Description
A flavorful and nutritious chickpea, spinach, and almond butter bowl featuring warm spices and a creamy almond butter finish, served over fluffy cooked rice. This hearty vegetarian dish combines tender chickpeas with vibrant spinach and aromatic spices for a satisfying meal.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chickpea & Spinach Mixture
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2½ cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp fenugreek
- 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 300ml vegetable stock
- 2 tbsp unsalted almond butter
- 200g spinach, roughly chopped
To Serve
- Cooked rice
Instructions
- Sauté the onions: Heat a splash of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion and fry for 5 minutes until softened. Add 50ml water and continue cooking for another 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions turn just brown.
- Add garlic and ginger: Stir in the crushed garlic cloves and grated ginger to the pan, cooking briefly until fragrant.
- Toast the spices: Mix the ground coriander, cumin, turmeric, fenugreek, and some freshly ground black pepper with 2 tablespoons of water and pour this into the pan. Cook the mixture for 5 minutes, allowing the spices to release their flavor and combine well with the onion mixture.
- Add chickpeas: Stir the drained and rinsed chickpeas into the spiced onion mixture, ensuring they are well coated.
- Simmer with stock and almond butter: Pour in the vegetable stock and stir in the unsalted almond butter to create a creamy, flavorful sauce. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Wilt the spinach: Add the roughly chopped spinach to the pan and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the spinach has wilted and blended nicely into the sauce.
- Serve: Spoon the chickpea and spinach mixture generously over cooked rice and enjoy your wholesome and comforting bowl.
Notes
- You can substitute almond butter with peanut butter for a different nutty flavor.
- For added heat, consider adding a pinch of chili powder or fresh chopped chili when cooking the spices.
- Use brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice for a higher fiber option.
- This dish can be prepared ahead and reheated—just add a splash of water or stock when reheating to loosen the sauce.
- Ensure the spinach is added last to retain its bright green color and nutrients.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegetarian, Indian-inspired
Keywords: chickpea bowl, spinach and almond butter, vegetarian dinner, Indian spices, healthy bowl, chickpea spinach curry
