This one-pot sweet potato chickpea spinach curry is incredibly hearty, cozy, and filling! Minimal effort required, this one-pot dish is ready in 30 minutes. A perfect meatless meal that your whole family will love.
No idea what to have for dinner? Well, you have to give this sweet potato chickpeas spinach curry a go! This meal is especially great if you are low on produce, as you most probably already have all these ingredients on hand.
I also love going all out sometimes and cooking up some chickpea pulao and cabbage Manchurian to pair with this incredible curry.
💚Why you will love this recipe
- The perfect filling, satisfying, and comforting cold weather meal
- Easy to make and only requires a handful of pantry ingredients
- Healthy, nutritious, and is allergen-friendly
- Great for meal prep - Stores well and is freezable too!
🍠What you will need
📃Notes/substitutions
- Chickpeas - You can either use store-bought canned chickpeas, or chickpeas cooked from scratch.
- Curry paste - I am using Thai red curry paste here, but yellow curry paste will work too!
- Spinach - Both fresh and frozen spinach will work. Let frozen ones thaw before using.
- Coconut milk - It is recommended to use full-fat canned coconut milk as they provide the most flavor, but you can use reduce fat or skimmed ones to make this sweet potato curry lower in calories.
- Oil-free - Use ¼ cup of broth or water instead of oil to saute aromatics and curry paste.
🔪How to make
Heat up about a tablespoon of olive oil (or other neutral oil) in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Once heated, place in onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until they are translucent.
Next, add garlic and curry paste. Fry for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
Add in the rest of the ingredients except spinach and bring the mixture to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until sweet potato cubes are soft and tender. You can add more broth or water if your curry is too thick.
Stir in spinach and cook until they have wilted. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!
✔Helpful tips
- Cut sweet potato into equal-sized chunks. This ensures that they cook evenly.
- Depending on the brand of curry paste, you might have to adjust the amount used. Some brands are spicier and/or saltier than others, hence I recommend starting with 3 tablespoons if you are unsure.
- If you prefer a soupier curry, increase the amount of water used, up to a cup.
- If you are planning to serve this sweet potato chickpeas spinach curry with rice, prepare and cook your rice while the curry is simmering to save time.
✨Variations
To make it spicier - Add in a generous pinch of chili flakes or chili powder. You can also slice up some chilies or Thai chilies and add them in along with the garlic and curry paste.
Lighter and lower calorie - Use reduced fat or skimmed coconut milk. Or, you can use other lower-calorie plant milk like soy or rice, and optionally, add in a few drops of coconut extract.
Sweet potato - Can be substituted with regular white potatoes, butternut squash, or even pumpkin.
Chickpeas - Feel free to use other beans in place, like butter beans, pinto beans, or cannellini beans. You could also use a block of cubed tofu or tempeh instead.
🍚How to serve
Although this sweet potato chickpea spinach curry is hearty enough to be a stand-alone meal, you can definitely spice things up and pair it with something else!
- Toppings - Add in some chopped peanuts or herbs for some extra flavor and texture, or a dollop of vegan yogurt for some extra creaminess.
- Rice - Freshly steamed rice and curries go hand in hand in my opinion! You could also do cauliflower or broccoli rice for a low-carb version.
- Bread - Traditional Indian bread like roti or paratha pairs wonderfully with this sweet potato chickpea spinach curry.
- Indian side dishes - Things like samosas, raita, soya chunks masala, or tandoori tofu are the perfect side dishes to pair with this curry.
❄Storing suggestions
Fridge - Leftover chickpea sweet potato curry can be refrigerated for 3-4 days.
Freezer - It is freezable too, and can be frozen for up to 2 months. Pre-portion curry into individual servings using containers or zip-top bags before freezing so you will only be taking out what you need.
Reheating - Let frozen curry thaw in the fridge overnight, or on the countertop for a few hours before heating it up on the stove. Or, you can thaw it using your microwave's "defrost" function, then microwave at 30 seconds spurts until curry is thoroughly warmed.
❔Commonly asked questions
Unfortunately, not all curry paste is vegan and some of them contain animal products like shrimp paste or fish sauce. So, do turn and read the ingredient list before purchasing.
There is some pretty good curry pastes out there that are vegan, like this Thai's Kitchen red curry paste.
This spinach chickpea curry is only mildly spicy and is tolerable by most. You can definitely dial up the spice by adding in a generous pinch of chili powder or fresh chilies.
Do bear in mind that the spice level of curry paste varies from brand to brand, so you can start with 3 tablespoons if unsure.
🍽More cozy vegan soups and stews
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📖 Recipe
Hearty Sweet Potato Chickpea Spinach Curry
Ingredients
- 1 medium red onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup red curry paste
- 1 14 oz can coconut milk full fat or trimmed, unsweetened
- 1 14 oz can diced tomato
- 1 15 oz can chickpeas (or about 1 ½ cups/250g cooked)
- ½ cup vegetable broth add more if needed
- 4 oz fresh baby spinach *
- 1 large sweet potato (about 0.5lb/250g)
Instructions
- Heat up about a tablespoon of olive oil (or other neutral oil) in a Dutch oven or soup pot. Once heated, place in onion and saute for 2-3 minutes until they are translucent.1 medium red onion
- Next, add in garlic and curry paste. Fry for another 1-2 minutes until fragrant.3 cloves garlic, ¼ cup red curry paste
- Add in rest of the ingredients except spinach and bring mixture to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 15-20 minutes, or until sweet potato cubes are soft and tender. You can add more broth or water if your curry is too thick.1 14 oz can coconut milk, 1 14 oz can diced tomato, 1 15 oz can chickpeas, ½ cup vegetable broth
- Stir in spinach and cook until they have wilted. Remove from heat, serve and enjoy!4 oz fresh baby spinach
Notes
- Depending on the brand of curry paste, you might have to adjust the amount used. Some brands are spicier and/or saltier than others, hence I recommend starting with 3 tablespoons if you are unsure.
- If you prefer a soupier curry, increase the amount of water used, up to a cup.
Reheating - Let frozen curry thaw in the fridge overnight, or on the countertop for a few hours before heating it up on the stove. Or, you can thaw it using your microwave's "defrost" function, then microwave at 30 seconds spurts until curry is thoroughly warmed.
Nutrition
Nutrition info calculated is just a rough estimate and is provided as a courtesy. Bear in mind that value will vary based on variables like specific brand or type of product used. To obtain the most accurate representation, it is highly recommended that you calculate it on your own with the actual amount and type of ingredient used.
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