One of the most versatile beans our New Start cooking club is garbanzos. They seem to find their way into many of our dishes–casseroles, stews, burgers–even sauces. Here is one I like to serve over brown rice, in a salad, or on top of a baked sweet potato. You can enjoy them 2 ways. One way is baked in the oven along with some garden vegetables. The other is roasted in the oven with a sprinkling of some garlic and other simple seasonings.

Savory Baked Garbanzos

Saute’ green pepper and onion slices in a small amount of water in a skillet. I used one green bell pepper and a white onion. Cook them together in a skillet over medium heat until the onions just begin to become soft. Add 1 1/2 cups of chopped tomatoes along with these seasonings–2 tablespoons of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of tarragon, 1 tablespoon of dried parsley (or 3 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley) and salt and dried basil to taste. Simmer together for a few minutes.

Drain a 15 ounce can of garbanzos, then add to the vegetables. Add the entire mixture to a baking dish. Cover and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Then serve over some brown rice or a baked sweet potato. Yumm!

Roasted Garbanzos

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain, rinse and blot 3.5 cups of garbanzos with a paper towel. Don’t wipe them completely dry, though. You’ll want some moisture on them so the seasonings can stick. Add the beans to a bowl. Mix in 2 teaspoons of garlic powder. Add paprika to taste and stir it all together. Transfer the beans to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add the salt while the beans are roasting. Bake for about 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so. Then turn off the oven and let the beans sit for about 10 minutes. This should give some crunch to the beans. They are now ready to add to a salad or casserole.