Go-To Spinach & Chickpea Curry
I’m sharing a family favourite with you today! This spinach and chickpea curry is a staple in the home of my parents, and has since become a staple in mine. This is the ultimate curry in a hurry- the spices are simple and I always have them to hand, it comes together in 30 minutes making it a wonderful weeknight meal, plus it is packed full of healthy goodness!
Indian is my absolute favourite, and Kirk and I eat curry dishes frequently. However, when I bring leftovers into work, a lot of people tell me that they find the spices in traditional indian food intimidating. The idea behind this curry is to keep it approachable (no long list of ingredients!) without loosing any of that beautiful aromatic flavour. It may not be the most authentic curry, but it is terribly tasty!
I doubt my parents follow much of a recipe with this, it is not really their style. Similarly, it took me a while to pin down the exact quantities of ingredients because I would just throw it together by what looked right. After a little trial and error I finally got there, and I’m really excited to share the results with you!
What about you?! Do you like Indian food? Do you make it often?
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pinch piece of ginger, minced
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp cumin
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (or more or less to taste)
- 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 tin, drained)
- 2 tins of chopped tomatoes (14oz)
- pinch of sugar (optional, to cut through the acidity of the tomatoes)
- 3 generous handfuls of fresh baby spinach
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander, chopped (optional)
- squeeze of fresh lemon (optional)
- salt and pepper to taste
- Heat olive oil in a large lidded pan over medium heat
- Add the onions, and fry until translucent
- Add the garlic and ginger, and cook for a couple of minutes more, stirring frequently
- Add the garam masala, cumin and cayenne pepper, stir so that the onions have a nice coating of the spices, cook for just a minute until the spices are a little toasted
- Add the chickpeas and stir well so they are covered in oil and spice
- Add the tomatoes and sugar (if using), give everything a good stir, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes on low-medium heat.
- Add the spinach in batches, and stir until the spinach is wilted
- At the end of cooking, add a sprinkling of fresh coriander, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice if desired
- Serve with rice or naan
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I am going to follow you recipe to the Letter!
Haha!
omg colette is that u???
Yay! Indian recipe 🙂 the curry looks great Emma, I’m glad you made it to your taste. This looks simple and easy and the spice list isn’t long or intimidating so even beginners can try!
I love spinach and chickpea curry! It’s a great way to have curry in a hurry. This looks a better consistency than the recipe I’ve used before, which is a tad watery for me. I’ll use this recipe next time.
I know that feeling when you have an heirloom recipe which is very much eye-balled. The task of nailing down true measurements is a tricky thing, hm? Glad you nailed it 🙂
I could eat curry every night. Can’t wait to try this!
Me too! Hope you love it!
Indian is my favourite too, and 95% of all recipes that I don’t make for the blog are either Indian- or Mexican-inspired (can you tell I like spice?) This curry-in-a-hurry looks delicious and easy! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Ksenia!
Just made this for dinner tonight! Delicious!
Yay!!!
We actually cook Indian quite a lot too. We’ve got a couple of favourite cookbooks and we went and sourced every single spice they listed so we can do Indian any time. It is a production though, so dishes like this curry in a hurry are perfect to have up your sleeve for busy days or weeknight cooking. Thanks for another amazing recipe!
Thanks Katie!
Looks delicious Emma – I love using chickpeas in stews!
Thanks Millie!
I made this curry yesterday. Since I didn’t have garam masala, I had to substitute it with vindaloo chicken seasoning. It was delicious and I’ll make it again for sure. Thank you for the great recipe!
Thanks Julia! The thing I love most about this recipe is its versatility 🙂
Hi Emma! So excited to try this!! Quick question – how many oz. should the tins of tomatoes be?
Amanda, so sorry for the oversight! Just the standard 14oz tins. I have updated the recipe! Let me know if you try it 🙂
This is fantastic! I needed a quick dinner and was amazed by the different flavors dancing around my mouth. This will be a go to meal from now on ! Only thing different I did was added some fresh chopped jalapeños along with the onions, but I think that was not necessary. Will make without next time.
Yay! Thank you Marc, I think fresh jalapeños are a great addition, why not?!
Cooking it right now and it smells fab!
Yay! I hope you loved it!
It was delicious – I went a bit mad with the cayenne so I’ll take it a bit easier next time; but I’m having another bowlful this evening and it’s even better on the second night!
Can you use chopped tomatoes instead of canned? ty
Absolutely!
This was DELICIOUS!!! Just wondering if you know the nutritional information?
Making this right now. Would this also freeze well?
Sure does!
This was super delicious – I served it over quinoa!
I cannot load your page, recipes or site! Aaaggghh. Love the look of the speedy curry, things I can have on hand, even if I had to use frozen spinach (well drained).
Oh no! I’m not sure why that is… Sorry Judith!
Wow I really loved making & eating this. I’ve done a chickpea & Tom curry before but this was much better LOVE
Juliet, thank you so much for stopping by and letting me know 🙂
I just made this and its so delicious! Thank you so much!
You are SO welcome 🙂 Happy you liked it!
Loved this it explodes with flavor
Thanks Stephen!!
This was so good I thought I will print it off but I cannot get the print button to work, am I doing something wrong?
Hi Julie! I’m looking into this, I don’t see a reason why it wouldn’t work. I’ll let you know if I can figure it out!
Thank you
Just made this recipe. I added mushrooms too, it was really tasty!
Yum!
Love this recipe! Thanks for sharing it 🙂 Do you think I could add quinoa and cook it all together? I’m guessing I’d need to add water or broth and that might mess with the wonderful flavors.
Hi Ashley! Sorry I missed your comment- that sounds like a fab idea! I think a little extra broth would be great 🙂
Made this tonight and served it over quinoa. What a delicious and simple meal!
Yay Evan! I don’t think I’ve ever served this over Quinoa… must try!
This is delicious and easy to make. Now a staple part of my diet. And for those of you who want to know the calorie count, according to myfitnesspal.com, it is this 492 calories per serving (when made as stated and divided by 4). http://www.myfitnesspal.com/recipe/view/62972557700845
Yay! A total staple for us too… so simple and yummy 🙂
This was easy to make and tasted delicious even my 12 year old son enjoyed it. Great recipe I will definitely use again
Yay! Thanks Jonathan!
I’ve only got frozen spinach. Would that work? Looks yum!
Absolutely!