Chickpea Stew
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You’ll love this hearty chickpea stew; it’s easy to make and requires inexpensive everyday ingredients. It’s a nourishing, healthy meal that nicely warms you up.
It’s absolutely delicious with some rice on the side or served with these crusty panini rolls. Everyone will be back for seconds, guaranteed!
As autumn is approaching quite fast here in London, I’m all about comforting, healthy meals. I’ve made this rich chickpea stew twice in a row, and I’m not even tired of it yet. It’s so warming and filling and definitely helps me with my end-of-summer blues.
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Inspired by my popular Mediterranean chickpea soup, this clever recipe uses basic ingredients: celery, carrots, onions, and garlic to get an essential, classic flavor base. It involves some chopping, but it’s worth it.
This mix of veggies and chickpeas is cooked in a rich, deliciously spiced tomato broth infused with paprika and oregano. And this creates a thick, flavorful stew perfect for some crusty bread to sop it all up! : )
And it’s vegan, gluten-free, inexpensive, and full of nutrients!
Double or triple the recipe, and make a big batch because this is one of those better stews the next day. It freezes beautifully, too!
List of the ingredients
- Chickpeas
- Canned tomatoes
- Onion, carrot, celery
- Garlic
- Paprika
- Oregano
- Chilli flakes
- Olive oil
- Bay leaf
- Parsley
- Salt & pepper
How to make chickpea stew
(Note: this is a quick description with step by step photos; the full recipe is at the bottom of the page)
- Cook the diced vegetables in olive oil for at least 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, spices, oregano, and bay leaf.
- Stir in chickpeas and toss until coated.
- Add tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper and cook for 25 minutes.
- Let it cool slightly. Blend about 1 cup of the mixture, return it to the pot, and stir to combine. This step is optional, but it gives the mixture a richer texture.
- Stir in the parsley and taste to make sure you’re happy with the seasoning.
- Serve it with warm, crusty bread, and enjoy!
Recipe notes & tips
Chickpea stew ingredients
Vegetables: this is the classic flavor base made with carrots, onion, celery, and garlic. Don’t skip this step, but feel free to add more carrots to make the stew more filling (but remember to adjust the proportion of liquid accordingly).
Chickpeas: 2 cans of protein-packed chickpeas, rinsed and drained. If you use dry chickpeas, measure about 1 ⅓ (approx 230 grams) and make sure you soak and cook them before adding them to the recipe.
White beans (such as cannellini or Great Northerns) would also work here.
Canned tomatoes: good-quality whole, diced, or crushed tomatoes work fine.
Spices and herbs: I think you’ll love the subtle depth of flavor that paprika, chili flakes and oregano bring to this chickpea stew. The amount of of chilli flakes is quite mild, so feel free to add more if you would like the stew to have a noticeable kick.
Broth: you can use low-sodium vegetable broth or water for this recipe.
You’re also welcome to use either regular vegetable or chicken broth, but it’s important to adjust the seasoning accordingly at the end as you don’t know how strong the salt from the broth is.
Tips
- Don’t stir too often: Stirring while the mixture simmers will remove the peels from the chickpeas, making the stew a bit messy. No worries, that might affect only the way it looks, not the flavor. ; )
- Texture: For a thicker texture, remove 1 cup of the mixture, blend it separately, return it to the pot, and stir to combine. The stew will be more luscious!
- Season to taste: Let the stew rest a little before serving. If the stew is not too hot, you’ll be able to taste and adjust the seasoning properly. You might want to add an extra salt or black pepper pinch until the flavor pops.
Looking for more chickpea recipes?
I’ve got you covered with this collection of delicious chickpea recipes to make the most of this healthy, delicious, and convenient pantry staple .
Here are a few of my faves:
- Garlic chickpea soup
- Pasta with chickpeas
- Italian chickpea salad
- Chickpea bruschetta
- Smoky chickpea and lentil soup
- Tomato chickpea soup
If you make this easy, delicious chickpea stew, and if you have any questions, let me know! Leave a comment, send me a message, or rate it. I would love to hear from you!
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Chickpea stew
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 large carrot, diced
- 1 large celery rib, diced
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- ½ Tbsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp chili flakes (use ¼ tsp if you prefer less spicy)
- 2 cans (14oz – 400 grams each) chickpeas, drained
- 1 can (14oz-400 grams) canned tomatoes (diced, crushed or whole tomatoes)
- 1 ½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water
- ¾ tsp fine salt, plus more to taste (see notes)
- ⅛ tsp ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- 3 Tbsp parsley leaves and tender stems, chopped
Instructions
- Warm 1 Tbsp of the olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Once the oil is shimmering, add the diced onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring often, until the onion has softened and become translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add ½ Tbsp of olive oil, garlic, paprika, oregano, and chili flakes. Cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute, until the vegetables are coated with paprika and the mixture is aromatic. Stir in the drained chickpeas and cook for another minute to enhance the flavor.
- Stir in the canned tomatoes with their juice and the liquid (broth, water, or chickpea liquid), add salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cover the pot. Cook for 25 minutes, stirring only occasionally.
- Turn the heat off, let it cool slightly, and then transfer 1 cup of the mixture to a blender. Puree until smooth, then return the blended stew to the pot. Alternatively, you can use a stick blender to give it a quick whizz. This step is optional, but it improves the texture of the stew.
- Finally, add the chopped parsley and taste to ensure you're happy with the seasoning. If you prefer a spicer stew, you might want to add an extra pinch of salt, pepper, or even chili flakes.
- Serve warm with crusty bread or some white or whole-grain rice on the side.
Look yummy…making it for my husband’s brother and his sister, as well as their kids.
That’s lovely to hear! Enjoy it. x
step three says to cook the chickpeas. it doesn’t say for how many minutes. could you please update this?
Hi there! : )
Step 3 says to cook for another minute, it’s just to mix them with the spices. x
Hi! Haven’t tried this yet. I’m sure it’s delicious! I just wondered if you thought this could be thrown in a crockpot on a workday? Would the chickpeas do well in a slow cooker? Thanks in advance for the advice!
Hi Jennifer. I think canned chickpeas are fine, but I’ve never tested this recipe in a crockpot, I can’t give you instructions unfortunately. Sorry if I can’t be more precise. x
This is exactly the recipe I was looking for tonight. Thank you!
Thank you, Kathleen, I’m so pleased to hear that : )