Chickpea Chana Masala

This Indian-inspired chickpea chana masala is a great one-pot meal that can be made with simple pantry staples so you don’t need to worry about running to the grocery store to help get dinner on the table.

Although I am a total advocate for shopping regularly and using fresh ingredients, there are a few pantry items that I consider staples as they can help you create a really quick, easy, and inexpensive meal in very little time. I do my best to always keep things like canned tomatoes, beans, lentils, rice and oatmeal in the pantry to use a base for simple meals, as well as spices, onions, and garlic to help add a little flavor in a pinch. (I can handle a simple meal, but a bland meal I cannot.) Once combined these simple ingredients can create easy stews, soups, and curries in little time for very little cost, much like this vegetarian chickpea chana masala.

The term chana masala literally translates as “mix-spiced small-chickpeas”, so I’m not really reinventing the wheel with the name of this dish! Chana masala is typically made with chickpeas, tomatoes, a blend of spices, and a key ingredient called amchoor, however, because amchoor is not easily found for everyone, I’ve made my own version without it to help keep this chickpea chana masala recipe extra simple. Chana Masala is often served with some type of bread but I think paired with some fluffy rice it makes a great weeknight meal.

Chickpea Chana Masala

Author: Stephanie Kay

This vegetarian chickpea chana masala is made with simple pantry staples to create a healthy weeknight dinner ready in less than 30 minutes.

• Author: Stephanie Kay
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x
• Category: Curry
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Indian
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 2″ piece of ginger, peeled and grated
• 2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground chillies (or 1/2 teaspoon for less heat)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 can (28oz) diced tomatoes
• 2 cans (14oz) chickpeas, strained and rinsed
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• To Serve: Basmati rice and fresh coriander

Instructions

1. In a large pot on medium heat, warm the coconut oil.
2. Once warm, add the onion, garlic, and ginger and sauté over a medium heat for about 3-4 minutes until translucent.
3. Reduce the heat to low, add the coriander, turmeric, chillies, cumin, garam masala and sea salt and heat for another 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Add the diced tomatoes to the pot and stir well to combine with the spice mixture. Add in the chickpeas and stir to combine with tomato mixture.
5. Bring to a light boil and then reduce to a simmer for 20 minutes until sauce has reduced and thickened.
6. Remove from the heat, stir in lemon juice, sprinkle with fresh coriander and serve.
7. Enjoy!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Calories: 276 calories
• Sugar: 5 grams
• Fat: 8 grams
• Carbohydrates: 43 grams
• Fiber: 12 grams
• Protein: 13 grams

Keywords: canned chickpeas, easy, healthy