Moroccan-Style Chickpea Stew

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Jasmine

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Today we’re kicking off a month of plant-based whole food recipes for January! First up, we have this tagine-inspired (since we’re not cooking this is a tagine), one pot Moroccan-style chickpea stew…

INGREDIENTS

Vegetables:

Chopped tomatoes (+ a little tomato paste, if they need to be bulked up)

Chickpeas (pre-cooked – canned or jarred)

Red pepper

Carrot

Sweet potato

Spinach

Aromatics & flavour:

Red onion (a small whole red onion or half a large one)

Garlic

Ras el hanout (a North African spice blend – this can be substituted with any or a combination of the following that you have on-hand: cumin, chilli flakes, cinnamon, ginger, ground coriander)

Tagine paste (this can be substituted with harissa paste if that’s more accessible for you)

Vegetable stock cube

Medjool Dates (I recommend ensuring these are source from ethical locations, otherwise raisins or dried apricot would also work)

Toppings:

Fresh herbs (I used a combination of parsley and coriander)

Pomegranate seeds

Toasted almond flakes (dry fry in a pan for a couple of minutes if yours are raw)

Serving suggestions:

I enjoyed this with some wild rice, but a microwavable mixed grain pouch is another great option for keeping this a simple one pot

TIPS & NOTES

This is a great one-pot packed with flavour, vibrant colours, nutritious ingredients and plenty of fibre. I tend to make it as a bulk one pot meal prep and eat it throughout the week. I find that the toppings really elevate things and add different textures, cutting through the richness and sweetness of the stew. Personally, I found this a little chunky when I just used finely chopped tomatoes, so I blended half of the tin, but this is completely optional and I’m sure some will prefer that kind of texture. Here, I served the stew alongside wild rice but it can be eaten alone, with quinoa, couscous or with a slice of bread; it’s pretty versatile. You can even feel free to switch up the vegetables in here depending on what you prefer and what you have access to, though I recommend incorporating some natural sweetness (yellow peppers, squash, aubergine and apricot would all work well). Just make sure you cut the vegetable with the longest cook time (for me, this was the sweet potato) into the smallest chunks so it cooks at the same rate as everything else.

Moroccan-style Chickpea Stew

  • Servings: 3-4
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Print

A simple but fragrant vegetable stew with North African flavours that's perfect for batch cooking

No special equipment or advance prep needed (blender may be recommended – see notes)


Ingredients

  • 2 cloves of garlic (chopped, pressed or grated)
  • 1 small red onion (finely diced)
    • * 1 tin (400g) of chopped tomatoes (optional – blend half of the tinned tomatoes)
  • 1 tbsp of tomato paste (optional)
  • 200g of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
  • 1 carrot (topped, tailed and cut into small chunks – peeling optional)
  • 1 red pepper (seeds and stem removed, cut into chunks)
  • 1 small / medium sweet potato (cut into small chunks – peeling optional)
  • 1-2 tsp of ras el hanout spice mix (depending on taste)
  • 1 tbsp of tagine paste
  • 2 Medjool dates (stone removed and chopped)
  • 80g of spinach (roughly chopped)
  • 1 vegetable stock cube
  • A small handful (c. 2g) of fresh parsley (de-stemmed)
  • A small handful (c. 2g) of fresh coriander (de-stemmed)
  • 1 tbsp of toasted almond flakes
  • 20g of pomegranate seeds
  • A drizzle of olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Blend half of the chopped tomatoes (optional) with the vegetable stock cube (or just crumble it in if you’re not using a blender)
  2. Over a medium heat, add a drizzle of olive oil to a lidded pot
  3. Add the garlic and onion, season with salt and pepper, add the ras el hanout and sauté for a couple of minutes until fragrant
  4. Add the carrot, red pepper and sweet potato chunks, season again and allow to cook for 7-10 minutes
  5. Add the tagine paste and the tomato / stock mixture, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to cook down for 15-20 minutes (stir occasionally)
  6. When the sweet potato is soft and cooked through, add the chickpeas and spinach, cover and cook until the spinach has wilted (3-5 minutes)
  7. Season once again if required and serve topped with the fresh parsley and coriander, pomegranate seeds and toasted almond flakes

Let me know if you try this completely plant-based Moroccan-inspired chickpea stew!

See how this recipe comes together here:

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