Fainá

Name: Fainá
Prep time: 13 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 38 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Argentina
Ingredients: 200g Chickpea Flour; 600ml Water; 4 tablespoons Olive Oil; To taste Salt; To taste Pepper

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Side recipe with Argentina flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 45 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Step-by-step instructions

Prepare the Batter: Whisk together chickpea flour, water, salt, and pepper. Let sit for at least 4 hours.
Bake: Preheat the oven to 220°C (430°F). Pour olive oil into a round baking dish and heat in the oven. Pour in the batter and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden.
Serve: Slice and serve hot, optionally with black pepper on top.
Pro Tips:.
Let the batter rest for at least 2 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator, to ensure the chickpea flour fully hydrates and the flavors meld.
For a crispy edge, preheat the baking pan with oil in the oven before adding the batter.

Why this works on a weeknight

Fainá lands at about 38 minutes total — a little longer than our 30-minute target, but most of that time is hands-off simmering, which is why it earned a spot in our Sheet-Pan Dinners collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Fainá actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🍳 Sheet-Pan Dinners Side Argentina