You know I love a fuss-free recipe, especially for my weekday rotation and this walk-away Chickpea Tomato and Spinach Curry is just that. Throw the ingredients in to a pot and walk away. The resulting vegan curry is full-bodied and loaded with gorgeous spiced flavours.
My four year-old is suffering from her first broken heart and yes, it’s all for a boy. Last night I held her little body as she shed a bucket of tears for a little man who has made her feel safe, brave and wanted in her first year of kindergarten. This gorgeous soul let her pretend to be a kitten and hid with her under tables while she curled in to his lap. He played husband when she wanted to play house and let her operate on him whenever she fancied being a doctor. I am so happy she met such a sweet and kind spirit. Alas, he is an older man and next year is off to primary school while our girl will do another year of pre-school. The Elf is a January baby, you see, and she is heartbroken she won’t be going through with him and her other friends.
We could send her through. My heart wants to send her through. My head, however, is trying to hold tight to all the research and advice from her teachers that an extra year will help her not only survive her school years but thrive. Oh, but the tears! They are so pitiful and I want to make everything better. This parenting thing blows sometimes.
What does this have to do with chickpea tomato and spinach curry?
Not a thing but it is where my head and heart are at and all I want is for everyone to tell me that we are making the right choice for our child. She will miss all her friends when they move on to school but the bigger picture is that another year will serve her better in the long run. That’s the theory anyway. And so, as we get closer to the end of the year the tears flow.
Arghhhh…enough. Let’s talk about this curry before I tear up too.
I adore this chickpea tomato and spinach curry.
- it’s healthful
- it’s simple
- you don’t need any cooking skills to speak of
- it’s full-bodied and delicious and
- it freezes well.
Did I mention the walking away part? Perfect for busy weeknight dinners or those nights when you’re all turned around thinking how you broke your kid’s heart, this curry takes a few quick stirs and you’re off. Off to read a magazine. Off for a quick cup of tea. Off to wallow.
I’m joking. Sort of. The point is, you’ll have the time. Once the juicy cherry tomatoes are bathed in Indian spices and begin to blister and the chickpeas are added with coconut milk and stock, you can reduce the heat and walk away. Come back 40-minutes later to add some fresh baby spinach and dinner is served. If you love a good curry and you love your meals fuss-free and delicious, try this walk-away chickpea tomato and spinach curry. For the nights you need to walk away.
Enjoy x.
If you try this dish, please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #mygoodnesskitchen on Instagram. I’d love to see what you come up with. I hope you love this curry as much as my family does ! Cheers, friends.
If you like this, you might like to check out these:
Walk-Away Chickpea, Tomato and Spinach Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1 large onion or 2 regular (optional for a thicker sauce) finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 400 grams cherry tomatoes, halved approx 2 punnets
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp sea salt plus more to taste
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 480 grams cooked chickpeas cooked or 2 cans (drained)
- 400 ml coconut milk 1 can
- 200 ml vegetable stock 1/2 can
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 3 cups cooked quinoa or rice to serve
- chilli flakes to serve optional
Instructions
- Melt the coconut oil in a heavy-based pot over medium heat and add the onion and cook for 5-7 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic and tomatoes. Stir in the garam masala, curry powder, turmeric, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, ginger, tomato paste and sea salt. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chickpeas and stir through to coat. Add the coconut milk and vegetable stock and bring the mixture up to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cook with the pot lid off for approximately 40 minutes or until the sauce is thick and creamy. Stir in the baby spinach and allow it to wilt gently.
- Remove the curry from the heat and serve with a smattering of chilli flakes and cooked rice or quinoa.
Notes
Nutrition
This has been the first time I’ve ever commented on a food blog, I just had to come here and thank you for this recipe! I started “properly” cooking for myself only a couple years ago, and never found a curry recipe I could pull off… until now! This is perfect, my fiance loves it, I took it to a Thanksgiving potluck and it vanished, just wow. Thank you 😀
Adam, you have absolutely made my day. I am so happy you like this curry. It is one of my favourites to eat but also because it is so easy and accessible to others – that is my favourite part of blogging about food. Congratulations on getting engaged too! What a lovely time for you. x
Hi, Ive just found your Chickpea curry. Looks delicious and Im going to try out on my daughter and her partner this weekend. Read the story about your broken hearted daughter, poor little girl. But that was a year ago I can see, and now she will have moved up a class. Is her true love still there?
