Spicy Chickpea and Spinach Skillet

Pantry to plate in twenty-five minutes, entirely meatless, and filling enough that nobody asks where the meat is. Two short techniques carry it — blooming the spices, and cooking the tomato paste until it darkens. It is better the next day than the day you make it.

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 cans (15 oz each) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes
• ¾ cup vegetable broth
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 5 oz baby spinach (about 5 packed cups)
• ½ cup plain Greek yogurt
• Juice of half a lemon
• Crusty bread or warm pita, for serving

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Add the onion and cook 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
2. Add the garlic, cumin, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes. Cook 45 seconds, stirring constantly, until the spices smell toasted rather than raw.
3. Add the tomato paste and cook 2 minutes, stirring and pressing it into the pan, until it darkens from bright red to brick. This step is not optional — it's where most of the depth comes from.
4. Add the chickpeas, diced tomatoes, broth, and salt. Simmer 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened enough that a spoon dragged across the pan leaves a brief trail.
5. Using the back of the spoon, mash about a quarter of the chickpeas against the side of the pan. Stir through — this thickens the sauce and gives it body.
6. Add the spinach in handfuls, stirring until each batch wilts before adding more. Off heat, stir in the lemon juice.
7. Serve in bowls with a spoonful of yogurt, a drizzle of olive oil, and bread for scooping.

Substitutions

• White beans, butter beans, or lentils all work in place of chickpeas.
• Kale instead of spinach: add it with the tomatoes, since it needs 5–6 minutes rather than 1.
• Vegan: coconut yogurt, or skip the yogurt and finish with tahini thinned with lemon and water.
• Less heat: drop the red pepper flakes entirely; the smoked paprika still carries it.
• More substantial: stir in cooked rice or serve over couscous.

Storage and reheating

This gets better overnight. Refrigerate up to 5 days; reheat in a pan with a splash of water. Freezes well for 3 months, though the spinach softens further. One of the best make-ahead recipes here — make it Sunday, eat it Wednesday, and it will taste like you meant to.

Serving suggestions

Warm pita or crusty sourdough is the point. A fried or jammy egg on top makes it dinner for people who want more protein. Pickled red onions cut the richness nicely.