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This was soooooo good. My harissa had expired in the fridge 😭 but I had a jar of Calabria Pepper paste and used that instead. The addition of the raisins should be a must! A little burst of sweet. I served mine with garlic and herb riced cauliflower, diced cukes and of course that amazing whipped feta. A drizzle of good EVOO over everything. YUM!!
Please hear me say this: I don’t love chickpeas but I REALLY love this recipe.
So if you’re seeing this and you’re like, nah, no thanks, chickpeas aren’t my thing… just give me a chance to serve you up some spicy, saucy, garlicky smashed chickpeas over a piece (or two) of soft flatbread with a dollop of whipped feta and a crunchy little waterfall of cucumbers over the top. Yeah? Can we do this?
Here’s How To Make Harissa Chickpeas with Whipped Feta
Okay, there are two parts to this recipe.
Part one: make the chickpeas. This is easy:
- harissa paste
- garlic
- canned crushed tomatoes
- olive oil
- canned chickpeas
I like to lightly smash the chickpeas to help them not feel so chickpea-y, if you know what I mean? (My fellow chickpea skeptics do know what I mean.) So I use a potato masher to just give them just a few good smooshes and make the texture into something more sticky and saucy.
ALSO: for something a little fun and unexpected, I’ve been adding golden raisins in just at the end of the simmering, so they get kind of plump and juicy and then you have these little secret bites of sweetness tucked in between all the heat.
These chickpeas… I mean, I really like them. They are super meal-prep friendly and can be served with flatbread, rice, roasted vegetables…
I will be revisiting them again.
Speaking of revisiting, look who’s back for more time in the spotlight: WHIPPED FETA!
We just couldn’t quit her, could we?
You Have Options Here
On a real SOS night (which is, hmm, most of my life?), you can use a store-bought tzatziki or a plain yogurt as your creamy element here which will save you the time and the dishes from the whipped feta.
But on a night when you can handle blitzing that little container of feta into something of a salty miracle sauce, you shall be rewarded with the most tangy, creamy, punchy dollop of creaminess that there ever was. It is optional, but is it really ever optional? It’s WHIPPED FETA.
This combination of things on a plate got rave reviews from my family – the chickpeas were the exact right amount of spicy to keep things fun for the adults, and even though our two-year-old wasn’t into the spice, she thoroughly enjoyed a more toddler-friendly mezze situation with the cucumbers, whipped feta, bread, olives, and some hummus from the fridge. The leftovers, which were short-lived due to popular demand, made for a really happy lunch situation the next day.
This is a weeknight wonder. Mwah!
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Harissa Chickpeas with Whipped Feta: FAQs
For sure add in the naan or pita bread if that’s your thing – just the perfect vehicle for scooping up all of that yum. This is also great with rice or cauliflower rice, or other roasted vegetables like sweet potato or cauliflower.
2 tablespoons of harissa paste would bring this to about medium-level spiciness. If you prefer a bit less, just drop down to 1 tablespoon of harissa paste instead.
Sure can! Just store any of the extras (like the cucumbers and lemons) separately.
Harissa Chickpeas with Whipped Feta
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Harissa Chickpeas with Whipped Feta! Perfectly spicy/saucy/tomato-y chickpeas smothered in creamy, garlicky whipped feta and served with naan, lemons, and cucumbers. Your next weeknight wonder!
Ingredients
Whipped Feta:
- one 4–6 oz. container of feta
- a knob of cream cheese or a spoonful Greek yogurt
- 1 small clove garlic
Harissa Chickpeas:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2–3 cloves garlic
- 1–2 tablespoons harissa paste (2 tablespoons would be medium spicy)
- one 14-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
- two 14-ounce cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 teaspoon salt
- squeeze of lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
- 1/4 cup golden raisins (optional but sweet and yummy)
Extras
- 4 pieces pita or naan
- 1 diced cucumber
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 1/2 cup olives
Instructions
- Make the Whipped Feta: In a small chopper or food processor, pulse the feta, cream cheese, and garlic until mostly smooth and creamy and “whipped.” Add a little water as needed to loosen it up.
- Make the Chickpeas: Add the olive oil to a pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and harissa paste; sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add tomatoes and chickpeas. Mix and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Using a potato masher or similar tool, mash some of the chickpeas so the mixture becomes a little more creamy. Season with lemon juice, salt, and parsley. Stir in the raisins. Add a little bit of water if you need to to keep everything nice and saucy.
- Serve: Serve harissa chickpeas on a plate with all your faves. Top with whipped feta and anything else you like (aka all of it. everything.). IT’S JUST SO GOOD.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Sauté
- Cuisine: Mediterranean-Inspired
Keywords: harissa chickpeas, whipped feta, harissa recipe
Learning To Love Chickpeas? Here Are More Chickpea Recipes!
