Updated. Originally Published Feb 5th 2019
This curried chickpea and spinach dish is uncomplicated, quick to whip up and so tasty. When the temperature drops and the air has that chilly bite, this is the perfect way to warm up. This quick curried chickpea recipe is warming, hearty, delicious and just the simplest dish to make. We make a version of this once a week especially if I’m home late or have had a long day – it’s super quick to make and ultra satisfying. You can use whatever your favorite curry blend is. You can use a homemade blend or prepared one. I love using Thai curry in this recipe but any curry blend works. This is a great vegan dish full of plant protein that everyone will love.
Chickpea Curry Recipe Ingredients
- OLIVE OIL: Or any vegetable oil you prefer or you could even use butter or ghee
- ONION & GARLIC: Use a sweet yellow onion or red onion and as much or as little garlic as you like
- GINGER: Finley minced or grated
- CHILI: I like to use a small red chili or green chili for extra flavor and a little heat – skip if you prefer or use chili flakes instead
- CURRY: Use any curry powder you like, but make sure you use a curry flavor you enjoy.
- CHILI POWDER: i like to use Kashmiri chili powder or you could also use cayenne pepper in a pinch.
- BROTH: Use either vegetable broth or chicken broth of if you don’t have any broth simply use water.
- TOMATO PASTE: Adds richness to the curry and deeper tomato flavor.
- SPINACH: This recipe uses nearly equivalent amounts of spinach and kale. Feel free to use collard greens, chard, mustard greens, broccoli, etc.
- CHICKPEAS: Or garbanzo beans. Canned chickpeas or cooked
- TOMATOES: I use canned tomatoes or you could use 1 lb. diced fresh tomatoes (about 2 cups)
- CILANTRO: Perfect to add flavory and garnish with – if you absolutely hate cilantro feel free to garnish with parsley or simply omit.
- SALT & PEPPER: Season generously to taste
Variation Substitutions & Add Ins
- For Creamier version: Add in full fat coconut milk or cream
- For More Complex Umami Flavor: Stir in some Miso paste when you are adding your spices.
- For More Curry Sauce: Use 28 oz can of tomatoes
- For More Depth of Flavor/Curry Flavors & Warm Spices: Add ½ tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp ground coriander, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ tsp amchur (dried mango powder), ½ tsp garam masala 1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
- For More Veggies: Double the amount of spinach or add some peas
- Use Different Greens: Like kale, collard greens, chard, or even mustard greens
How to make curried chickpeas with spinach (full instructions below)
Once you have your curry blend it’s as easy as sautéing your aromatics, then simmering the spinach and the chickpeas in a tomato based sauce until they are tender and sauce has reduced. The spices are fragrant and delicious – and are really what make this dish what it is. The chickpeas are super satisfying and the spinach is packed with nutrients. It’s in the ‘curry in a hurry’ category of curries and perfect for a quick and easy midweek meal that can easily be enjoyed with rice or flatbread or both. Here are the basic steps:
- Saute Onions & Garlic and Ginger: Cook onions until nice and soft and translucent and starting to golden around the edges. Then add the garlic, ginger and chili.
- Toast Spices: Stir them in with the onions and cook for 1 min
- Stir in Tomato Paste, Chickpeas & Broth: stir really well to fully coat the chickpeas.
- Add the Tomatoes & Spinach and Simmer: Stir them I really well and simmer until thickened 10-15
- Finish off With Chopped Cilantro: Test for more salt and pepper and stir in the cilantro
- Serve: With basmati rice, or naan bread and garnished with more chopped cilantro and even a dollop of yogurt.
I finally got this recipe on paper and on the blog in collaboration with the Mc Master Silhouette (Hamilton’s university newspaper). I was asked to share a ‘student-friendly’ recipe with simple ingredients that are easily accessed by them. This is definitely one of those recipes. It was featured on the front page of the newspaper and the full recipe was included in the inside article along with some very kind words by the editor about the blog and our work. I think the students will love it and I know you will too!
Storage and Freezing
This is one of those dishes that tastes better the next day. The flavours seem to develop more over night so make sure and make a little extra cause you will want to be enjoying leftovers the next day. It also freezes marvellously so that is even more reason to make a little extra to add to your freezer stash and meal prep roster.
- STORAGE: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat it in the microwave or on a stovetop over medium-high heat.
- FREEZING: Cooled curried chickpeas with spinach can be stored in a freezer safe container and be frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge over night and reheat stovetop or microwave
This is a great staple recipe made with mostly pantry items. It’s one of those back pocket recipes that’s great to pull out when you have very little time to prep a meal or when you are tempted to order take-out but don’t want to spend the money and want a low effort but delicious meal. It is also so versatile too. If you wanted to make it creamier you could add some coconut milk to it and if you did want to add meat you could do that too. All you have to do it sauté it separately or first before adding the onion, garlic, chili and ginger. You could add more veggies or replace the spinach with kale too. There are many ways you could doctor this up to suit your taste. That’s why I call it a staple basic recipe that is fabulous as is but that you can also get creative with so give it a try and have fun with it!
