Five-Dollar Chickpea Curry
A budget-friendly chickpea curry made with pantry staples, frozen spinach, and coconut milk. It’s big on flavor, easy to scale up, and freezes beautifully for quick future dinners.
This is the kind of meal that keeps dinner stress low and your grocery bill in check. Everything comes from the pantry or freezer, but it still tastes rich and cozy thanks to curry spices and coconut milk. Make a double batch if you’ve got the pot space—this one reheats like a dream.
Total Time
35 min
Prep Time
10 min
Cook Time
25 min
Servings
4
Ingredients
Curry Base
- •1 Tbsp cooking oil (vegetable, canola, or olive)
- •1 medium yellow onion, diced
- •3 cloves garlic, minced
- •1 Tbsp grated fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)
- •2 Tbsp curry powder
- •1 tsp ground cumin
- •1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
- •1/4 tsp crushed red pepper (optional)
- •1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
Main Ingredients
- •2 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- •1 (14½ oz) can diced tomatoes (with juices)
- •1 (13½ oz) can coconut milk (full-fat for richest results)
- •2 cups frozen chopped spinach (or 4 packed cups fresh)
To Serve (Optional)
- •Cooked rice, naan, or flatbread
- •Plain yogurt or a squeeze of lemon/lime
Instructions
- 1
Heat the oil in a large pot or deep skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened.
- 2
Add the garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- 3
Stir in the curry powder, cumin, paprika, crushed red pepper (if using), and salt. Cook 30–60 seconds to toast the spices.
- 4
Add the chickpeas and diced tomatoes (with juices). Stir to coat everything in the spices.
- 5
Pour in the coconut milk and stir until combined. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- 6
Stir in the frozen spinach. Simmer 3–5 minutes more, or until the spinach is heated through and the curry has thickened slightly.
- 7
Taste and adjust salt or heat as needed. Serve over rice or with bread. Cool leftovers completely before refrigerating or freezing.
Nutrition Facts
Per serving
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Nutrition calculated automatically from ingredients.