Does anyone remember a time when kale wasn’t popular? It’s not a vegetable that I grew up eating, but now I grow it in my garden and it’s always in my refrigerator. It’s quick to sauté with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice, can be baked into chips, or made into salad. It’s also a key ingredient in one of my favorite soups, Zuppa Toscana. One of my favorite ways to enjoy it is for breakfast sautéed with mushrooms and topped with a fried egg. I took that concept, added crispy chickpeas for protein and crunch, and made this cacio e pepe kale with crispy chickpeas!
On a typical weekday, we come home from a morning outing for the kids to have lunch and take naps. Their naptime is when I’m getting things done around the house. Maybe that’s recipe testing and photography or photo editing, or maybe it’s cleaning and catching up on laundry. Either way, I have a busy afternoon ahead and don’t have a lot of time to make a healthy lunch. This cacio e pepe kale with crispy recipe is perfect topped with a fried egg for a quick and healthy lunch. Or an easy dinner! Sometimes I’ll serve it with a slice of toasted homemade sourdough. It really doesn’t get better than this!
I love that this meal is plant-focused with the kale and chickpeas. Crispy chickpeas are one of my favorite toppings for salads because they’re so easy to make and I love the protein-packed crunch that they give anything you put on them. You won’t regret making this for an easy lunch or dinner!
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed, chopped
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- 3 tbsp. freshly grated parmesan cheese.
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed, drained, and patted dry
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp. garlic powder
- ½ tsp. onion powder
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- 2 eggs, fried
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread the chickpeas on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika and toss to combine.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until crispy. Remove from oven to cool.
- While the chickpeas are cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add kale and cook until wilted. Season with salt and pepper and finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and parmesan cheese.
- Serve kale with crispy chickpeas and a fried egg.
- Enjoy!
Like what you see? Pin it here!
Leave a Reply