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
Donna
I made your spinach and garbanzo bean recipe last night for an International Dinner with friends. It's an amazing combination of flavors! Even the guy who doesn't like spinach, finished all of his! Thank you for sharing!
Sophie
I made a version of this tonight but swapped a few ingredients in there and it is absolutely amazing!
Too busy to go food shopping so it was one of those "use the last ingredients in the cupboards" kind of thing. I had a jar of spinach & garbanzos, so just cooked some garlic and onions, added cumin, pimento pecante, oregano, cayenne peppers, sal con hierbas and cracked black pepper. Unfortunately after the 5 cayenne peppers went in the lid came off my pimiento picante, but I think that actually made the dish!
Added the jar after that, but didn't have any other ingredients, so chopped and boiled a few large potatoes and ended up adding them to the mix, followed by some tomate frito...
Okay I may have accidentally made some kind of chickpea curry, but it's absolutely gorgeous, the healthiest and tastiest poor-mans meal I could have dreamed for <3
Also I have enough to chill and reheat some and freeze the rest! It all cost me but a few euros 😉
Thanks your recipe saved me! I will try it your way another time when I go food shopping 🙂
Lauren Aloise
Ha I love your comment! Glad it all came together!
Amy
I have never been to Spain was just looking for a new recipe. It's awesome! Easy and tasty! Thank you!
Justin
Awesome recipe Lauren. I substituted pine nuts for the almonds - it was still great!
Thanks for this one - it was just what was needed for a cold winter's night in Perth, Western Australia.
Keep up the great recipes. Your Rabo de Torro was sensational as well!
TJ
I would say we are normally a traditional "meat and potatoes" family, so I was definitely taking a chance when I made your spinach and chickpea recipe today. I'm happy to report that everyone loved it! Thank you for sharing. We did not have tomato sauce so I substituted salsa and it was great. I'm looking forward to making it again. Thanks!
anya
Just wondering. Would this keep? I mean if I made it today could I serve it tomorrow (by reheating and adding the spinach then?
I panic if I have to do too much on the day of visitors.
Thanks.
Lauren Aloise
Yes, of course! You can even make the whole thing and then just warm it in a pan or in the microwave (that is very common in Spain). The spinach may lose its vibrant color, but it tastes great!
Gabe
I will definitely prepare this recipe. It's similar to one my abuela used to make, just fancier... 🙂
Lauren Aloise
Let me know how it turns out Gabe!
James Davies
Made this dish tonight based on your recipe. It was delicious. Very savory, but with brightness from the spinach and sherry vinegar. The vinegar is very important for this dish, as it provides the dominant flavor.
I didn't have enough spinach, so I tossed in some fresh sauted fava beans. A nice addition.
Anyway, thank you! I will make this again.
Lauren Aloise
Yum! A version with fava beans sounds amazing!
Jeremy
This worked out really well for us. Very tasty and not too spicy. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Lauren Aloise
Yay! That makes me happy, I love this recipe!
Ryan Zieman
Yum! Lauren, I'm definitely giving this a try. I love garbanzos, but always running out of ideas. Can you find the sherry vinegar in Madrid?
Lauren Aloise
Yes definitely! It comes from Jerez but is sold in all stores!
Isa
Please can you tell us what you mean by tomato sauce. Where I come from it means ketchup
Thanks
Lauren Aloise
Hello Isa! No, definitely not ketchup 🙂 Tomato sauce here refers to an Italian style tomato sauce-- the type you put on pasta. Hope that helps!
Isa
Completely. Thanks. I haven't seen others that include it and am keen to try yours
Maria
Today I made the recipe exactly like you posted it. Super tasty!!!! This is going to become a Friday staple.
Spanish student
Esta receta es muy muy buena, y su vegano !!! Recomiendo este plato a personas que están buscando una comida fácil y saludable.
Pop Spencer
A few years ago my wife and I travelled around Andalusia and went to Ronda. We walked around the old town on a very hot day, found a bar with tables outside in the shade and ordered a couple of cervezas. I looked at the menu and remembered my Spanish Auntie mentioning Espinocas when I asked her about vegetarian meals in Spain, so I took a chance and ordered two Espinacos con Garbanzos. That cold beer and tapas is one of our abiding memories of many times spent in Spain, such a delicious dish. In the evening we had a meal in a pasta restaurant, watching from our table, as the dusk came, the lights coming on and illuminating the new bridge. My wife still refers to it as her dream day. I have made espinocas myself many times since.
Lauren Aloise
What a lovely story! Thanks for sharing Pop!
Maria
I will be trying this recipe. I did not have spinach nor chickpeas today, but I made the garlic-bread-almond-tomato sauce, added white cooking wine instead of the vinager, and simmered hake fillets and roasted red peppers in it. I loved the taste. My husband is not a fan of sauces, but today he cleaned up the plate with bread.
Lauren Aloise
Ohhh! So happy to hear it!
Sunny
Thank you for the recipe Lauren. I made this dish today and it was delicious. My guests wiped the pot clean in minutes 🙂 The paste with 2 slices of bread was a bit thick so I had to add a cup and a half of water to balance it (to match it with the photo above). For next time I think I'll put less bread and less cumin.
Harsh
Lauren Aloise
So glad you enjoyed! My bread slices were from a baguette, so quite small. But adding the water definitely works!
Sunny
Ah, that explains it. Mine were from a much bigger loaf. Thanks for the clarification!
Judy
This is exactly the recipe that I've been looking for! We ate this many times at our local tapas bar in Nervión on our trip to Sevilla this past September. We're recreating our favorite Spanish dishes tonight for an Xmas Eve dinner and I think your recipe will be a hit. I just made it (a double batch) and it's mmmm... Thanks!
Lauren Aloise
So happy to hear it! It's such a delicious dish 🙂
Elizabeth
It's great! I'm living in Sevilla for 9 months and finding it a bit challenging to figure out what and how to cook. Thank you so much for this easy and delicious recipe!
Lauren Aloise
Hope it turns out well!
Maggie
Mmm. I definately want to try this - looks scummy. Can you clarify what you mean by "tomato sauce"? Ketchup?
Laura Alpanseque
Hi, I'm from Seville, definitely not ketchup!!!!! In Sevilla we use a fried tomato sauce, but probably you won't find it so instead you can add a bit of pasata for example.
Kirstie
I got really into garbanzos while I was in Spain and often just had garbanzos with tomate frito, but that's gotten a bit boring, so this looks like it would really spice things up!
Lauren Aloise
It is so delicious!
Trevor Huxham
Mmmmmm this sounds delicious, healthy, and easy to make! I loved those tidbits about this dish’s ancient roots in Phoenicia and Persia. Will be making this when I move back to Spain in the fall—thanks for the recipe!
Lauren Aloise
You're welcome! Have you ever had it in Seville?
Trevor Huxham
No, I never tried it in town :/ (I also only ever visited in April and October, not necessarily chilly months).
Smriti Rhodes
We went to Sevilla this summer and this was one of our favorite dishes! Can't wait t try this tonight.