Skip to main content
Brian Sunter

Chana Saag

An easy, tasty, and nutritious Indian curry with chickpeas, spinach, and tomatoes simmered with aromatic spices like cumin and coriander.

20 minutes cook 10 minutes prep 30 minutes total 4 servings
indian curry vegan weeknight meal-prep chickpeas spinach
Scale
Units

Nutrition

Estimates per serving (recipe yields 4).

Calories
80
total 320
Protein
3.5g
total 14g
Carbs
10g
total 40g
Fat
3g
total 12g
Fiber
3g
total 12g

Doesn't include rice or bread.

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium onions
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp garam masala
  • 0.50 tsp turmeric powder
  • 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 3 medium vine tomatoes
  • 2 cans chickpeas
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 twists black pepper
  • 1 lb spinach
  • 0.50 cup water

Equipment

  • skillet

Instructions

Saute Aromatics

1

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 2 medium onions (chopped) and saute for 5 minutes until translucent.

2

Add 3 cloves garlic (grated) and 1 inch ginger (grated).

Add Spices

3

Add 1 tsp ground cumin , 1 tsp ground coriander , 1 tsp garam masala , 0.50 tsp turmeric powder , and 0.25 tsp red pepper flakes . Sauté for 1 minute , stirring often.

Simmer

4

Add 3 medium vine tomatoes (chopped) and 2 cans chickpeas (drained, 15 oz each). Season with 1 tsp salt and 2 twists black pepper . Cook for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are tender, stirring often.

5

Add 1 lb spinach and 0.50 cup water . Simmer on medium heat for 10 minutes until the spinach is tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust for salt and heat.

Serve

6

Serve with basmati rice, roti, or naan. Top with a dollop of yogurt, fresh cilantro, quick pickled red onions, and a squeeze of lemon.

View Cooklang Source
recipe.cook 
---
title: Chana Saag
description: "An easy, tasty, and nutritious Indian curry with chickpeas, spinach, and tomatoes simmered with aromatic spices like cumin and coriander."
servings: 4
total time: 30 minutes
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 20 minutes
tags: [indian, curry, vegan, weeknight, meal-prep, chickpeas, spinach]
cuisine: Indian
difficulty: easy
nutrition-calories: 320
nutrition-protein: 14g
nutrition-carbs: 40g
nutrition-fat: 12g
nutrition-fiber: 12g
nutrition-note: Doesn't include rice or bread.
---

== Saute Aromatics ==

Heat @olive oil{2%tbsp} in a large #skillet{} over medium heat. Add @onions{2%medium} (chopped) and saute for ~{5%minutes} until translucent.

Add @garlic{3%cloves} (grated) and @ginger{1%inch} (grated).

== Add Spices ==

Add @ground cumin{1%tsp}, @ground coriander{1%tsp}, @garam masala{1%tsp}, @turmeric powder{0.5%tsp}, and @red pepper flakes{0.25%tsp}. Sauté for ~{1%minute}, stirring often.

> Substitute curry powder for garam masala if needed. Adjust red pepper flakes to taste.

== Simmer ==

Add @vine tomatoes{3%medium} (chopped) and @chickpeas{2%cans} (drained, 15 oz each). Season with @salt{1%tsp} and @black pepper{2%twists}. Cook for ~{5%minutes} or until the tomatoes are tender, stirring often.

> Substitute one 15 oz can of crushed tomatoes for the fresh vine tomatoes.

Add @spinach{1%lb} and @water{0.5%cup}. Simmer on medium heat for ~{10%minutes} until the spinach is tender, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust for salt and heat.

> Add the spinach in batches, waiting a few seconds for each batch to wilt before adding more.
> Chop the spinach with a knife before adding. If using baby spinach, this is not required.

== Serve ==

Serve with basmati rice, roti, or naan. Top with a dollop of yogurt, fresh cilantro, quick pickled red onions, and a squeeze of lemon.