Spiced Chickpea and Spinach Pockets Recipe

Everyone has their go-to “can’t possibly dream of cooking” heat-and-eat meal; pouches of premade chana masala, available from brands like Tasty Bite and Maya Kaimal, are mine. These microwavable bundles are packed with flavor, deeply spiced, and just saucy enough—so much so that test kitchen director Chris Morocco couldn’t believe I hadn’t added a couple of extra ingredients to the mix myself before letting him try it. As such, all you really need to do is pour the warm chickpeas over rice to enjoy, but if you want to go the extra mile, a showering of cilantro, chopped raw red onion, crushed cashews, and/or a fried egg never hurt.

This preparation is for when I want to take it once step further, to transform the premade mixture into something that feels brand-new. Wilting a bit of spinach into the chana masala adds bulk and color, creating a filling perfect for spooning into the center of rounds of store-bought pizza dough. The resulting calzone-style pockets are cozy and filling, ideal with a cool yogurt sauce served on the side for dipping.

Cook’s Note: While you could absolutely sub in frozen spinach here if that’s what you have on hand, you’ll have to increase the greens’ cook time; you want to introduce as little liquid as possible to the filling to make sure the dough cooks through, and fresh spinach cooks down quickly to a drier consistency.