Curried Chickpeas and Kale

This easy weeknight Curried Chickpeas and Kale recipe is bursting with flavor and nutrition. Tasty enough for a light lunch or dinner, or serve over rice or couscous for a more filling meal.

I know it is only the middle of September and it is still hot out, but I am freaked out by how fast this year is flying by. I am ridiculously busy at work and we also have two upcoming vacations planned. Between work and vacation, I have the rest of the year planned out week by week, and there aren't a lot of weeks left!!

I am not  complaining about going on vacation twice in two months, I'm just saying it's all freaking me out. WINTER IS COMING.

With work being so busy and tiring, I find that I don't have a lot of mental energy left for the evenings. I am actually very glad I have this food blog because I find it very relaxing to work on the blog in the evenings.

But even though I have a food blog, I don't always love to cook elaborate meals. Most evenings after work I want to be able to cook dinner in 20 minutes and then sit down to relax.

Luckily I have a few basic go-to recipes that can be modified to use whatever ingredients I have on hand. And luckily I have chickpeas.

I made Ethiopian Chickpeas earlier this summer, and this time I modified the spices and the greens to make a dish with a totally different flavor - Curried Chickpeas and Kale. Very simple, very quick, but filling and delicious. And healthy. Winner winner, chickpea dinner! (That's NOT how the saying goes??)

This Curried Chickpeas and Kale recipe is very easy and the good part is there is just NO WAY you can mess this up. You start by cooking all the spices together in some olive oil. This will release all their lovely flavor and aroma. Then add the diced onion for a few minutes. Add the broth, chickpeas, and kale. Simmer for a few minutes to cook the kale leaves and further concentrate the flavor. Garnish with cilantro leaves for a pop of fresh color and flavor.

You can eat this on its own as a light lunch or dinner, or serve this with rice or some chicken. The chickpeas are flavorful and filling enough on their own, but they always play well with others.

I love cooking with kale because kale cooks down so much. 4 cups of kale cook down to a totally manageable amount in this recipe. Which means that I can eat so much more greens than if I was trying to eat a raw salad.

All the spices in this recipe also add some nutritional value to the dish - they are loaded with antioxidants. So you can enjoy this delicious curry chickpea dish and feel good about it!

Print Recipe

4.88 from 8 votes

Curried Chickpeas and Kale

This easy weeknight Curried Chickpeas and Kale recipe is bursting with flavor and nutrition. Tasty enough for a light lunch or dinner, or serve over rice or couscous for a more filling meal.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Cook Time20 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Indian

Servings: 2

Author: Kate

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds - (or ½ teaspoon ground cumin)
• 1 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ¼-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes - (to taste)
• 1 small yellow onion - , diced
• 1.5 cups vegetable broth
• 1 15-oz can chickpeas - , drained and rinsed
• 4 cups kale leaves - (removed from stalks), roughly chopped
• ¼-1/2 teaspoon salt - (to taste)
• 2-3 tablespoons cilantro leaves - , chopped

Instructions

• In a large skillet or wok, heat the olive oil and add all the spices - coriander, cumin, turmeric, garam masala, and red pepper flakes. Stir everything together to make a paste. Add the diced onion and stir to coat the onion in the spice mixture. Stir fry for about 3 minutes.

   
• Add the vegetable broth and the chickpeas. Bring the broth to a boil and stir in the kale leaves slowly as they starts to wilt. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue to cook for about 15 minutes, or until the kale is wilted and the liquid has reduced to about a third of the original volume.

   
• Remove from heat and stir in cilantro. Serve over rice, couscous, quinoa, or by itself as a side dish or light dinner.

   

Notes

This recipe can easily be doubled - just double every ingredient except for the vegetable broth. If it looks like there isn't enough liquid while the chickpeas and kale are cooking, add a half a cup to a full cup of water or vegetable broth.

Nutrition

Calories: 140kcal (7%) | Carbohydrates: 2g (1%) | Protein: 1g (2%) | Fat: 15g (23%) | Saturated Fat: 2g (10%) | Sodium: 299mg (12%) | Potassium: 43mg (1%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 1g (1%) | Vitamin A: 100IU (2%) | Calcium: 16mg (2%) | Iron: 1.2mg (7%)

The nutritional information displayed is an estimate and not to be used as dietary or nutritional advice. Consult a nutritionist or dietician for nutritional info based on the exact ingredients you use.