Chickpea Prawn Saganaki
Serves 4
~30mins
A classic Greek dish with a nourishing twist—this version is packed with extra protein and fibre thanks to chickpeas. I’ve also added a few time-saving touches, like using Mutti tinned cherry tomatoes and Bold Bean Co chickpeas (not sponsored—just genuinely obsessed).
Tips & Tricks:
Reheating: Avoid the microwave, which can turn prawns rubbery. Instead, reheat gently on the hob to keep them juicy and tender.
Prawns: I love using tiger or jumbo prawns for maximum juiciness, but any variety will work. If using frozen, defrost thoroughly before cooking. De-veining and butterflying is optional, but I’d encourage you to try it at least once—it really does make a difference to the texture and overall result. (avoid pre-cooked prawns as they will quickly becomes overcooked and unpleasant)
Herbs: Use whatever you have—parsley and dill both pair really well, but don’t be afraid to experiment.
Chickpeas: I recommend Bold Bean Co Queen Chickpeas for this dish. They’re large, buttery, and don’t need extra cooking time to soften. If using regular tinned chickpeas (2 cans), cook them a little longer before adding the prawns, as they can be a bit firmer.
To Serve: Enjoy as-is, or add a hunk of good bread to mop up all that rich, tomatoey sauce.
Equipment.
sharp knife & chopping board
large saucepan
Ingredients.
1 tbsp EVOO
6 garlic cloves
Half an onion
1 tsp oregano
1 red pepper
1 red chilli
400g tin of Mutti cherry tomatoes
1 vegetable stock cube/pot
570g queen chickpeas, or 2x tins of regular chickpeas
100g frozen spinach
330g raw king/jumbo prawns
Handful of fresh basil
160g feta, to serve
Bread, for mopping up (optional)
Method.
Finely dice the onion and add to a saucepan with the olive oil. Sweat on medium for around 10mins
2.Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic cloves, deseed and dice the red pepper, and finely chop the chilli. Add to the onions with the oregano, and cook for another 5 mins
3.Add the chickpeas (with their liquid), the tin of cherry tomatoes and the stock cube/pot. Fill the tin a third of the way up with water and add this too. Bring to a simmer, stirring to break up the stock cube
4.Add the frozen spinach and bring back to a simmer whilst you prepare the prawns
5.Prawns: Cut a shallow slit down the back of each prawn and remove the vein if present. This allows the prawns to expand in the sauce, taking on more flavour, cooking more evenly and staying nice and juicy
6.Roughly chop the basil leaves and stir through the sauce
7.Finally, turn the heat off completely and stir in the prawns. Put the lid on the pan and leave for around 4 mins until the prawns have gently cooked in the residual heat. They should be pink, curled up slightly (not
tightly - this is a sign they are overcooked) and splayed out slightly
8.Serve with crumbled feta on top, and some bread for dunking (optional)
