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Vegetarian, European

Spanish style chickpeas with spinach and toasted bread

Spanish style chickpeas with spinach is a tapas dish turned into a full dinner for 4 people. It comes together in 30 minutes, with no real difficulty, for €1.70 per serving. The key is letting garlic and cumin steep gently in warm oil, then finishing with a splash of vinegar right before serving.

A little tapas dish that turns into a real dinner, Spanish style chickpeas with spinach and toasted bread for mopping up the sauce.

Spanish style chickpeas with spinach and toasted bread
Total time
30 min
Difficulty
Very easy
Cost per person
€1.70
Calories per person
530 kcalcalculated by Kiloach, your weight coach
Season
Winter, Spring, Fall

This dish comes straight from Seville's tapas bars, where chickpeas simmer with wilted spinach in oil scented with cumin and paprika. The result is a short, thick sauce, lightly sharpened by the vinegar stirred in at the end, that coats every chickpea without drowning the dish.

It's the kind of weeknight dinner you throw together from pantry staples, turned into a full meal thanks to the toasted bread for scooping up the sauce. It works well as a vegetarian dinner for adults or as a generous starter before something lighter, but it suits people who enjoy raw garlic and bold spices.

The ingredients

4 people

Pantry

  • Cooked chickpeasoften in the pantry 700 g
  • Ground cuminoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Sweet paprikaoften in the pantry 1 tsp
  • Wine vinegaroften in the pantry 1 tbsp
  • Olive oiloften in the pantry 5 tbsp
  • Saltoften in the pantry 1 pinch
  • Pepperoften in the pantry 1 pinch

Fruits and vegetables

  • Baby spinach 500 g
  • Garlic 4 cloves

Bakery

  • Country bread 8 slices

Allergens Gluten

The step by step recipe

  1. Drain and rinse the chickpeas. Peel the garlic and slice it thinly.

    Keep a bit of the can's liquid, it helps loosen the sauce if it gets too dry.

  2. Toast the bread slices in the oven or toaster, then rub them with a cut clove of garlic. 4 min

    Day old bread toasts better and stays crisp longer on the plate.

  3. Heat the oil over low heat in a large skillet, add the garlic, cumin and paprika, and let steep for a minute without browning. 1 min

    If the garlic browns, it turns bitter, pull the pan off the heat for a few seconds.

  4. Add the chickpeas and warm them through for a few minutes, then stir in the spinach by handfuls until it wilts. 8 min

    Add the spinach in two batches, its volume shrinks by half as it cooks.

  5. Finish with the vinegar, salt and pepper, mash a few chickpeas with a fork to thicken the sauce, and serve with the toasted bread.

    The vinegar at the end wakes up the whole dish, don't skip it.

Our tips to get it right

  • Drain the chickpeas thoroughly before adding them to the pan, excess water keeps the spices from clinging properly.
  • Mash only a few chickpeas at the end, the goal is to thicken the sauce slightly without turning the dish into a puree.
  • Serve right after adding the vinegar, its sharpness fades if the dish sits too long.

The variations

  • Swap the spinach for Swiss chard cut into strips, it just needs a bit more cooking time.
  • Add diced mild chorizo with the garlic for a spicier, less vegetarian version.
  • To save time, use frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained before adding it to the pan.

What to serve it with

  • Extra toasted bread for scooping
  • A poached or soft boiled egg on top
  • A glass of dry white wine

Storage

This dish keeps for 2 to 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. It freezes well without the bread, for up to 2 months. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water to loosen the sauce.

Questions about this dish

Can you make this dish ahead of time?

Yes, you can cook the base the day before and reheat it gently the next day. Add the vinegar only right before serving to keep its flavor sharp.

What chickpeas should you use?

Canned or jarred cooked chickpeas work perfectly and save time. Rinse them well to remove the canning liquid before cooking.

Can you use regular spinach instead of baby spinach?

Yes, use bunch spinach and remove the thickest stems. It just needs a few extra minutes of cooking compared to baby spinach.

Is this dish good for kids?

The raw garlic rubbed on the bread and the cumin give it a fairly strong flavor that doesn't always appeal to younger kids. You can set aside a portion before rubbing the raw garlic on the bread for a milder version.

How long does it take to make a plate of Spanish style chickpeas with spinach and toasted bread?

Count 30 min in total, prep and cooking included. The recipe is rated “very easy”.

How many calories are in a plate of Spanish style chickpeas with spinach and toasted bread?

About 530 kcal per serving, for a recipe meant for 4 people. Calories are calculated by Kiloach, your weight coach, the app that partners with Mon Chou.

How much does a plate of Spanish style chickpeas with spinach and toasted bread cost?

About €1.70 per serving, or €6.80 for 4 people, based on average supermarket prices.

What allergens does this recipe contain?

This recipe contains gluten. Always check the labels of the products you buy.

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