Make chickpea curry with tomato and spinach for an easy weeknight dinner

Take a break and make a quick and easy curry for dinner. An authentic curry consists of a mountain of whole spices, carefully toasted, then ground and sauteed with aromatics to create a potent, flavorful paste. This stew is a cheater version. It relies on a generous dump of prepared curry powder along with a few dried spices to build deep flavor in a short amount of time.

This stew is inspired by chana masala, a vegetarian Indian dish featuring chickpeas, tomatoes, garlic, chiles and ginger. Along with the prepared dried spices and a few pantry items, including coconut milk for creamy richness, this simple variation can be prepared within 30 minutes. Feel free to add more vegetables, such as cauliflower and butternut squash, for a heartier stew. Serve it as a main dish, ladled into bowls, with rice or naan.

Chickpea Curry With Tomato and Spinach

Active time: about 30 minutes
Total time: about 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 4

Ingredients
Olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1 large carrot, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1 large red bell pepper, seeded, cut in bite-size pieces
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced or pushed through a press
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 (28-ounce) can Italian plum tomatoes with juice
1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups (packed) baby spinach leaves
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves
2 teaspoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until the onion softens, about 2 minutes. Add the carrot and peppers and saute until the carrot brightens in color and the peppers begin to soften, stirring often, about 3 minutes more. Add the garlic and ginger and saute until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds. Add the curry powder, cumin and coriander, stirring to coat the vegetables and lightly toast the spices for about 15 seconds.

Add the tomatoes, coconut milk, chickpeas, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Partially cover the pot and simmer over medium-low heat until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon.

Add the spinach and stir until the leaves wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cilantro, sugar and lime juice. Taste for seasoning.

Ladle the curry into bowls. Serve with basmati rice.

Lynda Balslev is an award-winning writer, cookbook author and recipe developer, and authors the blog TasteFood.