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Recipes
February 2022

Creamy Spinach and Chickpeas

By Shilpa Uskokovic

4.7

(45)

Creamy Spinach and Chickpeas recipe
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Micah Morton

Frozen greens are a meal-prep miracle—not only are they space-saving, they’re also infinitely more convenient than a large bunch of the fresh stuff. Here frozen spinach simmered in cream becomes a plush canvas for spiced chickpeas, fried shallots, and, for added punch, pickled peppers. —Shilpa Uskokovic, food editor

What you’ll need

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

1

Tbsp. vegetable oil

2

large shallots, thinly sliced

1

10-oz. package frozen spinach, thawed, drained

1

Tbsp. all-purpose flour

Kosher salt

¾

cup heavy cream, divided

1

15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed

¼

cup harissa paste (preferably New York Shuk)

½

cup giardiniera, coarsely chopped, or sliced pickled cherry peppers

¼

cup sliced pickled cherry peppers

½

cup store-bought fried shallots

Warm flatbread and lemon wedges (for serving)

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Cook shallots, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add spinach, flour, and a large pinch of salt; cook, stirring constantly, until flour is well combined, about 1 minute. Add ½ cup cream and ½ cup water and cook, stirring occasionally, until spinach is thick and creamy, about 4 minutes. Taste creamed spinach and season with more salt if needed.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, cook chickpeas, harissa paste, a large pinch of salt, and remaining ¼ cup cream in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring often, until sauce is clinging to chickpeas, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in giardiniera; taste and season with more salt if needed.

    Step 3

    Spoon creamed spinach into a large shallow bowl. Pile chickpea mixture over and top with pickled peppers, then fried shallots.

    Step 4

    Serve creamed spinach and chickpeas with warm flatbread and lemon wedges alongside for squeezing over.

Explore Bon AppétitDinnerMainEasyWeeknightVegetarianNut-FreeHealthyishHarissaSpinachLeafy GreensVegetableChickpeaBean