Easy Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala

January 26, 2019
FFOL Editor 1
Cooking & Baking

$4.10 recipe / $1.03 serving

This super easy, ultra creamy, and heavily spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala is my new favorite dinner! That spicy-creamy sauce is just so 👌that I have to sop up every last bit with a piece of naan. This dish comes together super fast, requires very little chopping, is insanely inexpensive, and holds up well in the fridge, so it’s great for meal prep! This one is going right into my weekly rotation. 🙂

Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala

A bowl full of Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala with a black spoon and torn piece of naan bread.

How to Serve the Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala

I’ve been eating my Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala with a piece of naan bread to scoop up that delicious sauce, but this dish would be equally as good over a bed of hot rice. Either way it’s creamy, spicy, and oh so delish!

Spicy or Not, Make it Your Own

You can adjust the heat of this sauce by increasing, decreasing, or even eliminating the amount of cayenne pepper in the spice mix. The amount listed below creates what I would call a “medium” spice level, but that’s extremely subjective, so take that with a grain of salt.

Make it Vegan

An easy sub for the heavy cream in this recipe would be full fat coconut milk (the stuff that comes in cans, NOT the dairy milk substitute). You can play around with the quantities, but I’d guess somewhere between 1/2 to 1 cup would work well.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala

This super easy, ultra creamy, and heavily spiced Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala will be your new favorite weeknight dinner! So much flavor, so little effort.

Keyword: Spicy, Vegetarian, Weeknight Dinner

Total Cost: $4.10 recipe / $1.03 serving

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 30 mins

Total Time: 40 mins

Servings: 4 About 1.25 cups each

Author: Beth M

Masala Spice Mix

2 Tbsp garam masala ($0.60)
1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)
1/2 tsp turmeric ($0.05)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika ($0.05)
1/4 tsp cayenne ($0.02)
1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
Freshly Cracked Pepper ($0.03)

Skillet Ingredients

1 yellow onion ($0.21)
3 cloves garlic ($0.24)
1/2 Tbsp grated fresh ginger ($0.15)
2 Tbsp olive oil ($0.32)
12 oz. frozen cauliflower florets ($1.00)
1 15oz. can chickpeas, drained ($0.49)
1 15oz. can tomato sauce* ($0.59)
1/4 cup water ($0.00)
1/3 cup heavy cream ($0.26)
salt to taste ($0.02)

In a small bowl, combine the spices for the masala spice mix (garam masala, cumin, turmeric, smoked paprika, cayenne, salt, and pepper).
Finely dice the onion, mince the garlic, and grate the ginger. Add all three to a large skillet along with the olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 3 minutes). Add the spice mix and continue to sauté for one more minute.
Add the frozen cauliflower florets to the skillet with the aromatics and spices, and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes more, or until the cauliflower have thawed through and are completely coated in spices.
Add the drained chickpeas, tomato sauce, and 1/4 cup water to the skillet. Stir to combine, then allow them to simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes. This will help mellow the acidity of the tomato sauce and allow the spices to blend. If the mixture becomes too dry as it simmers, add a couple more tablespoons of water.
After the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, turn off the heat and stir in the heavy cream. Give the masala a taste and add salt as needed. Serve in a bowl either over rice or with a piece of bread for dipping.

*For those living outside the United States, our “tomato sauce” is puréed cooked tomatoes with a little salt and sometimes a scant amount of onion powder. The closest product to this would probably be passata.

A wooden spoon scooping up some Cauliflower and Chickpea Masala out of a skillet

Step by Step Photos

Combine spices for masala spice mix

Begin by combining 2 Tbsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp salt, and some freshly cracked pepper in a small bowl.

Diced Onion Minced Garlic and Grated Ginger

Finely dice one yellow onion, mince three cloves of garlic and grate about 1/2 Tbsp fresh ginger (ginger is hard to measure, so this is flexible).

Saute onion garlic ginger and spices

Add the onion, garlic, and ginger to a large skillet with 2 Tbsp olive oil and sauté over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent (about 3 minutes). Add the spice mix and continue to sauté for one more minute.

Add Cauliflower Florets to Skillet

Add 12oz. frozen cauliflower florets to the skillet and continue to sauté until the cauliflower is thawed through and coated in spices.

Add Chickpeas and Tomato Sauce to Skillet

Next, add one 15oz. can chickpeas (drained), one 15oz. can tomato sauce, and about 1/4 cup water to the skillet. Stir to combine and then let the sauce simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the sauce starts to dry out as it simmers, add a couple more tablespoons of water.

Add Heavy Cream to Skillet