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Chickpea & spinach pan with rice
Family kitchen · Main meals

Chickpea & spinach pan with rice

A jar of chickpeas turns a few ingredients into a warm meal. Tomatoes keep the pan juicy, and the rice can stay all on its own if preferred.

Hands-on
20 min
Total time
40 min
Base recipe
4 servings
Let’s cook

Protein · Iron · Folate

Why it works for children & what’s in it

Times are estimates for the base recipe. Larger quantities may take longer.

Step by step

Here’s how.

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Keep it simple today.

Cooked chickpeas and tinned tomatoes save preparation while the rice cooks alongside. For a quicker option, heat ready-cooked rice following its packet instructions and serve immediately.

What you can prepare ahead

Cook the chickpea mixture the day before and chill promptly. Reheat once within 48 hours. Cook fresh rice to go with it.

Got interrupted? Tick off each step as you finish, so you can find your place again here.

If there is room for it today

Helping is lovely. Watching is fine too.

Your child can rinse the chickpeas and squash some with a fork once cooled. This can be a little job at the table too.

It does not have to be a family cooking project. It is fine to do it yourself today.

Good things for your family table

Why it works for children.

Rice is familiar to many children. Soft, squashed chickpeas go well with the juicy sauce. Long spinach leaves are chopped, and there is no need to mix everything straight away.

The nutrients in these ingredients.

Protein
Here, from: Chickpeas

A building block children need for growth and for making body tissues.

About this nutrient
Iron
Here, from: Chickpeas

The body needs iron to carry oxygen in the blood.

About this nutrient
Folate
Here, from: Chickpeas and spinach

This B vitamin is needed to make new cells.

About this nutrient

These notes refer to the ingredients in the base recipe. The amount on the plate depends on preparation, portion size and swaps. Variety across the week makes the difference.

Make it yours.

The same weight of tinned chopped tomatoes can replace fresh tomatoes. Frozen spinach is useful too; follow its packet cooking time.

Feeling a little unsure?

Set aside a few soft cooked chickpeas before mixing and squash them. Rice, chickpeas and sauce can be tried separately. Garlic can be left out.

Keeping leftovers

Cool rice separately within 1 hour, refrigerate at 5 °C or below and eat within 24 hours. Refrigerate the chickpea mixture within 2 hours and eat within 48 hours. Reheat only once until steaming hot throughout. Do not keep leftovers from used children’s plates.

For younger eaters

Designed for family meals from age 3, not as a weaning recipe. Always adapt shape and texture to your child’s abilities. Cook hard pieces until soft or grate finely; cut up small round foods. Stay with your child while they eat. For known allergies, check ingredients and substitutions individually.

Good ideas are for sharing

Someone else might love this too.

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Our approach & sources

These recipes are ideas for family life with children aged 3 and up. Quantities are a guide, not a target to finish. Age, appetite and individual needs vary. Variety across the week matters; no single recipe covers every nutritional need.

Our general guidance draws on the recommendations below. These organisations have not reviewed or endorsed the individual recipes. Recipe development and editing: Pureli. Images are AI-generated serving suggestions.

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