Vegan Spinach and Chickpea Curry
There’s nothing like a home-cooked dinner to bring your day to a cozy close- nothing else can really mimic the homey comfort of it. On my table we have a simple curry dish, filled with tomatoes, spinach, and chickpeas- nothing fancy, but perfectly delicious. This vegan chickpea curry is perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, or as a good option for weekday meal prep. Warm and comforting, served over rice, it’s filling, flavorful, and super easy to make.
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This Recipe and Archaeology
While I made this recipe thinking of it as a good weeknight meal for a family, I actually ended up using it more like meal prep (and not for myself). After getting started in California, my boyfriend’s been trying to get into the East Coast archaeology scene for a while now, and he’s finally got a job! Which is great, but it also means trying to find vegan food options in whatever remote locations they’re digging. Since I was making this recipe anyways, I decided to send it off with him, portioned into four meals, in case he had trouble finding filling vegan options. And he was glad I did! After spending all day digging pits in frozen soil, he stumbled back to his hotel room, ate two dinners worth of chickpeas, each night, and pretty much fell asleep. These chickpeas and spinach managed to power him through some physical labor and cold temperatures that he wasn’t exactly prepared for, so if you need some energy and protein, this is a great option for you too!
Weeknight Wednesdays
For those of you who follow my blog regularly, you know that I often like to make more complicated, time intensive recipes. And I do, but I don’t eat like that all the time. That’s part of the reasoning behind a new set of recipes I’ve been building up, affectionately nicknamed “Weeknight Wednesdays”. It’s a series of no-fuss, easy weeknight dinner options. All of the recipes can be made for under $10, and serve around 4 people. In addition, they don’t use any hard to find ingredients, and can be made in under half an hour. This is a perfect recipe for that category- the cost ends up being about $1.50 a serving, and it takes about 25 minutes to complete, making it a super affordable and great weeknight option for any family.
Check out our other Weeknight Wednesday Recipes!
- Quick Vegan Creamy Pasta with Kale
- Hearty Bean Dinner Salad with Sun Dried Tomato Dressing
- Arugula Topped Mushroom Flatbreads
- Fresh Tomato Soup with Crispy Garlic Toasts
Making Vegan Spinach and Chickpea Curry
The longest part of this chickpea curry is just making rice- most white rice will take about 25 minutes to cook, so get that on right away. The rest of the dish is probably going to take you between 10-15 minutes, but if you get to the point where the chickpeas and tomatoes have been added and the rice isn’t ready yet, let it simmer there until the rice is done. Depending on how brothy your curry is, and how much broth you want, you may want to simmer here for a while anyways, until you’ve gotten the thickness you are looking for. Then add the spinach, and in a minute or so it will be ready to eat. Chili flakes are an optional ingredient in this recipe- I think the touch of spiciness really enhances the flavors, but if you have young children or are spice-adverse, you may want to skip it.
Vegan Spinach and Chickpea Curry
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups dry white rice ($0.33)
- 1-2 tbsp oil ($0.20)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced ($0.27)
- ½-inch piece of ginger, grated ($0.07)
- 1 tbsp. curry powder ($0.25)
- 2 15 oz. cans whole chickpeas, drained ($1.58)
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes ($1.29)
- Salt and pepper, to taste (0.01)
- 6 oz spinach ($2.59)
- 2 large scallions, chopped ($0.20)
- optional:1 tsp. chili flakes ($0.10)
Instructions
- Cook the rice by rinsing it, then adding it to a covered saucepan with three cups of water. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer, cooking until all the water is absorbed (or as directed on the package).
- In a large skillet heat the olive oil, and then add the garlic and ginger, cooking until fragrant. Next put in the curry powder, and toast for a minute, before adding the chickpeas, tossing them in the oil to coat. Add the diced tomatoes, along with about ¾ of a can filled with water (to get out any remaining tomato!), and bring to a gentle simmer. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes, or longer if it is very watery and needs to reduce. Then add the spinach and scallions, tossing until the spinach has wilted. Season with salt and pepper and chili flakes (if using), and serve.
Notes
Total Cost: $6.89
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