Sometimes can be hard to eat out as a vegan here in Spain, but it’s not impossible and in recent years, the number of vegan or vegetarian restaurants has increased.
In Sevilla is easy to find Spanish spinach with chickpeas (espinacas con garbanzos in Spanish) in many traditional restaurants. Everybody loves it, even those who hate veggies, especially if you use finely chopped fresh spinach.
It’s common to use a lot of oil to make this delicious dish, but I prefer this lighter version, it’s healthier and tastes amazing too. You only need 6 ingredients to make spinach with chickpeas: extra virgin olive oil, garlic, sweet paprika, spinach, chickpeas and salt (optional).
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You can use canned chickpeas, but they have preservatives and additives. I prefer to cook them in boiling water for one or two hours or until they’re soft. You should soak the chickpeas overnight, the longer you let it soak before cooking, the quicker they will cook.
Canned and frozen spinach is fine too, but fresh spinach is the best choice. You can use olive oil to cook the spinach instead of water, but I prefer my recipe. The result is a lower in calorie dish with a lot of flavor, so you won’t miss the extra oil.
Use a high quality paprika, it will make the difference. I love “Pimentón de la Vera” (smoked Spanish sweet paprika), but you can also use hot paprika or any kind you like.
Many people add more spinach, so feel free to add more. Besides, it’s not necessary to chop the spinach, but I think the dish looks and tastes better.
The recipe is ready in only 15 or 20 minutes (if you use cooked chickpeas, of course) and is super easy to make. I make it almost every week, it’s one of my all time favorite chickpea recipes.
If you make this Spanish spinach with chickpeas recipe, please leave a comment or tag a picture #simpleveganblog on Instagram or any other social network. We love to see your pictures and comments, it makes us very happy!
Spanish Spinach with Chickpeas
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Category: Savory
- Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-free
Spinach with chickpeas is a traditional Spanish recipe. Everybody loves it, even those who hate veggies, especially if you use finely chopped fresh spinach.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 head of garlic (12 cloves)
- 3 tbsp sweet paprika
- 6 cups spinach (250 g)
- ½ cup water (125 ml)
- 3 ½ cups cooked chickpeas (650 g)
- Sea salt (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the garlic (diced) in a saucepan with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat until golden brown.
- Add the paprika, stir and add the spinach (finely chopped). Add the water and salt to taste (optional) and cook for about 5 minutes. You can use oil instead of water to cook the spinach.
- Add the cooked chickpeas, stir, add more oil if you want (you can add more paprika and salt too) and cook for 5 minutes more.
Mm looks delish! But whow, 1 whole head garlic?!
Thanks Tina! Yes!!! We love garlic here in Spain 😉
DIVINE! My family used to live in Spain for a couple of years and I miss the food… I totally remember this dish as being one of my favorite.
Thanks Kristen!!! Where did you live in Spain? I hope you enjoy this recipe 🙂
We lived in Madrid – well, my parents lived in Spain and I would visit every couple of months. So fun!
Madrid is great!I live in Málaga, in the south of Spain 🙂 Have a nice day!
JUST MADE THIS – LOVED IT! If I hadn’t just eaten lunch then I might have devoured the whole thing!
Great!!!!! I’m glad you liked it
This dish looks fantastic, I can’t wait to to try it!
Thanks Sally! I hope you like it!!
What is the best side dish to serve this with?
Hi Dana! I usually eat this dish with a salad 🙂
thanks so much! I ended up doing exactly that and it tastes great. Thanks for sharing and thank you even more for creating this blog!
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Thanks a lot Dana 😀
Made this tonight for dinner with an apple salad. It reminded me of Spain. Very delicious. I used oil instead of water because I thought it might be more Spanish. We will be having again.
Hi Diane! Thanks!! Yes, in Spain everybody uses oil instead of water and the recipe tastes better 🙂
I am eating this right now, so good! Thanks for the recipie, I was looking for a different way to cook chickpeas (instead of the soup I usually make with them) and this is so tasty and hearty, yum!
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I’m glad you liked it! There are many delicious recipes you can make using chickpeas
I was looking for a nice, easy garbanzo bean side that wasn’t just the beans alone. This is delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
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Hi Tori! I’m glad you liked it 😀
This is a super recipe, it left me speechless when I first tried it! Simple and delicious.
Hi Giselle! Thanks a lot for your kind words 🙂 Have a nice day!
I just made this recipe and it came out incredible! Really yummy and easy, I’ll adopt this as one of my standar recipes from now on! Thank you for sharing!!
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Hi Sandra! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 Have a beautiful week!
Delicious! Just made this for lunch. Should have made double 🙂 Eat the rest or save 1/2 for my husband? hmmmm….
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Thanks a lot Blake 🙂 I’m so glad to read that!
About to make it for my 19 month old and I. He loves chickpeas. Sounds yummy can’t wait to try it!
Hi Karen! Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
I made this tonight and it’s delish! Thank you!
