Easy Chickpea and Vegetable Curry with Quinoa – made with coconut milk, spinach, basil, and mushrooms. The delicious curry is made with coconut milk, red curry paste, tomato paste, brown sugar, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and chili powder. Meatless, vegetarian, gluten free recipe.
I’ve been craving for a simple vegetarian dinner that I could just whip up in the matter of 30 minutes, and so this very simple chickpea vegetable curry recipe with quinoa was born. Let not the simplicity of this dish fool you, though: it is still a very filling veggie dish, and it rightfully deserves to be called a main course. You won’t go hungry after enjoying curry flavors, chickpeas, mushrooms, and spinach in a creamy coconut broth, on top of protein-rich quinoa.
By the way, my other meatless coconut curry favorites are these two: pumpkin, coconut and peanut butter curry and vegetarian pumpkin curry with chickpeas. They are as delicious as this chickpea and vegetable curry with spinach and mushrooms:
How to make chickpea and vegetable curry
- First, add coconut milk to a large skillet and bring to boil. Add the following ingredients: chickpeas, red curry paste, tomato paste, brown sugar, lemon juice, chili powder, basil. Stir until smooth.
- Next, add spinach, chopped green onions and sliced mushrooms to the skillet with the coconut milk mixture, bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked.
How to cook quinoa
- For each 1 cup of uncooked quinoa, use 2 cups of water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt.
- Add uncooked quinoa, salt and water to a large sauce pan.
- Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked and fluffy, about 15-20 minutes.
Recipe notes
- If you like your coconut curry a bit runny, add a little bit of water in the end to reach the desired consistency.
- If reheating the next day, you will likely have to add a touch of water to the coconut curry as it will thicken overnight in the refrigerator.
- To serve, place a scoop of quinoa into the middle of each plate. Top with chickpea and vegetable curry.
Easy Chickpea and Vegetable Curry with Quinoa - made with coconut milk, spinach, basil, and mushrooms. Meatless, vegetarian, gluten free recipe.
- 13.5 oz coconut milk from the can (400 mL)
- 15 oz chick peas , from the can
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 teaspoon red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1/4 lemon , squeezed
- 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon basil
- 6 oz spinach , cleaned
- 4 green onions , chopped
- 2 cups mushrooms , sliced
- salt to taste
- 1 cup quinoa , uncooked
- 2 cups water
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Heat coconut milk in a large pan until it boils and reduce heat to simmer. Add next 7 ingredients to the coconut milk: chickpeas, red curry paste, tomato paste, brown sugar, lemon juice, chili powder, basil. Mix everything together until even consistency.
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Add spinach, chopped green onions and sliced mushrooms to the coconut milk mixture, bring to boil, reduce to simmer. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes, until mushrooms are cooked, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.
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In a separate pan, combine 2 cups of water and 1 cup of quinoa. Bring to boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked and fluffy.
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To serve, place a scoop of quinoa into the middle of each plate. Top with chickpea curry.
fave recipe ever! can’t have curries with rice again… quinoa is so much better. i make this once a month – guests love it!
Thank you, Beth, for your comment! So glad you’ve enjoyed this recipe!
This is a favorite in our house. I have made it many times now and we love it more every time. I do cut the lemon juice to about 1/3 of what is called for just because I find it far too lemony otherwise. Thanks for this fabulous, healthy recipe!
Katie, you are very welcome! I am so happy that you have been enjoying this recipe! Thank you for stopping by and leaving your kind comment!
Hi Julia!
Thanks so much for the recipe! I love Indian and Thai food but have a hard time finding easy recipes. I’m curious which red curry paste you used. I have a hard time finding authentic ones. And not too spicy??? My kids are younger and I’m slowly opening their horizons 🙂
Thanks!
Marlen
Healthy, easy and tastes great! What’s not to love. The picture you took of it looks so pretty Julia, I’ve tried to present it similarly but it’s ended up mushy. Any tips on how you make it look so aesthetically pleasing?
Dried or fresh basil? Also I have bagged spinach. How much is “a bunch?”
This looks great! I just have two questions. Is the basil fresh or dried and what kind of mushrooms do you use? Oh and full fat coconut milk? Thanks 🙂
I’m in love with this recipe! I’ve been making it for at least 2 years now and enjoy it more every time. It’s so nice to have an easy vegetarian recipie that is great left over as well. Thanks so much !
You are very welcome! So glad to hear you’ve been enjoying this recipe! 🙂