Vegetarian Dish: Chickpea and Spinach Gratin Provençal
©Francois de Melogue François de Mélogue · Provencal Recipes · Side Dish · TasteThe inspiration for my recipe for Chickpea and Spinach Gratin is Richard Olney’s delicious classic cookbook Simple French Food. It is a traditional Provençal vegetarian preparation that is easy to make and will impress your friends. In keeping with the book’s title, this recipe is an easy preparation that does not use milk or cheese for the gratin. Instead, the rich flavour comes from eggs, ground almonds, and saffron. Please take a look at my video for this recipe.

Chickpea and Spinach Gratin
This vegetarian dish is made with chickpea and spinach gratin baked in breadcrumbs and drizzled in olive oil.
Equipment
- mortar and pestle or a food processor
Ingredients
- 2 quarts boiling water
- 2 lbs baby spinach
- 12 Marcona almonds
- 1/2 tsp piment d’Espelette or piment d'Ville
- big pinch saffron threads
- pinch black pepper cracked
- 2 large hard-boiled eggs separated
- 2 cups chickpeas cooked **See how-to video in notes.
- 1/2 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Bring water to a rapid boil in a large stockpot and cook spinach for 3 minutes. You probably will not believe that all the spinach will fit into your pot, and you may even re-read the recipe to ensure you read it correctly. When the spinach is cooked, drain and keep BOTH the spinach and the spinach water. Reduce the spinach water in a pot over medium heat until 1 cup of liquid remains.
- With a mortar and pestle, pound the almonds until they are smooth and almost like peanut butter in consistency. Add the piment, saffron, and black pepper and continue beating until they are well incorporated into the mixture. Add the egg yolks and mix until smooth and well combined. Separately, slice the egg whites and reserve them. You can use a food processor if you do not have a mortar and pestle.
- Mix the spinach, spinach water, egg yolk mixture, egg whites, chickpeas, and tomato sauce in a large bowl. Taste and adjust seasoning to your preferences. Oil a 9X5 oval gratin dish with half the olive oil. Pour in the chickpea mixture. Top with breadcrumbs and drizzle the remaining olive oil over. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bubbling and golden brown on top.
Notes
** To learn how to cook dried chickpeas, watch this video.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Additional Gratin Recipes:
Cauliflower, Tomato, and Chèvre Gratin
The recipe below is a nod to the tastes of Provence with cauliflower, tomato, and goat cheese. It is a delicious side dish especially during the cooler months of the year.
Check out this recipe
Endives au Gratin
Au gratin dishes are traditional fare from northern France and the Haute Savoie. This recipe is easy to make and served with a green salad is perfect for lunch or a light dinner.
Check out this recipe
Cauliflower Gratin
If you are looking for an easy and delicious side dish to complete your meal you should try this recipe!
Check out this recipe
White Asparagus Gratin
Depending on availability and preference, you can use green or white asparagus. This dish is a terrific, tasty way to celebrate spring. It serves 2 as a main course or 4 as a side dish.
Check out this recipe
Provencal Tomatoes and Potatoes Gratin
Easy side dishes to accompany roasted meats or fish or even just a green salad
Check out this recipe
Legal
All rights reserved. Perfectly Provence articles and other content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten (including translations into other languages) or redistributed without written permission. For usage information, please contact us.
Syndication InformationAffiliate Information
As an Amazon Associate, this website earns from qualifying purchases. Some recipes, posts and pages may have affiliate links. If you purchase via these links, we receive a small commission that does not impact your price. Thank you in advance for supporting our work to maintain Perfectly Provence.
Related Provence Articles
Provencal Poischichade and Other Easy Appetizers
October 14, 2019
This summer when we were in Provence visiting family and pre-planning for our group tour, I noticed a developing trend for appetizers. The traditional black olive tapenade is of course always present. However, there is a movement to use alternative ingredients to create hummus-like dips, I call these spreads ades. Pick a commonly used ingredient …
Recipe for Spinach Stuffed Squid
August 5, 2016
She was surprised how easy it is to clean and prepare the squid. If you are unsure you can always ask your fishmonger to do the hard work for you. This recipe is actually very easy despite the many steps. …
Easy Pizza Alternative Spinach Tart
July 15, 2016
kitchen of Marc Heracle in Provence. It is a more traditional dish as it uses typical local products (olives, spinach, olive oil). This is a simple dish to make. You can serve as a starter or as a main with a big salad. …
Starter Pasta Recipe Mushroom Spinach Ricotta Cannelloni
June 25, 2018
Although we served this recipe as a starter, it could easily be the main course, if you increase the quantities. The trickiest part is stuffing the cannelloni shells with the mixture of mushrooms, spinach and cheese. Serve hot with a small side salad.…
No Comment