When I finished cooking these Curried Chickpeas with Spinach I took a look at my notepad to make sure I had written down all the ingredients. I looked it over a good three or four times thinking that I had surely forgotten something. The list was just too short. How did I just make so much yum with so few ingredients?!
That’s how food should be. Uncomplicated, fast, and super tasty. I couldn’t stop sneaking spoonfuls of this dish as I photographed it—it was just that flavorful. The simple tomato sauce is kicked up a few notches with curry powder (hot or mild, your choice) and would probably be good poured over just about any vegetables. I like this combo of spinach and chickpeas because it’s filling, very nutritious, and just down right pretty.
Use Fresh or Frozen Spinach
I used fresh spinach because I bought a HUGE 2.5 lb. bag of fresh spinach the other day and now I’m committed to using it all before it goes bad, but you can sub frozen spinach to fit your budget. Just add 8 oz. of frozen spinach to the skillet in place of the fresh and sauté until thawed and warmed through, then proceed with the recipe as usual. I also used a very large can of chickpeas, but if that’s not available in your area, just use two regular 15-oz. sized cans. Not a fan of chickpeas? Lentils would also be great here!
How to Serve Curried Chickpeas with Spinach
I served my curried chickpeas with spinach over rice, but it would also be awesome with some naan to soak up the sauce instead. NOM.
What Kind of Curry Powder Do You Use?
You can use either hot or mild curry powder, depending on how spicy you’d like your curried chickpeas to be. I’ve enjoyed both 365 brand curry powder and Sharwood’s curry powder. You can also try making your own curry powder using this recipe for Easy Homemade Curry Powder from Spiceitupp.com.
Curried Chickpeas with Spinach
Servings 4 1 cup eachIngredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.26)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.47)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 1 inch fresh ginger ($0.16)
- 1 1/2 Tbsp curry powder ($0.45)
- 8 oz. spinach (fresh or frozen) ($1.49)
- 1 15oz. can tomato sauce ($0.59)
- 2 15oz. cans chickpeas ($1.10)
Instructions
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger on a small holed cheese grater. Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in a large skillet with the olive oil over medium heat until the onions have softened (3-5 minutes).
- Add the curry powder and continue to sauté with the onion mixture for one minute more. Add about 1/4 cup of water to the skillet along with the fresh spinach and continue to sauté until the spinach has wilted. The water will help steam and wilt the spinach (no water needed if using frozen spinach).
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Add them to the skillet along with the tomato sauce. Stir well to distribute the spices in the sauce and heat through (5 minutes). Serve over rice or with bread.
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Nutrition
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Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Curried Chickpeas with Spinach – Step by Step Photos
Start by dicing one onion and mincing two cloves of garlic. I used a small cheese grater to grate one inch of fresh ginger (or you can mince it). I usually use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the ginger before grating it. Sauté the onion, garlic, and ginger in a large skillet with olive oil until they are soft (about 5 minutes).
Add 1.5 Tbsp of curry powder and continue to sauté the mixture. You can use either hot or mild curry powder. Continuing to sauté after adding the spices will toast them just slightly and increase their flavor.
Next, add a little water to the skillet (about 1/4 cup) and 8 oz. of fresh spinach. It will likely fill up the skillet, so stir carefully until it wilts down. Most fresh spinach is sold in either an 8 or 16 oz. bag, so use the label to help you estimate 8 oz. The water will help steam and wilt the spinach. If you’re using frozen spinach, you don’t need to add any water, just warm it through in the skillet.
Drain and rinse a large 29 oz. can (or 2 15oz. cans) of chickpeas then add them to the skillet along with a 15 oz. can of tomato sauce. If you don’t have tomato sauce in your area, strained tomatoes or tomato purée is a good substitute (although you may need to add a little salt at the end).
Then just stir it all together well and let it warm through. How easy is that? I say “Pshhhhftfttfft.” to all boxed skillet meals.
I added cumin, coriander and red pepper flakes. Used dried ginger and the flavor was fine. Served over quinoa with dollop of plain Greek yogurt.
Once the tomato sauce is added, it washes away all the flavor of the ginger, curry and onion. It just ends up tasting like tomato sauce.Â
Could you subtitute powdered ginger for the fresh ginger? I’m looking forward to trying vegan meals, thanks for posting the recipe!
Powdered and fresh ginger actually have very different flavors. While you can substitute, it will definitely taste different. And unfortunately it’s hard for me to estimate how much without doing some testing.
Can I add some lite coconut milk to make it creamy?
Absolutely. :)
Obsessed with this recipe. Exactly how food should be- easy, flavorful, and OH so satisfying. Only tweak I make is triple the onions, add some more garlic and ginger and instead of just adding water I do chicken broth for a bit more flavor. THANK YOU for this!!Â
love this. I ate mine with blue corn tortilla chips too..incredible
Loved the combo.!! Trying out different vegan meals and am pleasantly surprised!
I loved this recipe, though I did add garam masala and cauliflower, which was delicious! It ended up being a pretty large serving, so I was able to enjoy it for several meals — just how I like it! This will definitely be in frequent rotation with some other recipes. I mentioned it on my blog too! (https://alongthecamelride.com/2018/09/05/the-simplest-joys-in-life/#more-169)
This is the first recipe I tried from your blog a couple of years ago, and I keep coming back to it again and again. Every batch I make just gets better as I tweak flavors to fit my tastes. So easy to whip up after a day at work, or after the gym. I love adding chicken for even more protein (already cooked – just throw it in last to warm for a minute or so). I’ve passed this on to several friends and co-workers, and the vegetarians among them especially seem to love it. :)
Quick and easy recipe, perfect for a newbie vegan and full of flavour :)
I really love this recipe ❤️
I thought this was delicious and easy.
Made this tonight for dinner… served it over cauliflower rice… delicious and filling… def wil be making again!
I appreciate how easy this recipe was and it was nice to see a meal come together so quickly in 5 min. Â For me personally though, it was way too acidic from the tomatoes. Â I think it needed something to be able to tone down the acidity.Â
My ex who is a chef always added a little bit of sugar when using tomatoes in a recipe to counter the acidity.
Add 2 tbsp coconut cream to the recipe to counteract the tomato sharpness.
A pinch of baking soda works, too.
Or I used fresh, peeled, smashed tomatoes!! Try it! Good flavor and healthier since I cooked my own chickpeas!Â
Do you think adding tofu to this recipe would work? Perhaps replacing half of the chickpeas?Â
I think you could add some tofu to this, but I’d probably fry it separately first to give it a little more of a firm texture. :)
I made this with firm tofu; worked just fine!