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).
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!
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Spanish Spinach with Chickpeas
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 head of garlic, 12 cloves
- 3 tablespoon sweet paprika
- 6 cups spinach
- ½ cup water
- 3 ½ cups cooked chickpeas
- 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.
Melinda says
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.
Iosune says
Hi Melinda! Thanks a lot 🙂 We really like garlic in Spain 😛
Jessica says
This was delicious 😋 thank you for sharing
Iosune says
Hi Jessica! So glad you liked it 🙂 Thanks for making the recipe!
CatC says
Yum! I’ll be making this for dinner tomorrow!
Iosune says
Hi there! Hope you liked it 🙂
Ray says
I tried this, it tastes so good. But I used coriander leaves instead of spinach because I didn't find spinach for the moment.
Iosune says
Hi Ray! So glad you liked it 😀
Bryce says
Fabulous dish - just had it accompanied by a green salad & garlic bread. Thanks for the recipe
Iosune says
Hi Bryce! Thanks a lot 😀 Sounds amazing!
John G says
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.
Iosune says
Hi John! I'm so glad you liked it 😀 Have a nice day!
Darren says
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
Iosune says
Hi Darren! I'm so glad you liked it 🙂 It's one of my favorite Spanish dishes. Hope you liked my country!
Rosie says
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 🙂
Iosune says
Hi Rosie! Thanks a lot 😀 I'm so glad you enjoyed this Spanish dish. Have a nice day!
Susan says
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!
Iosune says
Hi Susan! Sounds sooo good 🙂
Kay says
Can this be frozen? Recently started eating vegan. Will be making this tomorrow. Made an eggplant pasta tonight.
Iosune says
Hi Kay! I've never frozen this recipe, but I think you can. Have a nice day!
Lynda says
Just made this recipe and it tastes great! Thank you for sharing.
Iosune says
Hi Lynda! You're so welcome 🙂 Have a nice day!
Greg says
Do you have any recipe suggestions for an accompanying dish? What do you serve it with in a complete meal?
Iosune says
Hi Greg! I love to eat this dish with some rice or a salad 😉 Have a nice day!