Savoy Cabbage and Chickpeas: the Recipe for an Appetizing and Nutritious Side Dish

Savoy cabbage and chickpeas is a simple and nutritious dish, perfect for pampering ourselves during gloomy winter evenings. Versatile and light, it can be served as a side dish to a meat-based course or, in larger portions and accompanied with fresh bread, it is also excellent as a complete and satiating vegetarian meal. Very quick to make, just sauté the cabbage, cut it into strips, in a pan with oil and garlic, then add it to the previously boiled chickpeas. In our version, fresh thyme was also added, for a very fragrant and enveloping final result.

Savoy cabbage is the queen of leaf vegetables in the colder months and the first frost is the ideal time to buy it and prepare it in a thousand different ways. Rich in mineral salts and vitamins, it is also friendly to the intestine and particularly diuretic. Here we see it combined with chickpeas, legumes equally rich in beneficial properties, thanks to the low glycemic index, the excellent iron content and the absence of saturated fats. The partnership is, therefore, one of the most successful.

It is a very versatile preparation which you can enrich with what you prefer: aromatic herbs, spices, dried cherry tomatoes, black olives… You can sauté the cabbage with diced speck or add some crumbled feta, so as to obtain a richer and more delicious dish. You can add good vegetable broth and lengthen the cooking times to make a healthy and substantial soup, suitable for the whole family; or even use the recipe to season a risotto or pasto to take to the office. Find out how to make it by following our step-by-step instructions and advice.

How to Prepare Cabbage and Chickpeas

Wash the savoy cabbage, clean it and then slice it.

At the end, you will have to obtain thin strips.

Pour a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil into the saucepan.

Add a clove of poached garlic.

Add the cabbage.

Let it cook for about 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.

Add the boiled chickpeas, well drained.

Flavor with fresh thyme.

Season with a pinch of salt.

Let everything cook for about 10 minutes.

Once the cooking time has elapsed, plate and serve while still hot.

How to Store

Savoy cabbage and chickpeas can be stored in the refrigerator, in a special airtight container, for a maximum of 1-2 days.