Hi Patricia! Thanks 🙂 I’m so glad you liked it!
Do you have any recipe suggestions for an accompanying dish? What do you serve it with in a complete meal?
Hi Greg! I love to eat this dish with some rice or a salad 😉 Have a nice day!
Just made this recipe and it tastes great! Thank you for sharing.
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Hi Lynda! You’re so welcome 🙂 Have a nice day!
Can this be frozen? Recently started eating vegan. Will be making this tomorrow. Made an eggplant pasta tonight.
Hi Kay! I’ve never frozen this recipe, but I think you can. Have a nice day!
One of my favorite dishes. My version calls for sautéing bread cubes in garlic oil first, then adding them in at the very end. A little more complicated but so delicious!
Hi Susan! Sounds sooo good 🙂
This is so good!!! I was a bit sceptical about so much garlic and paprika but it really worked. I also love olive oil but found the bit I used to fry the garlic in was enough to satisfy 🙂
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Hi Rosie! Thanks a lot 😀 I’m so glad you enjoyed this Spanish dish. Have a nice day!
We had this dish in Sevilla last week and it was the best thing I’ve tried for ages. We are in Malaga now and am going to have it again before we go home on Sunday
Hi Darren! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 It’s one of my favorite Spanish dishes. Hope you liked my country!
I was trying to replicate a tapas dish at a local Spanish restaurant that ha spinach, chickpeas, marcona almonds, and raisins. I made this recipe, added the almonds and raisins, and it was great. I used a Spanish hot smoke paprika, and decided that mild would have been better. I used only six garlic cloves, and that seemed to be enough. Easy and delicious.
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Hi John! I’m so glad you liked it 😀 Have a nice day!
Fabulous dish – just had it accompanied by a green salad & garlic bread. Thanks for the recipe
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Hi Bryce! Thanks a lot 😀 Sounds amazing!
I tried this, it tastes so good. But I used coriander leaves instead of spinach because I didn’t find spinach for the moment.
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Hi Ray! So glad you liked it 😀
Yum! I’ll be making this for dinner tomorrow!
Hi there! Hope you liked it 🙂
This was delicious 😋 thank you for sharing
Hi Jessica! So glad you liked it 🙂 Thanks for making the recipe!
This is a great recipe. I didn’t have chick peas, so I used black-eyed peas. I highly recommend this substitution. Yum. I was also worried about all the garlic, but it blends.
Hi Melinda! Thanks a lot 🙂 We really like garlic in Spain 😛
Can you make this ahead of time and reheat? Having a Spanish themed party next week and want to do as much in advance as possible. Thank you x
Hi Natalie! Yes, you can. Just add more water or oil if needed 🙂
If using canned chickpeas do you recommend boiling to soften them a bit more or is that method just for raw chickpeas?
Hi! You don’t need to boil them if you used canned chickpeas 🙂
Made it, loved it, and devoured it. Thanks.
Is this eaten with bread cos locally we have a similar recipe which we eat with bread.
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Hi Joe! Thank YOU 🙂 Yes, we always serve this with bread 😉
Pretty yummy! I can never make things exactly as I read them though. I drasticly reduced the garlic and paprika and used warrigal greens and kale instead of the spinach. It has made a wonderfully satisfying lunch. Thank you for sharing.
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Hi Michele! Me neither 🙂 You’re so welcome!
Delicious recipe, easy to make and healthy! Winner on all counts. I like the paprika and I also have made this with curry instead. Both were great, though the curry is very potent and the smell does linger in a house for a while.
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Hi Andrew! Thanks a lot 🙂 So glad you enjoyed it!
It was so freaking yummy. Loved how easy it was.
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Hi Daniela! Thanks a lot 🙂 I’m happy to hear that!
I know this was meant to be vegan but I went a little light on the garlic and this is an awesome side dish with salmon and broccoli florets.
Hi Rayman! We usually eat it as a main dish here in Spain, even non-vegans 🙂 Hope you liked it!
So tasty! I’m an Israeli so I know about hummus, but never had it this way! Gracias!
Hi Roni! So glad you liked it 🙂
The amount of garlic and paprika sounded too much, but I gave it a go and it was perfect! I added some diced sweet potato as I had one that needed using up and I used smoked paprika. Delicious and very simple and quick, thank you.
Hi Jayneyw! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂 We use tons of garlic here in Spain, we love it!
lovel dish just made it for lunch we live in Spain also been here 14.5 years
Hi Patricia! So glad you liked it 🙂 Hope you enjoy our country!
In Cordoba they make something similar to this and serve it as tapas. I kept ordering more! But as I recall, that dish was more like a puree than a hot salad. Do you happen to have a recipe for Cordoba-style chickpeas and spinach?
Hi Barbara! I’m so sorry, but I don’t have other recipe for this. This is not a hot salad, is more like a stew 🙂
Soaking chickpeas right now to make this dish tomorrow.
Hi! Hope you like it 🙂