- 5 Minute Spicy Chickpea Salad (that’s right – just 5 minutes!)
- Detox Moroccan-Spiced Chickpea Glow Bowl (so much flavor in one bowl)
- Lemon Herb Pasta Salad with Marinated Chickpeas (yep, we put chickpeas with pasta and it’s EVERYTHING!)
- Curry Hummus (the perfect chickpea-based dip)
One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our collection of healthy chickpea recipes. Check it out!
The recipes lists olives, but I don’t see them in the photos. Do you recommend green or black olives for this?
What kind of olives do you recommend serving with this dish?
This is one of my favorite recipes that i come back to frequently. i double the crushed tomatoes though and sometimes add tomato paste, for a saucier, more tomato-y flavor
This has been on my regular rotation for awhile. I had mint I needed to use and threw it in instead of the parsley and I’ll never turn back! Mega yum.
Not made it yet but only some of the ingredients change to metric measurements. You’ll prob get more people outside the US trying it if you sort this out.
Thanks
Ross
This is a now a go-to meal for me. It’s so flavorful and I’d put the whipped feta on just about anything. And the best thing, it’s super easy and quick to make. Thank you!!
Loved this, used a block of tofu which I lightly air fried then added to the pan with the harissa before adding the chickpeas. Extra added protein to round out the dish. The flavours were wonderful – definitely add the raisins! Going to be on rotation. I’m assuming if using this for meal prep – take the whipped feta separately?
Yes, I’d keep it separate!
This was so yummy! I added a little onion powder to this, because I thought it needed a little something extra. I also didn’t have feta, so I used plain greek yogurt and mixed it with cucumbers and lemon for a little tzatziki-type condiment. I was missing a can of crushed tomatoes, so I just chopped up a tomato I had. I put everything inside of a pita, and it was so good that I wanted a second helping.
I was thinking of making this as a replacement for harissa chicken in a fake cava bowl. I wonder if it would work?
Did not care for this one at all, i made it as listed. The chickpeas are extremely tomato-y and the texture was unappetizing for me. Was only able to eat a few bites and had to toss the rest. The whipped feta was great, would make that again.
Easy and delicious! So excited for leftovers too.
I have made this recipe so many times and it has been amazing every time. Definitely add the golden raisins (I’ve also added chopped dried apricots) as they add a lovely sweetness. I’ve added half of a chopped onion to the chickpea stew most times. I have also added seared halloumi, soft boiled eggs, or dollops of Greek yogurt for some added protein. I make mine with a heaping spoon of harissa and found it to be a low low/medium spicy
Any suggestions on how I can save this recipe? The harissa paste I used is very strong and bitter. Sad to not eat it, but it’s much too strong right now.
It’s great to hear that you enjoyed this dish so much, even with the substitution of Calabria Pepper paste for harissa and the addition of raisins for a touch of sweetness.
It’s definitely worth giving chickpeas a chance when they’re prepared in such a delicious and creative way!
I could only find Harissa spice not the paste. Do you suggest I do anything differently if not using the paste?
Looking forward to trying this!
We’d just make a little paste using a bit of oil and the spice.
this is one of our favorite meals in our rotation. it is delicious, easy, quick, and cheap, and has a great flavor but isn’t too spicy or out there for more picky eaters. the whipped feta when we use aldi feta and cream cheese comes out more spreadable than whipped, which i like, but could easily be loosened up w olive oil or yogurt.
Hi!! I make this recipe regularly and it’s always a hit, even with my picky toddlers! Was curious if the nutritional info is just for the harissa chickpeas or also the whipped feta? Thank you!
I was expecting this to taste just ok but hot dang. Delicious. I couldn’t wait to have the leftovers again the next day!
I liked this it’s was too yum
Can you make this a day in advance? The Harissa chickpeas with whipped feta ?
That should work – we would just store the components in their own containers.
THIS IS UNREAL!! Not only was it incredibly easy but the flavors are amazing. Will be making this weekly. Thank you!
Hi this sounds great. The us to metric doesn’t change most of the amounts though, only for the raisins so quite a mission to Google each oz to convert into grams 😅maybe a glitch
So sorry about that, Cher! Thanks for bringing to our attention. We’ll get that fixed.
I love this recipe so much! It is one of my go-tos, always in my back pocket. Question – how long do you think the whipped feta would keep in the fridge? Trying to figure out if I could make it over the weekend to have it on hand during the week. Thank you!
I’m thinking it will keep for a few days, like 4-5.
So yummy! Hubby and I devoured! We subbed diced dates for the raisins. Worked wonderfully ❤️
Thanks for the always delicious recipes!