Espinacas Con Garbanzos (Spinach and Garbanzos)

This is a simple tale about a girl and her love of garbanzos. After making hummus about a month back, starting with raw beans and not the canned sort, I have made it my mission to find recipes and make as many things as I can that feature the garbanzo. I'm in love! Other than the aforementioned hummus, which I only discovered about a year ago, salads, and a few scattered about with minor supporting roles in a soup, I've never made real use of them. I guess I never saw their potential before now. Well that has that changed. My eyes have been opened to the possibilities of this glorious bean. You know how the old saying goes, "Once you go bean, you never go back." Or something like that.


I soaked the beans for a few hours, maybe four. I find the process of soaking the beans overnight breaks down the quality of the bean too much for my liking. If you're using a slow cooker to cook your beans, you can bypass the soaking method altogether. Break the rules! As many as you can without getting arrested. Especially when it comes to cooking.
















Wash and Drain Spinach
















Espinacas con garbanzos (Spinach and Garbanzos)

Recipe courtesy and adapted slightly from: Smittenkitchen



1/2 pound (8 oz.) dried chickpeas, cooked until tender or two 15-ounce cans of low-sodium chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound (450 grams) spinach, washed
1/2 cup (4 ounces) tomato sauce, canned is perfect
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of red pepper flakes
1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Lemon juice, to taste

Place a large sauté pan over medium heat, allow to get warm before adding olive oil. When pan has warmed, add three tablespoons olive oil. When it is hot, add the spinach with a pinch of salt (In two batches, if needed) and stir well. Remove when the leaves have just wilted, drain and set aside.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, add the garlic, cumin and pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute, or until the garlic has slightly browned.

Add vinegar to pan, Add drained chickpeas and tomato sauce. Stir until the chickpeas have heated through and absored the liquid. Season with salt and pepper.

If the consistency is too thick, add a little water. Add the spinach to pan and and cook until it is hot. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Serve with paprika on top. You can also serve this over fried bread.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over top before serving. *Optional.