Espinacas con Garbanzos
This Spanish vegan builds cooked chickpeas, fresh spinach and stale bread into an easy meal you can have ready in about 60 minutes. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 5 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and pan. At medium difficulty across 5 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, the ingredients are plant-based.
What you'll need
Shopping list (3)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat and fry the bread slices until golden and crisp on both sides, then lift them out; in the same oil briefly fry the peeled garlic cloves until fragrant and just golden, about 1 minute.
- Tip the fried bread, garlic, cumin and a splash of the vinegar into a mortar or small blender and pound or pulse to a coarse paste, loosening with a little water if needed to make a thick, spoonable picada.
- Wilt the spinach in the same pan in batches over medium-high heat until just collapsed, about 3 to 4 minutes, then return all of it to the pan with the tomato puree and paprika and stir for another minute.
- Add the drained chickpeas and the picada paste along with a ladle of water, season well, and simmer gently for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens and clings to the chickpeas.
- Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and the remaining vinegar, then let it sit off the heat for a few minutes so the flavours settle before serving warm with extra bread.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Pan · Saucepan · Blender
What to serve with Espinacas con Garbanzos
- Seafood fideuà Seafood
- Spanish Tortilla Vegetarian
- Migas Miscellaneous
- Spiced tortilla Vegetarian
Tips & common questions
How long does Espinacas con Garbanzos take to make?
About 60 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 5 steps and 10 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Espinacas con Garbanzos vegan?
Based on its ingredients, this recipe contains no meat, fish, dairy or egg, so it looks vegan-friendly. Always double-check labels on packaged items.
Related recipes
Espinacas con Garbanzos is an original Spanish recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: GarbanzosConEspinacas.jpg (Public domain) via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.