Chickpeas with Broccoli Rabe and BACON!

Hello friends - this was my recipe of the week! I loved the fact that I got to throw a package of center-cut bacon in my cart at the grocery store. I went on an epic quest to find broccoli rabe...and failed. I went to three stores, and got shut down by their meager produce departments. I just said "screw it!" and used regular broccoli. Also, I already had a can of grated Parmesan cheese in my fridge, so I didn't go all out and buy me some shavin' cheese. In the end, it all tasted fine by me!

Ingredients

• 1 pound broccoli rabe, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 6 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

1. Cook broccoli rabe in a large pot of boiling water 2 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain.

2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add bacon; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in onion, oregano, and red pepper; sauté 4 minutes or until onion begins to soften, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add chickpeas; sauté 1 minute. Stir in broccoli rabe, salt, and black pepper; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, tossing to combine.

3. Place about 1 1/2 cups chickpea mixture on each of 4 plates; shave 1/2 ounce cheese evenly over each serving.

Verdict? Aromatic and delicious. I love the flavor combination of bacon, onions, and garlic. It refrigerated and reheated well. When I got down to the end of the leftovers, there wasn't enough for a whole serving so I mixed in a wee bit of rotini pasta, which took it to a whole new level of awesomeness. Gold star recipe? Hmmm...perhaps. I'm still on the fence about giving it the honor of the golden sticker in my recipe binder. But this recipe is further proof that bacon makes everything better.