This Indian-spiced zucchini chickpea curry all bakes in a single pan! It’s a super easy, 2-step recipe that’s packed with amazing curry flavors.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 15 minutes
  • Cook time: 30 minutes
  • Total time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 4
  • Category: dinner, Main, Main Course
  • Cuisine: African, Indian

Ingredients

For the Zucchini

  • 2 teaspoons oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 medium zucchini (sliced into 1/4” slices or cubes)
  • 2 teaspoons hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sambal oelek (or other Asian chili garlic sauce, use less for less heat and less chili sauce flavor)

For the Spices

  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons garam masala
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Rest of the Curry

  • 2 tablespoons ginger garlic paste (or use 5 cloves of minced garlic and 1” of ginger, minced)
  • 8 ounces canned tomato puree (or use 2 tablespoons tomato paste)
  • 15 ounce can full fat coconut milk (or [adjustable]1.5 cups [/adjustable] thick non dairy milk)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 15 ounce can chickpeas (drained or [adjustable]1 1/2 cups [/adjustable] cooked chickpeas)
  • 1/2 cup frozen spinach (or more, to taste, or use chopped, well-packed spinach)
  • cilantro and lime juice (for garnish)

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 400° F (205° C). Use the oil to grease an 9x12” or similar-sized baking dish, and add the onion, zucchini, hot sauce, and sambal oelek, tossing well. Mix all the spices in a small bowl, and sprinkle all over the zucchini mixture, and then even out the onion and zucchini in the pan. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes.
  2. Remove the baking dish from the oven when the onions are translucent. Mix in the ginger garlic paste and tomato puree, then add in the rest of the ingredients (except garnish), and mix really well. Even it out with a spatula. Put the baking dish back in the oven to bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the sauce is boiling evenly and is thickening a little bit. Depending on your oven, this can take 30 minutes or so.
  3. Remove the baking dish from the oven, garnish with cilantro and lime juice. If the curry isn’t thick to your preference, mix in a few tablespoons of non dairy yogurt or nut butter while still hot. Serve with toasted sourdough, garlic bread, naan, flatbread or rice, Or with roasted veggies.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.