Chickpea Crusted Spinach and Feta Tarts

This tart heroes a chickpea base instead of a standard pie crust or pastry. Whilst packing a protein punch, the chickpea base also provides a healthy option for both sweet and savoury dishes, including pies, quiches, tarts and slices. Options are endless with a chickpea pastry. Our favourite? A spinach and feta tart.

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 45 minutes Serves: 6

Ingredients

3/4 cup (100g) flour
2 Tbsp olive oil
400g can chickpeas, drained
1 onion, finely chopped
1 cup tightly packed baby spinach leaves
75g feta, crumbled
6 eggs
3/4 cup trim milk
8 cherry tomatoes, halved

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celcius.
2. Place flour, olive oil and chickpeas into a food processor. Process until the chickpeas are finely chopped and mixture looks like crumbs.
3. Turn the pastry onto a board and bring it together with your hands. Knead lightly til smooth.
4. Roll out pastry onto a lightly floured board and line the base and sides of a loose bottom 22cm flan tin or 6 individual mini flans.
5. Line the base with baking paper and fill with baking blind beans. Blind bake the pastry for 10 minutes.
6. Remove the baking beans and paper and return to the oven for a further 3-5 minutes until the surface of the pastry has dried out. Set aside to cool and reduce oven to 180 degrees.
7. Heat a dash of oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and cook over a medium heat until onion is soft. Place the onion in the base of the flan(s). Top with baby spinach leaves and crumbled feta.
8. Beat the eggs and milk together, season, then carefully pour into the flan base(s). Top with tomato halves, cut side up.
9. Bake for 25-30 minutes (10 minutes less for the individual flan option) until the egg is set. Stand 5 minutes before serving.
10. Serve with a fresh green salad.

Tip: As an alternative to chickpeas, this recipe also works well with an equal quantity of lentils.