20-minute chickpea, spinach and tomato curry
A vibrant 20-minute chickpea, spinach and tomato curry — a quick midweek supper with warming spices and a creamy yoghurt finish.
This is the 20-minute curry that actually works on weeknights — no faff, no long simmering, just smoky spices, plump chickpeas and a hit of lemon to lift it. Use tins and a hot pan and you’ll have a bright, satisfying vegetarian curry on the table before you know it. Serve with rice or naan if you like, but it’s perfectly good on its own.
Ingredients
- 30 ml vegetable oil — 30 ml
- 1 brown onion — finely chopped (about 150 g)
- 3 garlic cloves — finely grated or minced
- 25 g fresh ginger — grated
- 1 green chilli — deseeded and finely sliced (optional)
- 10 ml ground cumin
- 10 ml ground coriander
- 5 ml turmeric
- 5 ml garam masala
- 5 ml chilli powder
- 5 ml brown sugar
- 1 tin tinned chopped tomatoes — 400 g tin
- 2 tin tinned chickpeas — 400 g tins, drained
- 150 ml vegetable stock
- 200 g baby spinach
- 150 g natural yoghurt — full-fat or 0% for a lighter finish
- 1 lemon — juiced
- 15 g fresh coriander — roughly chopped
- 5 ml sea salt — plus extra to taste
- 5 ml freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Heat the vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high hob. Add the brown onion and fry, stirring, until softened and just starting to colour.
Add the garlic cloves, fresh ginger and green chilli to the pan and fry for a minute until fragrant.
Lower the heat slightly, add the ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and brown sugar. Stir continuously for about 30 seconds to toast the spices gently.
Pour in the tinned chopped tomatoes, tinned chickpeas (drained), and the vegetable stock. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cook, uncovered, for 6 minutes to reduce and thicken slightly.
Stir in the baby spinach and natural yoghurt, and cook for another 90 seconds until the spinach has wilted and the sauce is glossy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Finish by stirring in the garam masala, squeezing in the lemon juice and scattering over the fresh coriander. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Drain and rinse the chickpeas well to remove excess tin liquid and improve texture.
- Toast spices briefly in the pan — even 20 seconds makes a big difference to flavour.
- If you prefer a creamier sauce, blitz one tin of chickpeas with half the stock before adding to the pan.
- Make ahead: the flavours deepen overnight. Reheat gently on a low hob, adding a splash of water if it tightens up.
Substitutions
tinned chickpeas → 450 g cooked dried chickpeas (weight after cooking)
Stays closenatural yoghurt → 150 g coconut yoghurt
Noticeably differentbaby spinach → 200 g chopped kale, cooked a little longer
Noticeably different
Nutrition
Per serving · estimated
- 332
- Calories
- 15 g
- Protein
- 41 g
- Carbs
- 12 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 480 mg
- Sodium
FAQ
Can I make this vegan?
Yes — swap the natural yoghurt for coconut yoghurt or omit it and finish with an extra splash of lemon for brightness.
Can I use dried chickpeas?
You can, but they must be cooked first — use about 450 g cooked (drained) and the timing remains the same once they go in the pan.
How spicy is this recipe?
Mild by default. Keep or remove the green chilli and adjust the chilli powder to taste — start small and add more at the end if needed.
Will the yoghurt split?
If the pan is very hot stir the yoghurt in off the heat or mix a little hot sauce into the yoghurt first to temper it; full-fat yoghurt is less likely to split.
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