Oh, Liz. Thank you for writing. She still sees her friend, although not as much. She has just started her transition days for her own school next year and is loving her female friends – 4 girls going through to the same school together. But, we will always be grateful for her young man last year. He set the standard pretty high for how to treat a lady x
Love this recipie! It was a hard pill to swallow, buying a few of these expensive spices that i didn’t have in my kitchen but they go so far and are soooooo worth it!
Thanks Katie, I am so pleased you enjoyed the curry. I love it too. I hope you get to use up the spices you bought – Here is an article with storing tips to help keep them fresh for longer. https://www.thekitchn.com/5-tips-for-storing-your-spices-234304 🙂
I absolutely love this dish it’s so yummy, I cook it once a week!
Oh, that’s great news Ciera. I am so happy you like it and it’s part of your weekly rotation.
Wow. I love this curry and it has quickly become a family favourite, satisfying my vegetarian diet, my df/gf spouse and my picky eater teen. Everyone loves it! Thank you so much for this fantastic recipe!
Oh, thanks so much Martina. I am so glad your family likes this dish. It is one I am most proud of because it is family-friendly and really simple for busy parents to prepare. Thanks for taking the time to write, I really appreciate it. x
So great! I want to add carrot next time
Fantastic Nea! I am so happy you like it. Carrots would be great and I often think about adding eggplant too.
I’m confused why one large diced onion would yield a thicker sauce than two medium diced onions.
You’re totally right, Alexandra! I have moved the brackets. Adding onions to the dish – either 1 large or 2 regular – will make a thicker sauce. Sorry for the confusion and thanks for pointing it out. Cheers! A.
I love it taste yummy
Fantastic, Marissa. It’s one of my favourites – I am so pleased you like it.
We just made this tonight and it was so yummy! A family favorite.! My 3 year old who dislikes tomatoes kept asking for more and my husband who has been skeptical of replacing a number of our meals with vegetarian dishes loved it too!
Yayyyyyy! That’s fantastic news. I love this. You’ve made my day, Ashley xxx
I haven’t made it yet, it’s for tomorrow, but I’d like to know if I can use tin of tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes?
ThanksPil
Hi Pilar,
You could use a can of chopped tomatoes or perhaps whole tomatoes and chop them up a bit in the cooking process. You will get a slightly different flavour but it will still work. I hope you enjoy it! Have a great day. A.
absolutely amazing dish, tried it – one of the best currys ive had ever. And very good for you
Oh, that’s fantastic news Amy. Thanks for taking the time to let me know. I love this curry too and am so happy others are enjoying it. x
Made it tonight and thought it simple and easy to cook. I left it on the hob and totally forgot about it and was rewarded with a really delicious and nutritious curry.
Ten out of ten for a great recipe, it doesn’t need to be messed with but
I may chuck in some sweet potato next time I cook it but then I think sweet potato can go in everything.
Thanks for sharing it.
Hi Ann-Marie,
Oh, you’re right – sweet potato can go in everything! I am so happy you enjoyed the recipe – it is one of my favourites. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. x
Delicious! I gathered & measured/chopped all the ingredients before beginning to cook, and this came together in minutes! Used frozen garlic cubes (the ones from Trader Joe’s) which made it even easier.
I added about a half-teaspoon of kashmiri pepper (since I was flat out of red pepper flakes), which gave it a nice kick. Will definitely be adding this to my weekday go-to list!
Oh, thanks so much for letting me know, Mary. I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe.
I’ve got to get my hands on those frozen garlic cubes. We don’t have them here. What a great idea!
Thanks again, Mary. Have a great day.
Hi! Do the leftover freeze well?
Hey Becky,
Yes, you can freeze this curry. I like to freshen it up a little when I thaw it with some fresh herbs like coriander (cilantro).
Enjoy! A, x.
Delicious! It’s on our regular dinner rotation and even my very non-vegetarian husband enjoys it.
Oh fantastic, Haley! It’s always good when everyone likes the same thing, isn’t it? It makes life so much simpler. I am so glad you like this chickpea curry; it’s still a firm favourite in this house. Thanks for taking the time to write and let me know. x
Question, I’ve never cooked with cardamom. I didn’t know it was big seeds. Do you put the whole thing in and just leave it? Is it meant to be removed like a bay leaf at some point?
Hi Kristen! I use ground cardamom in this recipe but if you can only get your mitts on the full pods, give one a light smash just to loosen it up a little and pop it in while you cook. And yes, remove it after you’re done cooking – you don’t want to chomp down on one of those. I hope you enjoy the curry. Thanks for stopping by. A.
