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Chickpea Stew Recipe

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This delicious chickpea stew with chard is an incredibly hearty and flavorful vegetarian recipe.

It's full of spices - including cumin, turmeric, and paprika - which combine with the veggies to make this an excellent meal.

You can serve it on its own (it's a complete meal) or with some crusty bread or couscous.

It saves well in the refrigerator (it's even better the next day) and reheats easily - making it great for leftovers or meal prep.

Chickpea stew in a large dutch oven with a ladle.

Why You’ll Love this Vegan Chickpea Stew

This is such a great dish for a chilly day. If you like chickpeas and veggies, you’ll want to make this a go-to dish.

It does take a little bit to prep - I highly suggest having all your spices measured and ready to go before you start cooking.

This hearty chickpea stew is really well spiced. It’s full of flavor and is great on its own or served over rice. It's naturally vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free.

Ingredients for chickpea chard stew.

Chickpea Stew Ingredients

This vegan stew recipe calls for lots of spices and herbs - many of which are staple ingredients. They’re well worth it though as they build layers of flavor.

Canned Chickpeas - 2 (14.5 ounces) cans of chickpeas (also called garbanzo beans)

Canned Tomatoes - 1 (14.5 ounces) can of diced tomatoes

Stock - 1 cup of vegetable broth or stock

Vegetables - 1 medium yellow onion, 6 fresh garlic cloves, 1 large bunch of swiss chard (I used rainbow chard for a bit of color), and 1 red bell pepper.

Spices - 2 teaspoons of salt, 2 teaspoons of paprika, 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon of dried thyme, ½ teaspoon of ground black pepper.

Fresh Herbs - ¼ cup chopped cilantro, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, and 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Oil - 1 tablespoon olive oil

Optional - If you'd like to add a little more heat to this recipe, add in ½ teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper.

See the recipe card below for preparation instructions.

Chopped rainbow chard leaves and stems on a cutting board.
Chopped bell pepper, parsley, onion, basil, and garlic on a cutting board.

How to Make the Best Chickpea Stew Recipe

Heat oil in a large skillet or large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. 

Add the diced red pepper and diced chard stems (save the leaves for later) to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes.

Onion, chard stems, and bell pepper in a dutch oven.

Add the garlic, salt, paprika, cumin, turmeric, red pepper flakes, thyme, and black pepper. Sauté for 30 seconds. 

Spices on top of the onions and chard in a dutch oven.

Pour in the vegetable stock, can of diced tomatoes, and cans of chickpeas. Bring to a low bowl and reduce to low or medium heat to simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes. 

Chickpeas and diced tomatoes being added to the dutch oven.

Add the chard leaves, chopped cilantro, and chopped parsley. Stir till they are wilted then remove the pot from the heat. 

The chickpea stew simmering.

Stir in the lemon juice and serve immediately. 

The chickpea stew with chard after simmering.

More Hearty, Vegetarian Recipes 

If you love a veggie-heavy dish you’ll love these delicious recipes. These vegetarian dishes are all best in the fall and winter when the chilly nights call for a warm dinner.

Tips for Making this Recipe

Links on some posts are affiliate links and as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Substitutions - I used rainbow chard in this recipe (which is just Swiss chard in pretty colors), but this recipe would work with any substantial green - kale, spinach, mustard greens, or collard greens.

Recommended Tools - You can either make this recipe in a large, deep skillet, stockpot, or dutch oven.

Storing Tips - This recipe will keep for up to 4 days in the refrigerator, stored in an airtight container.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Connect with us on Instagram and share your photos or leave us a rating.

Yield: 6 servings

Chickpea Stew Recipe

Chickpea chard stew with tomatoes in a red dutch oven.

This vegetarian chickpea stew with chard is incredibly hearty and flavorful.

Prep Time 12 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 large bunch of swiss chard, leaves roughly chopped, stems diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 cup vegetable stock
  • 1 (14.5 ounces) can diced tomatoes
  • 2 (14.5 ounces) cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large skillet or stockpot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes. 
  2. Add the diced red pepper and diced chard stems (save the leaves for later) to the skillet and sauté for 2 minutes.
  3. Add the garlic, salt, paprika, cumin, turmeric, red pepper flakes, thyme, and black pepper. Sauté for 30 seconds. 
  4. Pour in the vegetable stock, can of diced tomatoes, and cans of chickpeas. Bring to a low bowl and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes with a lid on the pot.
  5. Add the chard leaves, chopped cilantro, and chopped parsley. Stir till they are wilted then remove the pot from the heat. 
  6. Stir in the lemon juice.
  7. Serve stew on its own, with some crusty bread, or over couscous.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 215Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1312mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 10gSugar: 8gProtein: 10g

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