every week. I seriously just went through your entire blog and bookmarked like 100 recipes to make.
I started with this one and wasn’t disappointed. I have to admit though, I changed the recipe a bit because I apparently don’t like things to taste too healthy. So I used two strips of bacon. I also used orange pepper because that’s what I had, and I used about half of one.
Soooo good. So, so good.
Too delicious! Using dried (and reconstituted) garbanzos gives it an even fresher taste (nice contrast with the bacon). Mm!
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Just made this… told myself I would have the willpower to just eat one serving; however, I encountered the same problem as you… I could not put the spoon down. My mouth literally would not let me stop shoveling spoonfuls of the crunchy chickpeas, melty cheese, and crisp delicious bacon in. Genius!
I made your recipe last night for dinner and I must say it was super delicious! Also, I’m having the leftovers for lunch and the paprika really perked up overnight! Love this dish!
You are probably the funniest person I know, and I don’t even really know you, you know?
I LOVE your blog and think you’re a fantastic writer – pursue it!
Oh yeah, your food is pretty amazing too!
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Hand raised and I would still be your friend even after all that info (mostly because I am that same person! This looks amazing! Can’t wait to give it a whirl.
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Midnight Cowboy = best Urban Decay shade ever!
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Great recipe. I love Parmesan cheese and this is such a clever way to taste all its goodness!
I recently wrote an article on how real Parmesan cheese is made and on its nutritional value. Check it out and let me know your thoughts, I would really appreciated it!
http://www.theironyou.com/2011/06/how-parmesan-cheese-comes-to-life.html
Peace
Mike @TheIronYou
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omg. i had been saving this for awhile and i just made it…why did i wait so long? it is soooooo good! thank you for sharing!
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