Super Simple Chana Masala

January 11, 2016 (updated November 8, 2018) 8 comments »

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Hearty and saucy with a kick of spice, you’re going to want to whip up my super simple chana masala recipe again and again!

Hearty and saucy with a kick of spice, you're going to want to whip up my super simple chana masala recipe again and again! (vegan & gluten-free)

One of my goals for the new year is to branch out in the kitchen a little more. Typically, my cuisines of choice are Italian, American and Mexican. I think it’s definitely time to change that, so I’m sharing a super simple Indian dish. Although, I don’t have very much experience with Indian meals, from what I’ve tried- I absolutely love traditional Indian spices; like curry, garam masala and turmeric. Next up- Tikka Masala!

Honestly, this super simple chana masala, although extremely delicious, is not an authentic chana masala. I wanted to use ingredients that we all have in our pantries. Who has time to search for amchoor powder, which is some sort of unripe green mango powder that’s apparently popular in Indian cuisine. You also will not find whole cumin seeds or ghee in this recipe. But you will find, a flavorful meal bursting with color that can cooked up in less than 30 minutes. I hope you’re good with that! 🙂

Now that my confession’s out of the way, let’s talk about all of the fabulous ways to serve this chana masala. There are literally countless possibilities for plating your chana masala. I took the easy route for this post and topped a rice quinoa mix from Seeds of Change (takes 90 seconds to cook!) with my chana masala.

I would love to try this one-skillet yumminess on:

warm naan or pita bread
over cauliflower rice
as a sweet potato topping, maybe with a dollop of Greek yogurt
in a lettuce wrap
dip-style with tortilla chips or crackers
and the list goes on and on.

For the record, the man in your life just might love this as much as you do. Mine did!! Unfortunately, I couldn’t get the kids on board, but you know how that is. You win some, you lose some….

Hearty and saucy with a kick of spice, you're going to want to whip up my super simple chana masala recipe again and again! (vegan & gluten-free)

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Super Simple Chana Masala

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 8

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 23

Hearty and saucy with a kick of spice, you're going to want to whip up my super simple chana masala recipe again and again!

Author: Kim

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil or olive oil
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (seeded as preferred to decrease spiciness)
2 teaspoons garam masala, substitute with curry, if that's what you have on-hand
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¾ teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 can, 28 ounces whole peeled tomatoes, with juices
2 cans, 15 ounces each chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 cups loosely packed fresh spinach leaves

Instructions

Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and pepper and continue to cook, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. While onion, garlic and pepper are softening begin adding spices (garam masala, cumin, ginger, turmeric and salt).
Add tomatoes, chickpeas and lemon juice; continue to cook until mixture comes to a boil. Break up large tomatoes as you're stirring mixture.
Add spinach, stir occasionally, until slightly wilted.