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Bright, savory, and satisfying, these Quick Brothy Chickpeas with Rainbow Chard and Lemon are a delightful mix of flavours and textures. With tender greens, hearty chickpeas and a burst of lemon, this one-pot dish is ideal for cozy weeknight dinners.

Are brothy beans a soup or a stew?

Either way, a bowl full of these Quick Brothy Chickpeas with Rainbow Chard and Lemon will warm your belly! Hearty but light, thanks to the bright, lemony broth, this recipe uses canned chickpeas to make a quick and easy weeknight dinner, and it’s all made in one pot, making clean up a breeze.

Serve it up with some crusty bread, and you’ve got a meal that’s an instant favourite, as satisfying as it is nourishing.

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Why you’ll Love this Recipe
- Cook with me
What is Rainbow Chard?
Recipe Ingredients
How to Make this Recipe
Other Recipes to Try
Quick Brothy Chickpeas with Rainbow Chard and Lemon Recipe

Why you’ll Love this Quick Brothy Chickpeas with Rainbow Chard and Lemon Recipe

Quick and easy. This recipe uses canned chickpeas, so there’s no overnight soaking of dried beans required, making it a perfect weeknight meal when you want something wholesome without too much fuss.

Easy cleanup. These Quick Brothy Chickpeas with Rainbow Chard and Lemon are made in one pot, using one spatula, a chopping board and your chef’s knife, making for easy peasy cleanup!

Flavourful. The warm, rich broth is infused with garlic, charred lemon and aromatic herbs and spices.

Versatile. You can use any canned beans you prefer for this recipe, and even change up the herbs and spices to suit your tastes or what you’ve got lying around to use.

Make it vegan. Leave out the parmesan rind and you have a vegan-friendly dinner ready in 30 minutes.

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What is Rainbow Chard?

Related to beetroots and not to kale, Swiss chard is a leafy vegetable that comes from the Mediterranean, where it features prominently in the cuisine. The name Swiss is a misnomer and comes from the Swiss botanist who first gave the vegetable its scientific classification. Rainbow chard is actually a bunch of different chard varieties sold as one, often including ruby chard, golden chard and silverbeet.

Quick Brothy Chickpeas with Rainbow Chard and Lemon Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make this delightfully lemony recipe:

Olive Oil. You can use your preferred oil here to sauté the rainbow chard stalks and aromatics, but I find the olive oil flavour lends itself quite nicely to making a broth.

Shallot. Milder than onions, shallots add a subtle sweetness.

Lemon. Charring, caramelising, searing or grilling lemons imparts a slightly smoky flavour, makes the citrus notes deeper and more savoury, and produces more juice. You want to make sure you sear them and remove them from the pan or else they can become quite bitter. Serve bowls of these brothy chickpeas with the seared lemon cheeks to squeeze all over.

Rainbow Chard. Don’t throw out those colourful stalks! Chop them up and sauté them with the aromatics, they add an earthy, satisfying texture to the wilted rainbow chard leaves and creamy chickpeas. You can use any chard or silverbeet variety for this recipe.

Aromatics. Garlic for depth and savoury notes; rosemary, sage and bay leaves for earthy and herbal flavours to pair with the lemon; Aleppo pepper and smoked paprika for a mild, warming heat and smokiness to compliment the rainbow chard.

Chickpeas. Creamy, nutritious and filling, chickpeas are the heart of this dish, providing protein and substance to the broth. You can switch them out for your favourite canned beans for a quick dinner, or you can even cook you own dried beans if you prefer.

Vegetable Broth. I’ve used store-bought vegetable broth but you can use homemade if you have it, or chicken stock if you prefer. I don’t recommend using beef or fish stock for this recipe.

Parmesan Rind. Adds an umami depth to the broth, giving it a savoury richness. If you don’t have a rind, you could add a couple of grates of parmesan – not enough to start a melting clump of cheese, just enough to flavour the broth. Or you can leave out the parmesan all together to make this dish vegan.

Optional toppings. Freshly shaved parmesan and golden, crunchy fried shallots, both optional, but both tasty toppings!

Find the exact quantities in the recipe card below.

How to Make this Quick Brothy Chickpeas with Rainbow Chard and Lemon Recipe

Serve these brothy chickpeas with lots of toasted bread to soak up the flavourful broth. A simple green salad or a side of roasted veggies and you’ve got a complete meal!

