Perfect for meatless monday or any day of the week, this fresh and flavourful spiced chickpea stew has a juicy base of canned tomatoes, rich with fresh ginger, cinnamon, cumin and turmeric. A nourishing one pot plant-based dinner that comes together in 20 minutes of hands on time!
On a scale of 1 to 1000, how much do you love chickpeas? No contest, chickpeas are the MVP in this house for their versatility and, full disclosure, because my kids actually love them. We smash them into chickpea “tuna”. Simmer them in coconut curry. And yep, we make them into stew.
On a chilly day, there is nothing better than simmering a pot of warm chickpea stew, and letting the fragrance act upon your (my!) weary nervous system as a little cooking aromatherapy.
I took inspiration for this spiced chickpea stew from harira, a classic Moroccan stew of chickpeas and lentils…but this definitely isn’t harira. I mean, off the top, it’s vegan and there are no lentils or vermicelli. And I used harira spices – ginger, cinnamon and turmeric – as a base and then added plenty of cumin and coriander as well as fresh, not ground, ginger for a brighter, zippier flavour profile.
If you’ve been cooking my recipes for a while, you know I lean in HARD to herbs and spices…as a recipe developer, I love how they create complex and layered flavours that make plant-based recipes more exciting. And as a dietitian, I know they are packed with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals that help to support a healthier body.
You can serve this on its own as a one pot dinner, with some lovely bread on the side, or you can serve it over your favourite whole grain for bigger appetites. Plus, it freezes like a dream so you can batch prep for those days when you are DEFINITELY not cooking to help you avoid the takeout trap.
Love chickpeas as much as I do? I have an INCREDIBLE Spanish spinach and chickpea stew (and lots more legume recipes!) in Plant Magic, my latest plant-based cookbook.
How to make this spiced chickpea stew, step by step
Let’s talk canned versus dried chickpeas. I LOVE the flavour and texture of chickpeas soaked and cooked from scratch…but I always have canned chickpeas in the cupboard because I don’t always have the energy to batch cook chickpeas on the weekend. Canned chickpeas are just as nutritious…but the soaking and cooking have been done for you!
So grab those ingredients: canned or precooked chickpeas, yellow onion, fresh ginger and garlic, canned diced tomatoes, a small bunch of kale, Better than Bouillon veggie chicken concentrate (or broth), plus all the spices: paprika, cinnamon, coriander, turmeric, and cumin…plus oil and salt of course. Minus the spices, it’s just 7 ingredients!
Step One: Cook the kale stems, onion and ginger in oil over medium heat, for about 5-7 minutes, so they onion gets all glossy and starts to soften.
Step Two: Season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic and ALL the spices and stir constantly for one minute to help bloom the spices (they release more flavour!)
Step Three: Add the water and bouillon concentrate (or broth), chickpeas, and canned tomatoes and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes.
Step Four: Add the kale leaves and stir until it wilts, a minute or two. Taste and add more salt until it tastes amazing to you.
Hot tip: sometimes tomatoes can taste too, um, tomato-y. If that happens to you, try this: you can either add a ½ teaspoon of sugar to temper it, or try a tiny pinch of baking soda (only at the end of cooking?). Baking soda is alkaline, and neutralizes the acidity of tomatoes…but too much and the chickpeas will turn to mush. I learned this tip from Foodess!
Why chickpeas are so, so good for you
As a dietitian, I could not be more in love with beans and lentils for their slow-burn starchy carbohydrates, plant-based protein and incredible amounts of gut-loving fibre. And chickpeas are no exception:
- Just a half cup of canned chickpeas has about 5 grams of plant-based protein and 5 grams of fibre, making them a super filling and satisfying addition to any meal. Protein and fibre are also important for moderating blood sugar response at meal time.
- Chickpeas contain a combination of insoluble and soluble, fermentable fibres…meaning that they are both good for helping to regulate, ahem, elimination as well as feeding the gut microbiome.
- Chickpeas also boast plenty of vitamins and minerals, like iron, potassium, zinc, manganese and folate…although they’re not quite as high in these nutrients as lentils!
More nourishing chickpea recipes
- Double Chickpea Vegan Pot Pie
- Roasted Spaghetti Squash Dinner with Chickpeas and Pesto
- Mediterranean-Style Baby Potato Salad
- Easy Protein-Packed Chickpea Scramble
Spiced Tomato Chickpea Stew with Fresh Ginger
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 small bunch kale leaves and stems separated
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 1 inch piece fresh ginger minced
- 4 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon Vegetarian Chicken concentrate
- 1 cup water or swap BTB + water for vegetable broth
- 2 x 14 ounce cans chickpeas drained and rinsed
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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Finely chop the kale stems. Chop the kale leaves. Set aside.
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Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, kale stems and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is glossy and starting to soften, about 5-7 minutes.
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Season with salt and pepper, then add the garlic, paprika, coriander, cinnamon, cumin and turmeric and stir constantly for one minute.
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Next, add the tomatoes, water, bouillon concentrate and chickpeas and bring to a boil on high heat. Once boiling, return to medium heat and let it bubble away for 15 minutes to allow the flavours to meld.
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Wilt in the kale leaves, about 1-2 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper until it pops (I add about ¼ teaspoon)! Serve on its own, with bread on the side or over a cooked whole grain.
Notes
The post Spiced Tomato Chickpea Stew with Fresh Ginger appeared first on Desiree Nielsen.
