Spinach chickpea cakes, simple

Got some canned chickpeas? You need to make these simple spinach chickpea cakes – they’re so satisfying and ready in no time! This healthy chickpea recipe is great for lunch or dinner with some salad and hummus or tzatziki!

Simple Spinach Chickpea Cakes

We guess it’s a surprise to nobody that the one thing we filled our house with last month was paranoia and canned chickpeas. Well, canned, but the ones we got were in a jar. Not just the pantry, we've got some in the closet too. Not skeletons, chickpeas. Some under the bed, too. And behind the toilet. Chickpeas everywhere.

We mean, you can make everything you need in life using chickpeas…You can make hummus, you can make a salad, you can make blondies, you can make falafel, you can make a necklace, probably even toilet paper…everything.

How it comes together

We are not an inventor who knows how to make whipped cream out of chickpea’s sweat, so we took a more obvious path with our chickpeas. We made them into patties. Burgers, chickpea cakes, fritters, non-authentic falafels that people would spit on us if we call them that.

So, we rinsed and drained those chickpeas, which, after watching that video, we know is a rookie mistake…we could’ve used that snotty water to make myself some whipped cream.

We have to warn you, this next step seems pretty violent, but it is okay. In the next scene, you take out a fork or a masher and mash the soul out of those chickpeas until you get a thick, slightly chunky mix. It’s okay, because once rinsed and drained, canned chickpeas don’t feel a thing. You could also use an immersion blender if you’re a sensitive soul and want to get it over with quickly.

Next, you chop up some vegetables, you grate a lonely carrot, throw some magical dust or spices if you don’t have dust, crack two eggs and your fingers and then mix everything together. Mix, mix, mix and never, ever give up. You’re a machine. A food processor. Keep this in mind, while you’re mixing and your arm feels like it’s gonna fall off, because that’s the most exercise you’ve done in two weeks.

You’ll get a chunky, satisfying mixture, which you will want to eat, but we recommend you resist that urge, because Salmonella is still out there waiting for us to make a mistake and shake things up our digestive tract.

Then use your hands to shape the patties. Then cook them in a pan with oil on both sides until golden-brown. Then eat.

chickpea cakes back in 2020

Meal Prep

If we were to meal prep these, we would double the recipe as they were enough for 2 hungry people for two days. No more. You want spinach chickpea cakes on day 3? You’re left with memories. Yum, we're gonna have a memory for lunch today. And what are you going to order in the fancy restaurant called home?

Storing The Spinach Chickpea Cakes

Look at these pictures, you know why the chickpea patties look like they’ve seen better days? It’s because they have. It was the day before. Yes, honestly, these were best the first day. After that, they, like many other things that aren’t diamonds lose their charm and get dense and cold. If that happens – heat them up in the oven and they’re great again.

A friend of ours told us her mom always made uncooked falafels and froze them, we wonder whether these would work as well. Why not, right? What a fun TED talk, should definitely put it on our list.

Bonus tip: It’s a well-known fact that chickpea cakes are pretty social. They like to mix and mingle, walk around and don’t respect other’s boundaries, which, as we know, is currently frowned upon. Therefore, be fast. Catch them when they least expect it, put them in an airtight container and get them to the fridge. They get less active when they’re cold.

How To Serve The Spinach Chickpea Cakes

We usually love these with salad with whatever vegetables are in season, some garlic sauce or tzatziki and or hummus. SUPER simple, good and nutritious.

• Yield: 12
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 10 minutes
• Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• Bunch basil
• Bunch parsley
• 1 cup spinach
• 2 eggs*
• 1 carrot, grated
• ½ onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tbsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp black pepper
• oil for frying

Method

1. Mash chickpeas in a bowl thoroughly. Chop/grate all other vegetables finely. Add all ingredients to the bowl, except the oil and mix until combined.
2. Shape patties and fry in a non-stick pan on both sides at medium-high until golden-brown. You can also use a stainless steel pan, but you will need to add some more oil (make sure to test with a small amount of the mixture whether the oil is hot enough, before adding the first chickpea cakes).
3. Take out, we like to drain on a few sheets of paper towel. Then serve with a salad and hummus, this garlicky avocado sauce, or tzatziki.

Notes

*we originally shared the recipe with one egg only and it does work, but you will need to mash the chickpeas really, well. Many readers had suggested for years using one more egg and when we were updating the recipe, we did that, so that they hold perfectly and also for some added protein. If you only have one egg - mash well or blend the chickpeas before adding the finely chopped veggies.

The other change we made was using a stainless steel pan with more oil in it.