Spanish spinach and chickpeas (espinacas con garbanzos) is a must-try Andalusian dish that's easy to make at home. This traditional spinach and chickpea stew is popular in Seville, Spain where it's served in all the local tapas bars. It's super simple, and takes only 30 minutes to make!
Looking for other traditional Andalusian dishes? Make sure to try my recipes for cuttlefish meatballs (Albóndigas de Choco) and fried pork rolls (Flamenquines Cordobeses).
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Introduction
I first ordered espinacas con garbanzos in Seville, convinced by a
friend that this simple sounding spinach and chickpea stew was
a Spanish culinary masterpiece. Served piping hot, it was as comforting as any homemade stew should be, and I immediately understood her obsession.
But the dish's history goes far beyond Andalusia. Spinach comes from Ancient Persia (modern Iran), and Arab traders introduced it to the Mediterranean. It became a popular Spanish vegetable by the end of the 12th century, and it was an important ingredient in Moorish and Sephardic Jewish cuisine in Spain.
Chickpeas (also called garbanzos) originated in the Middle East, and were introduced to Spain by the Phoenicians. They are a primary ingredient in many popular Spanish dishes, such as Cocido Madrileño.
This recipe for espinacas con garbanzos strays a wee bit from the traditional version, but the addition of tomato and almonds enhances the heartiness of the dish in my humble opinion. This 30-minute meal is a healthy, filling, and delicious one!
Ingredients
Wondering what ingredients you need to make this Spanish spinach and garbanzo stew? Let's talk about the most important ones!
- Spinach: Choose fresh, washed spinach that's vibrant and not wilted.
- Chickpeas: Use a good quality canned variety that's not mushy, or soak and cook dried chickpeas.
- Sherry Vinegar: This gives a beautiful flavor and touch of acidity to the finished dish.
- Marcona Almonds: These blanched, unsalted almonds add crunch and delightful flavor to the stew.
- Olive Oil: Choose a good quality, extra virgin olive oil not only for its health benefits, but also for its wonderful flavor.
Substitutions
- Spinach: If you must substitute the spinach, try another leafy green such as kale or chard.
- Almonds: Marcona almonds have a wonderful flavor for this dish, but any blanched, unsalted almonds will do in a pinch.
- Sherry vinegar: Substitute with red wine vinegar.
How to Make
- Heat some olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat, then add the spinach.
- Stir until the spinach has wilted.
- Set aside the spinach to cool.
- Add another couple of tablespoons of olive oil to the pan and add the bread cubes and almonds.
- Add the minced garlic.
- Add all the dried spices.
- Stir until browned and toasted.
- Put the browned bread and almonds into the blender.
- Add the sherry vinegar.
- Blend until you have a paste.
- Add the drained chickpeas, almond paste, and tomato sauce to the pan.
- Mix until combined.
- Add the spinach back to the pan.
- Stir until fully combined.
- Serve in small clay bowls and garnish with salt and olive oil.
- Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
This is a traditional Spanish tapa from Andalusia, the southernmost region in Spain. It's a flavorful stew made from a toasted bread and tomato purée, wilted spinach, and tender chickpeas. It's garnished with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of Spanish paprika for extra flavor.
Yes! This Spanish spinach and chickpea stew is naturally vegan. It's one of my favorite vegetarian and vegan tapas.
Yes! Chickpeas and garbanzo beans are the same food. "Chickpeas" is the English word for garbanzos, which is the Spanish name. However, we've adapted the Spanish name in English as well, leaving us with two options.
In Spain, this is often served as a tapa, which means you'd have another couple of dishes along with it to make a full meal. You can serve anything you'd like -- I especially like to serve Spanish ham croquettes and my favorite marinated carrots.
Serve
I like to serve my espinacas con garbanzos as part of a tapas feast, but you can also serve it as a side dish to roasted meat.
Some of my favorite tapas to go with espinacas con garbanzos are pinchos morunos (spiced pork skewers), marinated carrots, gambas al ajillo pintxos (garlic shrimp skewers), tortilla de patatas (Spanish potato omelette), and chorizo a la sidra.
Store
Make Ahead: You can make espinacas con garbanzo in advance. It will last up to 4 days in the fridge. Like most stews, the flavor gets even better after resting.
Leftovers: Cover the leftover stew tightly and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Spinach and chickpeas will keep for up to 2 months if it's sealed in an airtight container or in a freezer bag.
Expert Tips
- Good quality canned chickpeas that aren't mushy or soaked and cooked dried chickpeas will work equally well in this recipe.
- Use either Spanish smoked pimentón dulce (sweet paprika) or pimentón picante (spicy paprika) to add flavor to this dish.
- This stew will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge, or up to 2 months in the freezer. Since this is a tomato-based soup, the flavor of the dish will improve the next day.
More Delicious Spanish Stews
Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach and Chickpeas)
Ingredients
- 18 ounces canned garbanzo beans (chickpeas) or dried, soaked garbanzos
- 10 ounces fresh spinach
- 2 thick slices of day old bread crusts removed and cubed
- 15 Marcona almonds blanched and unsalted
- ¼ cup tomato sauce
- 3 garlic cloves chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoon sherry vinegar or red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ground cayenne pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon sweet smoked Spanish paprika or pimentón picante (hot paprika)
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons (30 ml) of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the spinach (in batches if necessary) and stir until wilted.
- Dump the wilted spinach into a colander and set aside to drain and cool.
- Add a little more olive oil to the pan and place over medium heat. Add the bread cubes and raw almonds, and stir until the bread is crispy on all sides and the almonds are toasted.