I made this last night and it was amazing!
Simone! That’s fantastic. I post recipes and cross my fingers that others will like them as much as I do. Also, anything that can make dinner easier, is a bonus so I hope it goes in to your rotation. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. That was super kind of you. x
Just to make sure, is it 480 grams of dry, not cooked, chickpeas ? 🙂
Hey Monica,
You’ll want to use cooked (from dry) or canned chickpeas. I use canned all the time to save time. This recipe is all about keeping it simple. 🙂
I have made this twice. It is so delicious. Wondering if anyone has substituted lite coconut milk? If yes, did you get the same results? Thanks in advance.
Howdy Helen. Firstly, I am so glad you like this curry. It is one of my go-to’s especially for a quick weeknight meal. I haven’t tried it with any other milk besides coconut milk. I think if you used another milk you may have to add a little cornflour to thicken it. Perhaps you could try subbing half the coconut milk with another milk and seeing how that goes first. I would love to hear how it goes! Please check back in 🙂 Thanks, Helen.
This is on rotation at our house and my two and four year olds love it. Thanks for sharing!
Fantastic, Jennifer. I am so glad your little ones like it. My daughter does too. Thank goodness. 🙂
Both times I’ve made this the sauce hasn’t thickened. It’s delicious regardless but I don’t know why it’s still watery after 50 minutes of cooking. The only differences I made were excluding the cardamom and ginger (just don’t have them) and using veggie broth instead of stock. Maybe I didn’t boil it enough? I love it anyway.
Hi Dakota, I am so glad you like this dish but I’d love to work out why it isn’t thickening. Are you cooking it down with the lid off? You can reduce the sauce to a simmer and cook it down but you will have to watch it a little more so it doesn’t burn the bottom of your pot. Finally, if all else fails you can add a spoon of cornflour to the sauce. Scoop out a quarter cup of the sauce, add a spoon of cornflour and stir it to create a sludge before pouring it back in… Read more »
A long story short, my mom held me back from advancing (with excellent grades) to third grade so I could go through school with kids my own age instead of being the youngest. I am 67 years old and I still resent being held back for, as I see it, no good reason. All through school, my friends were the older kids and I dated older boys. If your daughter has the self-assurance and intellectual ability to keep up, please let her. We seem to be far more driven by arbitrary numbers rather than the individual.
Hi Marlene, Thanks so much for sharing your story. I appreciate it. Staying back clearly impacted your life. We have opted to have our daughter do another year at kindergarten for the reasons you have described – we don’t want to keep her back after she starts primary school. She is a clever girl but is a pretty shy kid and gravitates towards adults instead of spending time with other kids. We looked at her situation and personality and decided it was kinder for us to give her another year of kindergarten (she has a few friends doing the same)… Read more »
This was really tasty, I appreciated you including measurements that those of us in the USA could use. My tip would be Don’t put a cover on (I know it doesn’t say too but I did out of habit) I couldn’t figure out why it was so watery until I took the cover off and let it cook down. I also put a pinch of pepper in to get the full benefits of the curry/tumeric. Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Yvonne. Thanks for the great feedback. I will make a wee note in the recipe to clarify the lid being left off – I do it naturally but that doesn’t mean everyone else does.Thanks for the heads up. I haven’t added pepper to mine before but I might next time. Thanks for the tip!
Oh you poor girl, what a decision to have to make! Here, we have no choice. My January baby started school aged 4 and just sailed through with all the others. In her case, it worked just fine, she was generally at or near the top of the class and enjoyed herself. She got her PhD last year. But all children are different, and you are the best judge of what will suit your precious daughter best. Heartbreak is a terrible thing at any age, and I feel for you. Good luck with it x
Oh, thank you Christine. I love hearing that your daughter is doing so well. My Elf is a smart girl and I think will do well in school too. She is socially shy and I am trying to weigh up whether a year will help her feel more confident. Arghhh. Thank you so much for reaching out, I appreciate it so much. x
Oh, my heart! You are definitely doing the right thing by your girl, she will be fine and will make lots of new friends. And then when she does go to primary school she will be fierce! This curry is perfect and thanks for sharing your grocery list in your email, that is so helpful x
Oh, my friend. I needed to hear that – I am wrestling with this so much. Thank you. xx I am so glad you are around again and I LOVE the new look site. It looks wonderful.