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Creamy Spinach and Chickpeas

5.0

(7)

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

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)

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.

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