- Add the minced garlic, cumin, cayenne, and black pepper to the bread and almonds and sauté for a couple of minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and browned.
- Place the bread mixture and sherry vinegar in a blender or food processor and blend until you have a thick paste. You can add a few tablespoons of water if needed, but don't add too much and make it gooey.
- Pour the bread paste into the skillet, and add the garbanzo beans and tomato sauce. Stir gently until the chickpeas are fully coated in the sauce. Add a bit of water to thin the sauce if needed.
- Add the spinach and stir gently until it is evenly incorporated and heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot in small dishes with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of smoked Spanish paprika on top. Enjoy!
Notes
- Good quality canned chickpeas that aren't mushy or soaked and cooked dried chickpeas will work equally well in this recipe.
- Use either Spanish smoked pimentón dulce (sweet paprika) or pimentón picante (spicy paprika) to add flavor to this dish.
- This stew will keep for up to 4 days in the fridge, or up to 2 months in the freezer. Since this is a tomato-based soup, the flavor of the dish will improve the next day.
Nutrition
Photography by Giulia Verdinelli
Hilary Hughes
Just returned from a week in Malaga, Holy Week. This dish was my favourite tapas and I was keen to try it myself. My variation was to add tin of chopped toms to loosen it up and to tuck in big chunk s of cod loin (8mins to cook) at the end. Delicious!
MOLLIE
I have made this recipe for lunch, I served it with a breast of chicken because my husband thinks he has done something wrong if I don't feed him meat at least twice a day, He also has a blood problem which stops him eating too much spinach so I substituted it with half tenderstem broccoli, It was delicious, My only comment was that for something called a stew it was quite dry. Please tell me if I did something wrongly.
Mollie
Katy
This is delicious! Not had it before but wanted to try it for a vegan tapas night. Really tasty and easy to do. I found I needed to add quite a bit of water to make my paste but guess it just depends on type of bread, how much oil used etc. Very happy I have leftovers 🙂
David Tatlock
My encounter with garbanzos and espicana(s) was at the tapa place across from El Corte Ingles, me refiere a la Campana, in Seville. 1975. Many, but many tapas.
Wendy Loxley
New to this site. This recipe was so easy but amazingly delicious and creamy. I served it with sausages. Will defo add to my repertoire
IW
Great recipe! Delicious and healthy, and so easy!
Anne
Hi
I just made the Espinacas con Garbanzos (Spinach and Chickpeas) and it was delicious. Thanks you very much
best rgds
Anne
Anne
Hi! This looks delicious - is there any way to do without a blender? Do you think I could mash up by hand?
Lauren Aloise
Try a mortar and pestle!
Bill Martin
From California but have lived here in southern Spain for 22 years, It is NOT just a Sevilla tapa it is all over Andalucia......typically things that become well-known or get praise automatically Sevilla gets the credit.... need to travel more and get more background....but you´re right!! It´s a wonderful dish!
Living in Jaén the actual #1 producer of extra virgin olive Oil in the world (40%).... Int´l Olive Oil expo here every May!
Val
Just returned from Sevilla and this dish was amazing
Imogen
Hi. I am going away with friends on the weekend and we have a Europe theme for a shared meal on Saturday night. Has anyone experience of freezing this dish. I was thinking I could make it ahead of weekend without spinach, freeze it letting it defrost slowly from Friday night and then add wilted spinach when I reheat Saturday night. Alternatively I could ditch freezing and make without spinach Friday morning and add wilted spinach Saturday. Sorry to be so wordy but I would be grateful for your opinion
Lauren Aloise
I haven't tried doing this but I can imagine it would work! My mother in law freezes the dish (spinach and all) - but I think making the spinach at the last minute is key for top presentation.
Bonnie
This looks amazing and I want to make it for a tapas party next week. The ingredients for the recipe say 1 tsp of cumin and cayenne "to taste" however the video indicates 1 tbsp of cumin and 1 tsp of cayenne. Can you please clarify? Thanks!
Lauren Aloise
I prefer to add less cumin - but it's also to taste! My husband likes more towards 1T (start with 1t and see what you think). As for the cayenne, it's totally optional, but I like 1t as a like a kick of spice!
Jes P
This recipe looks and sounds amazing!! I decided to make this dish for a Spanish potluck at my son's school this week, but just remembered they are totally NUT FREE. Help! I still want to make it, but is there anything I can use in place of the almonds or do you think it would be best just to leave them out? I realize I could just use another recipe, but I already got all of the ingredients and yours sounds the most delicious by far! THANKS!! 🙂
Lauren Aloise
Hi Jes- not sure if this comes too late, but you could still make it without the nuts! Add some extra breadcrumbs if you like!
Jes
Not too late actually - They rescheduled it to tomorrow. Thanks for your response!! I'll just add more bread as you mentioned. Can't wait to try it! 🙂
Lauren Aloise
Hope it's a hit!
Jes P
Oh, it definitely was! I made 5x the recipe and it worked out perfectly because I was able to save some for myself for later. I might get into it again tonight even! Soooo yummy. Thanks for the awesome recipe!! 🙂
Hannah
This was so yummy! I've been searching for vegan Spanish recipes. Thank you!
William Smith
Hi, Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
I have a query related to this one. Can you please clarify the term 'medium-high heat'? please be specific with the temperature.
Albert Bevia
One of my favorites dishes, so simple yet loaded with so much flavor, love your version of this classic
Lauren Aloise
Thanks Albert!
Donna
Made this today and it was delicious. I never thought the ground almonds and bread crumbs would add such flavour. Delicious!
Lauren Aloise
Right?! It is truly one of my favorites!