Spinach with chickpeas

Espinacas con garbanzos

Spinach with Chickpeas or ‘Espinacas con garbanzos’ in Spanish is a quick and easy tapas recipe and a favorite of many throughout Andalusia.  You’ll find it lovingly served in numerous tapas bars throughout Seville, with great care and dedication on display for such a humble dish. 

The best thing about Spinach with chickpeas is it’s super-easy to make with only 6 key ingredients needed: Spinach, chickpeas, lots of extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sweet paprika, and salt (optional). Oh, and it’s vegan and super-delicious too!

About this spinach and chickpeas recipe

Chickpeas were originally brought to Spanish cuisine by Ancient Persian (modern Iran) traders who southern regions of the Mediterranean, now known as Andalusia. 

This humble stew has evolved throughout the years, but the basic recipe has settled for just 6 ingredients needed to recreate this piece of culinary mastery. 

You’ll notice the spice cumin is used in this dish. While you may not immediately associate cumin with Spanish cooking it’s integral to this tasty stew, and is actually one of the most used spices in Spain.

What you’ll need to make spinach with chickpeas

• 500 g/10.5 oz cooked chickpeas 
• 500 g/10.5 oz frozen spinach 
• 4 Garlic cloves 
• 2-3 Slices of dry white bread 
• 1 tablespoon (5 g) ground cumin 
• 1 tablespoon (5 g) ground coriander 
• 1 tablespoon (5 g) sweet paprika
• 1 Teaspoon (2 g) of chili flakes (ground)
• 60ml/ 2 fl. oz. of ketchup 
• 60ml/ 2 fl. oz. of apple cider vinegar 
• Fresh water
• 1 cup (236ml/ 8 fl. oz.) of Extra virgin olive oil 
• Salt (optional)
• Pinch ground black pepper (optional)

Equipment needed

• 1x 30cm/12-inch frying pan with deep sides (3 inches/8 cm)

Spinach with chickpeas is a vegan recipe and it’s easy to make and delicious every time. You can prepare it in under an hour and only need to use one large pot. 

To make spinach with chickpeas, just follow the step-by-step instructions below in the recipe card section. 

How to serve spinach with chickpeas

It’s most common to find this dish serves as a tapas where it will usually be served in a small earthenware dish around 6-8 inches in diameter. It’s almost always served with a few good-sized slices of fresh bread to soak up the delicious sauce flavors. 

Optionally, spinach with chickpeas can be served as a delicious vegan main meal. We honestly make this dish around once a week during the winter and simply serve it straight from the cooking pot with some chunks of bread on the side.

Traditional ingredients for this recipe

Here in Spain, Spinach and chickpeas are traditionally made with as few as 6 ingredients. You’ll find different variations of this dish all over the country, with a dense population of spinach and chickpea aficionados based out of Seville in the southern region of Andalusia.

In Seville, you’ll find plenty of tapas bars and restaurants avidly pedaling the various forms of the recipe in tapas bars all over town. 

Here, while rubbing shoulders with the locals of Seville’s tapas scene, you’ll hear distinct chatter of adding dried bread, almonds, and even tomatoes to bring new life to this incredibly diverse tapas dish.

Chickpeas

Besides tasting awesome, chickpeas are little mineral and protein superheroes! Chickpeas provide plenty of the nutrients we need.

One cup of chickpeas provides: 

• 269 calories.
• 14 grams of protein.
• 4 grams of fat.
• 12 grams of dietary fiber.
• 80 milligrams (mg) of calcium.
• 4.74 mg of iron.
• 78.7 mg of magnesium.

Chickpeas are also packed with carbohydrates that slowly release energy after eating them.  This makes them very filling and healthy for your gut too. Win-win!

Best chickpeas to use

For this recipe, we have used tinned or prepackaged chickpeas that were purchased from our local supermarket. They’re cheap and already prepared so they save a lot of time.

If using tinned chickpeas, you’ll just need to give them a good rinse with fresh water first before using them in the recipe. 

If you’re using dried chickpeas, then allow some extra time to prepare the dried chickpeas. 

• First, soak the dried chickpeas in some clean fresh water overnight. The chickpeas will expand around twice their size so add around double the amount of water to chickpeas in a large bowl. 
• Next, drain them from the water and add them to a pan with some fresh water. 
• Cook them for around 2 hours for them to soften up. Alternatively, use a slow cooker or pressure cooker to prepare your chickpeas.

Sweet Paprika, Cumin & Ground Corriander

This simple yet ancient combination of spices has been used in middle eastern and northern African cuisines for centuries, and you’ll find all of these spices in any Spanish kitchen today.

Although some are definitely used more frequently than others, combining these three spices really adds to the nutty, warm, sweet flavor of this dish. I’d even go one step further and add a little ground chili flakes to bring a little welcome warmth to spinach with chickpeas.

Spanish Sweet Paprika (D.O. Pimentón De Murcia)

Sweet paprika (Pimentón in Spanish) from Spain originates from the Murcia region (Pimentón De Murcia) alongside the Mediterranean Sea, where the Bola variety of peppers are dried in the sun and give the pimenton a sweet flavor once ground. 

To get a little more kick from your sweet paprika, give it a slight toasting in a dry pan for a minute or two. This really helps to bring the smoky sweet flavors out in the paprika.

