Chickpeas simmer in a spiced tomato sauce until they’ve taken on plenty of flavor. Spinach goes in at the end, so it softens while keeping its green color. Serve with yogurt and warm flatbread.
Chickpeas with tomato and leafy greens are a good fit for a meal where the pulses take center stage and bread soaks up the sauce. This is a Turkish-style chickpea dish, without claiming to be one definitive regional recipe: the exact spices and sauce thickness can vary from household to household. Here, onion and tomato paste make a savory base, while pul biber adds a mild, fruity warmth. You can adjust the amount of pepper flakes depending on how hot they are.
Take the time to cook the onion until soft, then fry the tomato paste briefly before adding the liquid. This takes away its raw taste and gives the base more depth. The chickpeas then simmer in tomato and water, soaking up the sauce without falling apart. Canned chickpeas are handy for a weeknight pot; rinse them first and drain them well. Dried chickpeas work too: soak and cook them until tender beforehand, and reserve some of the cooking liquid to thin the sauce if needed.
The spinach goes into the pot right at the end. The leaves wilt quickly, so they stay greener and softer than if they simmered for the whole cooking time. Use fresh spinach, washed and drained; you can remove the thick stems from larger leaves. Frozen leaf spinach is a useful alternative, but thaw it first and squeeze out any excess liquid so the tomato sauce doesn’t become watery. Stir the spinach into the hot chickpeas in batches, and take the pot off the heat as soon as it has all wilted.
Pul biber, also known as Aleppo pepper, is usually made from coarsely ground red pepper flakes with a warm, slightly fruity flavor. Products vary in heat and saltiness, so taste the sauce before adding extra salt. If you can’t find pul biber, use mild chili flakes and start with a smaller amount; the flavor won’t be exactly the same. A pinch of cumin adds extra earthy notes, but it isn’t intended here as a necessary substitute for the pepper.
Serve the stew with a spoonful of plain yogurt and warm flatbread or pide. The cool, slightly tart yogurt mellows the pepper, and the bread makes it easy to scoop up the tomato sauce. If you’d like to serve something else alongside it, choose a simple cucumber and tomato salad, without adding more spices to the stew itself. Once cooled, store any leftovers covered in the refrigerator and heat them through thoroughly in a pan; add a splash of water when reheating if the sauce has thickened.
Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 6–8 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the tomato paste, pul biber and cumin. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute, until the paste darkens and the spices are fragrant.
Add the chickpeas, passata, water, salt and a few twists of black pepper to the pan. Stir well and bring to a gentle boil.
Simmer the chickpeas uncovered for 20 minutes. Stir occasionally so the bottom doesn’t scorch. Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.
Stir the spinach into the hot stew in two or three batches. Cook for 2–3 minutes, until the leaves have just wilted, then take the pan off the heat.
Meanwhile, warm the pide or flatbread. Divide the chickpea stew among bowls and serve with a spoonful of yogurt and warm bread.
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