Chickpea and Spinach Stew
Lightly mashed chickpeas simmered with tomatoes and finely chopped spinach. No added salt, and fully plant-based.
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 20 min
- total
- 30 min
- serves
- 4
- level
- easy
This comes together quickly from a couple of tins: chickpeas simmered with tomatoes, partly mashed for an easier texture, with spinach stirred in at the end.
Mashing some of the chickpeas is the one step that makes a real difference here, turning a stew built for an adult's teeth into something genuinely easy for a toddler to manage.
If your little one is still earlier in the journey, start with our Baby's First Foods guide.
Part of our 40 toddler meal ideas list.
method
Heat the olive oil in a pot, and cook the onion and garlic for 5 minutes, until softened.
Add the chickpeas and crushed tomatoes, and bring to a gentle simmer.
Simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, until the chickpeas are very soft.
Mash about half the chickpeas lightly with a fork or the back of a spoon, right in the pot, to thicken the stew and soften the texture.
Stir in the chopped spinach and paprika if using, and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until the spinach is wilted.
Let it cool to just warm before serving.
chef's tips
- Mashing part of the chickpeas is what gives this stew a softer, easier texture for a toddler, rather than leaving every chickpea whole.
- Chop the spinach finely before adding it; whole or large spinach leaves can be surprisingly tricky for a toddler to chew and swallow safely.
- No added salt is needed. Use a no-added-salt tin of crushed tomatoes if you can find one.
- This is a quick, fully plant-based option for a toddler lunch, and leftovers reheat well.