Description
This is the weeknight curry that lives in your pantry — canned chickpeas, canned tomatoes, a bag of spinach, and a handful of spices you probably already own. It comes together in 30 minutes with no special technique and produces a rich, creamy, deeply spiced bowl that tastes like it simmered for hours. The chickpeas hold their shape while soaking up the sauce, and the spinach wilts in at the end to keep its color.
Ingredients
Units
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- 2 cans (15 ounces each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
- 1 can (13.5 ounces) full-fat coconut milk
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Steamed basmati rice for serving
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook the onion 5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and ginger, cook 1 minute.
- Add the curry powder, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and cayenne. Stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Pour in the diced tomatoes and coconut milk. Stir in the chickpeas and salt. Bring to a simmer and cook 15 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Stir in the spinach in handfuls, letting each addition wilt before adding more. Cook 2 minutes until all the spinach is incorporated.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir to combine.
- Serve over basmati rice, garnished with fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Blooming the spices in oil before adding liquid is the step that separates a flat curry from one with real aromatic depth.
- Lemon juice at the end brightens the entire dish and balances the richness of the coconut milk — do not skip it.
- This is one of the best meal prep curries you can make. It keeps for 5 days refrigerated and the flavors only improve.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 385
- Sugar: 8
- Sodium: 690
- Fat: 18
- Carbohydrates: 42
- Fiber: 10
- Protein: 14