This healthy side dish is excellent.
Sometimes I’ll make it for a quick and easy lunch at home. Or I’ll make it to complement the main course at dinnertime.
(It goes great with my Mashed Potato Bake with Mozzarella and Parmesan.)
Garbanzo Bean Options
If you have the time, I recommend frying the garbanzo beans in the skillet before adding them to the spinach. The beans will get slightly crispy and bring great texture to dish, especially if you’re a fan of adding a little excitement to the (sometimes bland) texture of sautéed spinach.
If you’re in a hurry, merely straining the chickpeas and tossing them into the spinach is still delicious.
No matter what garbanzo bean option you choose, this versatile side is a great way to add some protein and veggies to lunch or dinner.
Make Sautéed Garbanzo Beans and Spinach!
Make my Sautéed Garbanzo Beans and Spinach the next time you need a healthy side, or a light lunch. It’s a great way to work additional greens and protein into any meal.
Sautéed Spinach and Garbanzo Beans
Ingredients
For the chickpeas:
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas, drained
- ½ tsp sea salt, (omit the salt if not frying the chickpeas)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil, (omit the oil if not frying the chickpeas)
For the "broth":
- ⅓ cup water
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion salt
For the spinach:
- 7 oz spinach, fresh
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- Parmesan, freshly ground or grated (optional)
Instructions
Make the chickpeas
- Place the olive oil, salt, and drained chickpeas in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat for 12-18 minutes, flipping occasionally to keep the chickpeas from sticking to the bottom of the pan, and to give the chickpeas a chance to brown on all sides.
- Chickpeas are done once all the liquid in the pan is absorbed, and the chickpeas turn golden brown.
Make the "broth"
- While the chickpeas cook, make the "broth" for the spinach.
- Simply whisk the water, salt, garlic powder, and onion salt together in a measuring cup or small bowl. Set aside until the chickpeas finish cooking.
Sauté the spinach
- Once the chickpeas finish cooking, set them aside.
- Note: you can cook the spinach in the same skillet you cooked the chickpeas in, but the chickpea remnants in the pan will then be in the spinach. If this bothers you, clean the skillet out first, or use a different pan to sauté the spinach.
- Add the spinach and olive oil to the skillet. Turn the heat on to medium, then pour the broth mixture over the spinach.
- Once the spinach begins to wilt down, use a spatula to toss the spinach, oil, and broth together.
- Let the spinach cook for 4-6 minutes, tossing often. The spinach is done when it has wilted down, turns dark green, and is no longer crunchy. There will still be a little liquid in the pan, and that's good.
Add the chickpeas
- Turn off the heat under the spinach, and add the chickpeas. Toss the chickpeas into the spinach until evenly distributed. Taste, and add a pinch more salt, if desired.
- If you opted not to fry the chickpeas, drain the can of chickpeas and mix just a pinch of salt into the chickpeas. Then add the chickpeas to the spinach.
Serve and enjoy
- Sprinkle freshly grated Parmesan (if desired) over the spinach and garbanzo beans before serving, or to each individual serving.
- Serve as a light lunch or side to just about any meal. This spinach pairs great with my Mashed Potato Bake with Mozzarella and Parmesan.
