Chickpeas With Baby Spinach Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is spinach and chickpeas good for you? ›

Apart from being delicious (especially a day after it has been made), this dish really packs a nutritional punch. Both chickpeas and spinach are good sources of calcium and iron, plus chickpeas are also rich in protein, which most meat eaters are so concerned about you not getting enough of.

If you are using canned chickpeas, drain and rinse them with water to cut the sodium (salt) content by almost a half. Rinse well in cold water to make them easier to digest and less gas-producing.

Place the chickpeas in a large bowl and cover them with water by a good few inches then leave them overnight (8 to 24 hours). Quick soaking method. This takes only 1 hour before cooking. Put the chickpeas in a large pot and cover them with plenty of water, bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes.

Slow soaking dried chickpeas: Tip them into a bowl and cover with cold water, and use plenty of water as they will swell as they soak. Leave overnight or for 8-12 hours to absorb water and swell.

You can toss chickpeas with whole grains like farro or barley, or add chickpeas to salads for a plant-based protein boost. Chickpeas also work well in soups, like in the Daily Harvest Tomato + Zucchini Minestrone Soup.

Chickpeas are high in fiber, protein, and healthy fats and have a low GI. Potential benefits of chickpeas include helping control blood sugar, manage weight, and support heart and gut health. Chickpeas are versatile, so you can add them to many savory or sweet meals and snacks.

Indeed, unrinsed canned beans can be great from a culinary standpoint in dishes like this white bean soup, where the liquid adds a "starchy richness," as the recipe developer Sheela Prakash notes. Draining but not rinsing canned chickpeas can also make for very creamy homemade hummus.

Canned chickpeas are pre-cooked chickpeas. You can eat canned chickpeas straight out of the can! (Just be sure to rinse them off before chowing down to wash out excess sodium) Otherwise, you can roast them or turn them into any number of delicious dishes, like these here.

The honest answer—there's no difference between chickpeas and garbanzo beans. They're just two (of many) different names for the same type of pulse. (Pulses are basically seeds of legume plants.) The word chickpea doesn't come from chickens at all—it's an evolution of the plant's Latin name, cicer arietinum.

The chickpeas are sautéed with baking soda for a few minutes, before dumping in the water to simmer the chickpeas. The baking soda makes the water more alkaline, which softens the chickpeas more quickly by weakening their pectic bonds.

Do canned chickpeas need to be cooked? ›

Bulk up soups or stews with chickpeas

Soup might not sound like a complete meal, but add in some chickpeas, and you've got yourself a complete meal. Since canned chickpeas are already cooked, you can add them in toward the end of simmering for a firmer texture. Or, add them at the start so they soften up.

Also, because the skins are softer, the chickpeas cook faster. A negative side effect is that the chickpeas might overcook and get mushy. Also, too much baking soda will make the chickpeas taste funny, almost soapy. So don't add more than 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda per cup of dried chickpeas.

You'll know that the chickpeas are soaked well, when you try to pinch one between your nails and it goes right through without too much trouble. That's it! Drain, rinse (to wash out any phytic acid that leached into the soaking water), and pressure cook them as usual and add to any recipe you intended to make.

If you don't have time to soak your beans ahead of time, you can use this “quick soak” method, which shortens the overall cooking time. To quick soak beans: Pour the dry beans into a saucepan and cover them with 3 inches of water. Bring a boil, and let it boil for 5 minutes.

Place the bowl in the fridge and leave the chickpeas to soak overnight (anywhere from 8-24 hours). It's not recommended to soak chickpeas or other pulses in the fridge for much longer than 48 hours, as they may start to ferment. Drain the chickpeas, give them a quick rinse, and they're ready to cook (see below).

Chickpeas Promote Bone Health

Chickpeas contain calcium, iron and magnesium, all necessary minerals that promote healthy and strong bone structure. Therefore, incorporating them into your daily diet is an excellent way of preventing osteoporosis.

Chickpeas are high in dietary fiber, especially a soluble fiber called raffinose. The good bacteria in your gut breaks this down so your colon can digest it slowly. Studies have found that eating more chickpeas can help make bowel movements easier and more regular. They can help lower cholesterol.

Promote cardiovascular health

Chickpeas are naturally very low in sodium and are cholesterol-free. They're also a good source of polyunsaturated fats. Polyunsaturated fats especially help control (and reduce) your cholesterol levels which, in turn, decreases your risk of developing heart disease.

In fact, many registered dietitians say that if you eat canned chickpeas regularly, your body will actually see a myriad of health benefits. Between the plant-based protein, fiber, and even the complex carbohydrates that are within these tiny legumes, having chickpeas in your diet is ultimately a good health move.