Christine @ Good & PlatedChickpeas and spinach simmered in coconut milk and Indian spices, Chana Saag is a delicious and hearty vegetarian dish.
Without a doubt, Chana Saag, is the #1 go-to meal in my house.
We love Indian food in my family and we are lucky to live in a place with many authentic Indian restaurants. So you may wonder, why with all the great takeout options nearby would I want to make Indian inspired meals at home?
Well there are two reasons: 1) Recreating flavors of my favorite meals at home is a hobby for me and 2) because dining out can be expensive!
Over the years I’ve made a few different Indian dishes at home, but this Chana Saag is the only one on a regular dinner rotation. It’s a one pot meal (yay for less dishes!). Because it’s vegetarian (vegan, if you don’t top it with yogurt), it’s super budget friendly. We love it so much that whenever I make it, I always prepare a double batch and freeze some for those nights when I don’t feel like cooking.
It’s also an amazing dish to prepare for a crowd. The ingredients scale really easily and everyone I’ve ever served it to has raved about it (and asked for the recipe!).
So here you go friends – enjoy!
What is Chana Saag?
Chana Saag is a classic dish from Northern India. The word “chana” means chickpea and “saag” refers to any kind of leafy greens (think spinach, kale, mustard greens etc). If you are trying to find something similar to this dish on an Indian restaurant’s menu, you might also see it listed as Chana Palak as “palak” specifically means spinach.
In terms of flavor, it’s a great introduction to Indian dishes. The chickpeas and spinach make it both hearty and healthy. The sauce is not particularly spicy and is nicely balanced out by the creamy coconut milk.
It’s also a really easy recipe to make. So if you are new to cooking with Indian spices at home, Chana Saag is a perfect first dish to try.
Chana Saag Ingredients
- Chickpeas: Also called garbanzo beans, chickpeas are a legume with a slightly nutty taste and creamy texture. After simmering in the sauce, they become even creamier and start to absorb some of the delicious seasonings in the dish.
- Spinach: This recipe calls for chopped, frozen spinach, which when cooked break down and add not only great nutrition but help to thicken the sauce.
- Spices: This recipe features a mix of curry powder, garam masala, turmeric, cumin, and ground coriander. Don’t be intimidated if you’ve never cooked with them before! These days all of these spices should be widely available in your grocery store. If you can’t find them in the regular spice aisle, many larger stores also have an “ethnic” food’s aisle where they will surely be.
- Yellow Onion, Garlic, Ginger: Rounding out the flavors are yellow onions, garlic and ginger, which are cooked just enough to lessen their raw bite.
- Roma Tomatoes: I like to use Roma tomatoes in this dish because they tend to be consistently sized. The tomatoes are essential for adding some acidity to the dish’s flavor profile, but are almost hidden. They are chopped and cooked until they break down nearly completely.
- Coconut Milk: Canned, full-fat coconut milk is key to getting the right flavor balance and consistency in the sauce.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, definitely! As noted above, “saag” just refers to “greens” so it’s perfectly acceptable to use something other than spinach. I also enjoy making it with kale. If possible, I would recommend using frozen chopped kale in the same proportions as the spinach called for in the recipe.
Yes, if you want to use fresh spinach you will need a little over 1 pound of fresh spinach leaves. You’ll want to make sure you chop them well before adding them to the pot, and you might need to simmer the dish a bit longer for them to break down enough to match the consistency that frozen spinach would provide.
Once cooled, I like to portion it out into freezer storage bags. I personally use quart sized freezer bags as I find this to be the perfect size for a single meal for my family, but any size you prefer will work.
You can, and I have in a pinch, but you might find that the dish is not as creamy so full-fat is always my preference.
Related Recipes
Looking for some accompaniments to make this a complete meal? I love serving this Chana Saag with some cooked brown rice or my Homemade Naan.
Print
Chana Saag
Chickpeas and spinach simmered in coconut milk and Indian spices, Chana Saag is a delicious and hearty vegetarian dish.
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- 3 roma tomatoes, diced
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon garam masala
- ½ tablespoon turmeric
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- ½ tablespoon coriander
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 10 oz. package frozen chopped spinach
- 1 15 oz. can chickpeas, drained
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 13oz. can full fat coconut milk
For serving:
- Cooked brown rice
- Naan
- Greek yogurt
Instructions
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Warm oil: Heat coconut oil in a large pot with a lid over medium heat.
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Cook onion, garlic and ginger: Add onion and sauté until soft, approximately 5-10 minutes. Then add garlic and ginger to and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
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Cook tomatoes: Add tomatoes, stir to combine and turn up the heat to medium-high. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently until the tomato has broken down into a thick sauce.
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Add spices: Reduce heat back to medium-low, add spices and salt and stir well. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently for 5 minutes to combine all the flavors and you have a thicker paste mixture.
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Add spinach and chickpeas: Add frozen spinach, chickpeas and water to the pot and stir to combine. Cover and simmer, stirring periodically until the spinach has thawed.
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Simmer: Turn up the heat to medium, add coconut milk and continue to simmer for at least 20 minutes, stirring periodically until sauce is thickened.
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Serve: Before serving, taste to see if the dish needs any additional salt. Serve with brown rice or naan and top with a dollop of greek yogurt if desired.
Notes
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to six months.
Nutrition information does not include brown rice, naan or greek yogurt.
- Prep Time: 0 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Category: Vegetarian
- Method: Stoptop
- Cuisine: Indian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 275
- Sugar: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 443.8 mg
- Fat: 19.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 20 g
- Protein: 7.5 g
- Cholesterol: 0 mg