Cumin

Cumin is a bit of a wildcard for Spanish cooking. It is used extensively throughout the southern region of Andalusia and within the Mediterranean basin, however, the humble spice is often left to collect dust on the spice rack in most other parts of Spain.

Cumin really works its magic in Spinach with chickpeas and provides a subtle nutty spiced flavor to the dish.

Ground Corriander/Cilantro

Also known as Ground Cilantro or ‘Cilantro en polvo’ in Spanish, this handy and flavorsome spice is made using the ground seeds of the coriander plant and used in Spanish cooking sparingly.

Ground corriander falls into the warm/sweet spice category and brings a nutty, smoked wood undertone to this dish that when paired with chickpeas, really enhances the flavor of the dish.

Sun-dried tomatoes

Add sun-dried tomatoes in the last 2-3 minutes of the cooking process to add a tangy-sweet flavor to this dish. To finish, and really complement each flavor, squeeze half a lemon worth of juice over the dish once it’s finished cooking.

Almonds

Using a combination of fresh diced tomatoes and almonds works wonders with this dish and just adds another layer of nutty, smoked flavor to it. If you’re adding almonds, dice them finely and give them a little toasting in a dry pan before adding them to the base sauce mix.

You can add the diced tomatoes when you add the spinach back to the pan. Just give it all a little extra time to simmer down and remove the excess water released from the tomatoes.

Aubergine

Aubergine (​​Berenjena in Spanish) can also be added easily to this dish and bring with it a delicious sweetness if they’re slightly roasted and caramelized first. Of course, roasting aubergines will add a bit more time to the recipe, but it’s well worth experimenting with.

Substitute Spinach with Kale or Chard

Not a fan of Popeye’s favorite food? No worries, substitute spinach with your preferred green leafy vegetable and give it a try. This dish works really well with kale or chard, and I’ve even seen people throw in a few handfuls of fresh rocket to give the dish a delicious peppery kick.

How to Make This Recipe

Method (step-by-step)

Method (step-by-step)

 Step 1 – Prepare the Spinach

• First, take the frozen Spinach and add it to the pan and let it simmer until it defrosts.  This should take around 15 minutes on medium-high heat. Optionally, you can defrost the spinach in the microwave which takes around 5 minutes. 

Step 2 – Prepare the sauce

• Fry the sliced garlic and a little olive oil in a pan until it becomes golden. Once done, remove from the pan and set aside for use later. 
• Increase the heat of the pan to high and with the pan hot, add the spinach and grated bread (or breadcrumbs) to the mixture and a little more oil.
• Next, reduce the heat to medium and add the spices, chili flakes, ketchup, apple cider vinegar, toasted bread, and garlic. Stir thoroughly until you have a paste, then add some water to allow it to be more of a liquid/soup consistency. 

Step 3 – Add the Chickpeas and Spinach

• Add half a cup of water,  the remaining olive oil and add the cooked chickpeas and stir through. 
• Note: If you want a more soup-like texture, add a little more water and let it simmer on low heat for an additional 10 minutes
• Finally, check the flavoring and add some cracked black pepper and salt to season.

Step 4 – To Serve

• Typically, spinach with chickpeas is served as a tapa, however, this dish can easily become a vegan-friendly main meal. Either way, serve it with a few slices of fresh bread and you’ve got a hearty and healthy dish that’s full of flavor!

Spinach and Chickpeas – Tips and FAQs

How long does it take to make spinach with chickpeas?

• Preparation time: 15 minutes
• Cook time: 30 minutes
• Total time: 45 minutes

What are chickpeas good with?

• Chickpeas are an integral part of the Mediterranean diet and work well in recipes with roasted vegetables such as eggplants, courgettes, pumpkin, asparagus, and carrots. 
• Chickpeas also work great when you want to bulk up a salad or pasta dish. 

How do you make spinach and chickpeas?

• To make this recipe, follow the step-by-step recipe guide. It’s super easy to make, requires just one big pot or deep-sided frying pan, and can be whipped up in under an hour. 

Is spinach with chickpeas healthy?

Yes, spinach with chickpeas is very healthy and nutritious. One 180-gram serving of this recipe provides;

• 489 calories
• 33.8 grams of carbohydrates
• 10.3 grams of dietary fiber
• 12 grams of protein
• 50% of your daily intake of iron
• 23% of your daily intake of calcium

How to cook chickpeas?

• Tinned or chickpeas purchased in a jar are already pre-prepared and can be cooked with straight away. 
• If you’re using dried chickpeas, soak them overnight in fresh water and then boil them for around 2 hours. This will soften the chickpeas and allow them to be added to any recipe! 

Can I use dried chickpeas for this recipe?

• You sure can, just allow some extra time to rehydrate the dried chickpeas. See our notes above on how to prepare dried chickpeas for this recipe.

Looking for more vegan recipes?

• Smoky butter bean stew with sweet potato and kale
• No-mayo healthy Spanish potato salad
• Mediterranean lentil and spinach stew
• Vegan arroz al horno (oven-baked rice)
• Budget Spanish oven-baked rice
• Chickpea stew (potaje de garbanzos)
• Mediterranean eggplant casserole