Chickpea Stew

Chickpeas are delicious in all shapes and forms; from chickpea muffins and pancakes to frittatas and chickpea curry, we’ve got plenty of chickpea recipes on this blog for all needs and occasions.

This chickpea stew recipe, in particular, is one you can put together casually for a quick and tasty weeknight dinner.

You’ll only need a few spices and staple ingredients, one pot, and about 30 minutes of cooking time.

And the result is incredible! A flavorful, creamy, nourishing home-cooked meal that is hard to beat. The whole family will love it; we promise!

Serve the stew with any grain of your choice or with a thick slice of toasted artisanal bread. You can even put it on our cauliflower rice if you want a lighter dinner.

Dietary notes: the recipe is vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and nut-free.

Flavor base

We start this recipe with a quick and simple flavor base with coarsely chopped onion, celery, and carrot gently fried in extra virgin olive oil for a few minutes. We then add grated garlic and ginger and fry for one more minute.

This simple step at the start of the recipe makes a real difference in taste and flavor depth.

Spices

For spices, we use ground cumin, turmeric, and red pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper).

You can substitute oregano, rosemary, sage, and bay leave for cumin and turmeric.

Chickpeas

Use canned chickpeas or dry chickpeas that you previously soaked for 12-24 hours and then boiled in water until tender – about 2 hours.

Substitute pinto beans, cranberry beans, black beans, red kidney beans, black-eyed peas, and white beans for chickpeas.

Sweet potato

A diced sweet potato adds sweetness and creaminess to the chickpea stew. It will also make the dish more fulfilling and nutritious.

Substitute regular potatoes, diced eggplants, broccoli, cauliflower florets, or mushrooms for sweet potatoes.

In addition, you can also add leafy greens and collard greens (without the thicker stems) to the stew 5 to 10 minutes before it’s ready so that they have the time to wild and get tender. Try spinach, Swiss chard, kale, and bok choi.

Diced tomatoes

You can use canned diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes.

You can substitute chopped ripe tomatoes if in season.

Parsley

We use chopped fresh parsley to garnish the meal and add freshness to cut through the warm spices. Cilantro is also terrific.

Optionally, you can add fresh mint, freshly squeezed lemon juice or lime juice, and a dollop of plain yogurt or dairy-free yogurt.

Salt and pepper

We use sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Warm up the olive oil in a large pot or dutch oven, then add coarsely chopped onion, celery, and carrot and fry them gently for 5 minutes.

Turn the heat down to low, add grated ginger, grated garlic, red pepper flakes, cumin, and turmeric and fry for 1 more minute, stirring often and toasting the spices until you smell their fragrant aroma.

Scrape the bottom of the pot with a spatula or wooden spoon if the spices stick to it.

Add canned tomatoes, a peeled sweet potato cut into bite-size pieces and drained and rinsed canned chickpeas, water, salt, and black pepper.

Stir, cover with a lid and bring to a boil, then crack the top open and simmer on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes or until the sweet potato is fork tender and the chickpea stew reaches your desired texture and consistency.

Taste and adjust for salt, then serve it in a bowl with freshly chopped parsley.

You can eat it with rice or other grains or serve it with toasted bread and flatbreads, including naan, roti, piadina, and pita.

You can add a dollop of plain yogurt or dairy-free yogurt and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Make this chickpea stew even more colorful and nutritious by adding spinach right off the package 5 minutes before the chickpea stew is ready.

Stir them in, allow them to wilt – it takes about 5 minutes – then serve the curry with your favorite grain or bread.

You can substitute spinach with other leafy greens such as chard, bok choi, and kale.

Chickpea soup

Turn this chickpea stew into a delicious Italian-inspired chickpea soup by adding some vegetable broth and replacing ginger, cumin, and turmeric with rosemary, bay leaves, and leek.

Check out our chickpea soup recipe. You’ll love it!

Moroccan chickpea stew

By changing up some spices, you can transform our chickpea stew into a delicious Moroccan chickpea stew.

The recipe instructions are the same; however, omit ginger, turmeric, and sweet potatoes.

Instead, add 1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika, and 1 teaspoon of Ras el hanout, a Moroccan spice blend made with cardamom, cumin, clove, cinnamon, nutmeg, mace, allspice, dry ginger, chili peppers, coriander seed, peppercorn, sweet and hot paprika, fenugreek, and dry turmeric.

If you don’t have Ras el hanout, you can use Garam Masala, which is surprisingly similar, although being Indian. Serve with rice or couscous, lemon, and fresh cilantro.

This chickpea stew is a weeknight-friendly easy dinner, and it pairs well with bread, grains, and veggies:

• Serve with grains, such as rice, barley, quinoa, farro, or couscous.
• Serve it with bread, such as this delicious focaccia bread, crostini, roti, piadina, naan, or toasted crusty bread. It’s a great way to sop up all the sauce leftovers!
• For a flavor-packed meal, use the leftovers in a wrap, such as this Italian flatbread topped with avocado spread, sour cream, or cucumber yogurt sauce.

Make ahead: chickpea stew is an excellent recipe to make ahead and use for meal prepping as it keeps well both in the fridge and freezer. Plus, its flavor improves a few hours after it’s made, so go ahead a make it in advance.

Refrigerator: let the stew cool down at room temperature, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Freezer: cool it down completely, then transfer it into a freezer-friendly container and freeze it for up to 6 months.

Thaw: defrost in the fridge over several hours or in the microwave.

Reheat: you can reheat chickpea stew in a pot on the stove top with a couple of tablespoons of water. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the microwave.

More chickpea recipes

If you love this chickpea stew, try one of these quick and easy chickpea recipes:

• Chickpea salad with fresh veggies and a glossy creamy mustard dressing.
• Vegan tuna: mashed chickpea salad ready in 15 minutes.
• Chickpea pasta salad: a picnic, potluck, and lunchbox-friendly meal.
• Chana Masala with chickpeas, tomato sauce, and an Indian spice mix.
• Roasted chickpeas in the oven, ready in just 20 minutes, and perfect as a salad topping.
• Quinoa chickpea salad: super easy salad in 15 minutes.
• Chickpea curry: a creamy and delicious Indian-inspired dish with full-fat coconut milk.

Here are some of our best easy dinners. Take your pick from these warming and wholesome one-pot recipes:

• Lentil curry: an easy curry recipe with a balanced spice mix and a creamy coconut sauce.
• Chickpea soup with Italian herbs and a rich tomato base pairs well with garlic-brushed bread.
• Italian bean stew with pinto beans and tomato sauce is a winter-friendly dinner idea.
• Easy lentil pasta: rich, rustic, and super creamy – an authentic Italian meal.
• Pasta Fagioli: a mix between a soup and a pasta dish with fresh herbs and Italian flavors.
• Italian Pasta e Ceci with ditalini pasta and tomato sauce, a family-friendly Sunday dinner idea.

For many more dinner ideas, check out our mains category page.