Creamy and comforting spinach and chickpea curry made with a tomato and coconut milk sauce. Eat on its own or spoon over a bed of rice and serve with a side of naan. This is a great weeknight dinner and makes amazing leftovers.
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This curry dish is so simple to make plus it's full of good-tasting healthy foods. The combination of crushed tomatoes, coconut milk, and curry spice will have you spooning up that creamy sauce.
One thing I love about this dish is I typically have just about everything on hand at all times. Chickpeas, crushed tomatoes, canned coconut milk, ginger, garlic, rice, and spices are all pantry staples in my kitchen. All I need to shop for is the spinach and mushrooms and dinner is served.
It comes together quickly and makes for even better leftovers for the next day.
Ingredients
Why use chickpeas instead of chicken?
Sometimes when making dinner just the thought of preparing chicken (or any meat) to cook makes me want to reach for takeout. I find that using chickpeas instead gets dinner on the table that much faster. No prep is needed and they cook really quick once they're added to the sauce.
Chickpeas are a great choice if you're looking to add more nutrient-rich foods to your diet. They are full of fiber, potassium, B-vitamins, and iron. When prepared correctly, they taste really good too.
While dried chickpeas are the healthier option, canned is a faster, more convenient way to go. If you have the time, dried chickpeas are the better choice.
There are just nights where we are short on time, and I always have canned chickpeas in my pantry for these instances.
This recipe calls for a red curry powder. While I typically like to make my own spice blends, for this particular recipe I use McCormicks Red Curry Powder.
Ingredients:
- Coconut Oil - You can substitute for olive oil
- Diced onion
- Baby Bella Mushrooms Sliced
- Fresh Ginger Grated - You can substitue for ½ teaspoon of ground ginger
- Garlic Cloves Minced
- Red Curry Powder
- Salt
- Turmeric
- Vegetable Stock
- Canned Chickpeas
- Crushed Tomaotes
- Coconut Milk
- Baby Spinach, Packed
For Serving
- Bastami Rice
- Naan
See the recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
First, cook the rice according to package directions.
While the rice is cooking prepare the curry.
Start off by melting the coconut oil in a large braiser or sautee pan over medium heat.
Add in the onions and cook until soft and translucent. About 3-5 minutes.
Add in the mushrooms and continue cooking until soft. About another 3-5 minutes.
Add in spices, garlic, and ginger then stir to coat. Cook for 30 seconds or until you can start to smell the garlic.
Pour in the vegetable broth and using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan incorporating all the brown bits stuck to the bottom.
Allow to simmer for a few minutes until the liquid reduces.
Add in the chickpeas. Make sure the juices from the cans are drained out before adding in the chickpeas. We don't want that extra liquid in this mix.
Add in the crushed tomatoes and canned coconut milk. Stir well to fully incorporate the coconut cream.
Bring the mix up to a low boil and reduce it down to a simmer. Allow cooking for 10-15 minutes or until it has reduced in size and thickened up.
Add in the baby spinach and cook until it has wilted down. Don't cook too much or they will break down and get slimy. They are done when the spinach leaves shrink up and still look like little spinach leaves. Should only take a minute or two.
They will continue to cook a bit more once removed from heat. Better to have the spinach under-cooked than cooked too much.
Serve over a bed of basmati rice and a side of naan bread. Have a sourdough starter? Make your own sourdough discard naan.
Equipment
For this recipe, I use my 3.5 qt enameled coated braiser. This is the most used pot in my kitchen. It has lower sides making things like this much easier to tend to.
If you don't have a braiser you can also use a large saute pan or dutch oven.
Make sure it's at least 3 quarts.
Storage
Store the curry in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Will keep up to 3-4 days.
Store rice and curry separately so the rice doesn't get mushy.
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Other Dinner Ideas:
Spinach and Chickpea Curry Rice Bowl
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil Can substitute for olive oil
- ½ Large Onion Diced
- 8oz Baby Bella Mushrooms Sliced
- 2 teaspoon Fresh Ginger Grated
- 2-3 Garlic Cloves Minced
- 2 teaspoons Red Curry Powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Turmeric
- 1 Cup Vegetable Stock
- 2 16 ounce cans Chickpeas
- 1 14oz Can Crushed Tomaotes
- 1 14 oz Can Coconut Milk
- 2-3 Cups Baby Spinach Packed
For Serving
- Bastami Rice Or Jasmine
- Naan
Instructions
- Start off by cooking rice according to the package directions.
- While rice is cooking, prepare the curry.
- Start off by melting the coconut oil in a large braiser or sautee pan over medium heat.
- Add in the onions and cook until soft and translucent. 3-5 minutes.
- Add in mushrooms and continue cooking until soft. About another 3-5 minutes.
- Add in spices, garlic, and ginger and stir to coat. Cook for 30 seconds or until you can start to smell the garlic.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan incorporating all the brown bits stuck to the bottom.
- Allow to simmer for a few minutes until the liquid reduces.
- Add in the chickpeas. Make sure the juices from the cans are drianed out before adding in the chickpeas. We don't want that extra liquid in this mix.
- Add in the crushed tomatoes and canned coconut milk. Stir well to fully incorporate the coconut cream.
- Bring the mix up to a low boil and reduce it down to a simmer. Allow cooking for 10-15 minutes or until it has reduced in size and thickened up.
- Add in baby spinach and cook until it has wilted down. Don't cook too much or they will break down and get slimy. They are done when the spinach leaves shrink up and still look like little spinach leaves. Should only take a minute or two.
- Serve warm over a bed of basmati rice and a side of naan bread.
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