Here’s the quick rundown on how to make the recipe:

Prepare the rainbow chard. You can separate the leaves from the stem in two ways: You can strip the leaves from the stem by holding the stem in one hand and making a loose fist around the base of the leaves with the other hand. Then in one swift motion, strip the leaves from the stem away from you. Alternatively, if you prefer to use your knife, lay the rainbow chard flat and cut the stem away from the leaves making a v-shaped cut. For the stems, chop them in a small dice, cutting thicker pieces in half lengthwise if needed. For the leaves, gather them all up together and roll them into a cigar shape. Then run your knife through to chiffonade the leaves into long, thin strips.

Sauté the aromatics. Place the lemon quarters cut side down into a hot pot and sauté the shallot and rainbow chard stalk until just starting to soften. Add the garlic, rosemary, sage, bay leaves and spices and cook for a further few minutes, until everything is fragrant, the shallots are soft and the lemons are charred. Remove the lemons from the pot and set aside for serving.

Build the broth. Stir in the chickpeas and parmesan rind, then pour in the vegetable broth. Bring the mixture to a simmer, letting the flavours meld together as the chickpeas absorb the aromatic broth.

Wilt the rainbow chard. Once the broth is simmering gently, remove the bay leaves and the rosemary stalks. Add the rainbow chard leaves. Let it wilt and cook until tender but still vibrant.

Finish with lemon. To serve, ladle the brothy chickpeas into bowls, squeeze over the charred lemon juice, top with freshly shaved parmesan and fried shallots.

Love beans? Try these recipes too:

Pasta e Fagioli

Mandarin and Chickpea Salad with Halloumi

Chickpea, Tuna and Broccoli Salad

Parmesan Broth Minestrone with Pistou

Cauliflower Salad with Yogurt Dressing

Have you made these Quick Brothy Chickpeas with Rainbow Chard and Lemon yet? Be sure to leave a comment and let me know. Or take a pic and tag me over on Instagram, I love seeing what you guys are making from the blog!

Recipe

Quick Brothy Chickpeas with Rainbow Chard and Lemon

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Course: Mains, Soup, Vegetarian

Cuisine: Western

Diet: bay leaf, chickpeas, lemon, parmesan, rainbow chard, rosemary, Sage, shallot

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 25

Total Time: 35

Servings:

Author: Eff | Food Daydreaming

Equipment

Ingredients

4-5 Rainbow chard stalks, leaves and stems
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 lemon, cut into quarters
3 garlic cloves, lightly smashed
2 rosemary sprigs
4 sage leaves
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
2×400 g cans of chickpeas, drained but not rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth
Parmesan rind, optional
To serve: shaved parmesan, fried shallots and toasted bread

Instructions

Wash the rainbow chard then separate the leaves from the stems by stripping the leaves or using a sharp knife to cut out the stem.
4-5 Rainbow chard stalks
Slice the stems in half and chop them finely into small pieces. Set them aside separately from the leaves.
Gather all the leaves together and roll them into a cigar shape. Then run a sharp knife through to chiffonade the leaves into long, thin strips. Set aside separately from the stems.
In a large dutch oven or pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallots, the lemon quarters – cut side down – and the chopped rainbow chard stalks. Sauté and caramalise for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally but not disturbing the lemon.
2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 shallot, 1 lemon
Add the garlic cloves, rosemary sprigs and sage leaves. Carefully make one or two tears in the bay leaves to help release the flavour and add them to the pot, followed by the Aleppo pepper and smoked paprika. Stir and cook for a further minute or two until fragrant.
3 garlic cloves, 2 rosemary sprigs, 4 sage leaves, 2 bay leaves, ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper, ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
Remove and reserve the lemon quarters*.
Drain but don’t rinse the chickpeas and add them to the pot, followed by the stock and the parmesan rind. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes with the lid on. Remove the bay leaves and the rosemary stalk*.
2×400 g cans of chickpeas, 4 cups vegetable broth, Parmesan rind
Taste for salt and adjust if necessary. Add the rainbow chard leaves and let them wilt, off the heat, for another 5 minutes with the lid on.
To serve, ladle the brothy chickpeas into bowls and squeeze in some of the charred lemon juice. Top with optional shaved parmesan and fried shallots and serve with crusty, toasted bread.
To serve: shaved parmesan

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Notes

Don’t leave the lemon in after adding the chickpeas and broth or it can turn bitter.

You can also remove the garlic cloves and the parmesan rind if you prefer, but I tend to leave them in to continue to flavour the broth and any leftovers. Just make sure not to serve the cloves of garlic!

Did you make this recipe?Mention @food_daydreaming or tag #fooddaydreaming on instagram. I love seeing what you all come up with!

Nutrition

Quick Brothy Chickpeas with Rainbow Chard and Lemon

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