I didn't put my Crock-Pot away for summer (I am that obsessed), but I'm certainly rethinking how I use it now that fall is in the air. Okay, okay, them. Not just "it." Multiple Crock-Pots. I have three.
(Obsessed.)
The thing is, some folks think Crock-Pots are just for meat. Au contraire! Slow cooking is a terrific way to make vegetarian and vegan soups, stews, chilis and gobs of other delicious and hearty goodness (as evidenced here, here and here).
I especially love how recipes from cuisines that rely heavily on spices for flavor will shine in the Crock-Pot. All of those spices mingle and steep during those hours of cooking, developing and deepening into pure deliciousness. This vegan, slow-cooker Indian chickpea-potato dish is the perfect example of that!
Other than the long-ish list of spices, this recipe boasts a pretty simple list of ingredients. It comes together quickly - just a super-fast sauté of the onions, garlic and spices first, then you dump it all in the slow cooker and it bubbles away until dinnertime. Delish.
If your spice cabinet is on the bare side and you need to hit the store for some of the ingredients for this recipe, consider utilizing the bulk spice section in your local well-stocked supermarket. (It's one of my favorite aisles!) Chances are, you'll save a ton of money on spices.
Serve these up in a bowl alongside some warm grilled naan and a few lime slices for squeezing over the top. And then chalk up another point for the slow cooker!
Recipe
Equipment
- 3 quart or larger slow cooker
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced (about 2 cups)
- 2 medium cloves garlic minced (about 2 teaspoons)
- 2 teaspoons ground coriander
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 15 ounce diced tomatoes 1 can
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 30 ounces chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 cans
- 1 pound red potatoes cut into ½-inch dice
- 1 lime
- Small bunch fresh cilantro
Equipment:
Instructions
- Drizzle the olive oil into a large saute pan over medium heat and swirl to coat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, coriander, cumin, garam masala, ground ginger, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable broth. Stir until combined. Pour into the slow cooker, then stir in the chickpeas and potatoes.
- Cook on high for 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Ladle into bowls and serve with fresh cilantro and lime wedges for squeezing over the top.
Alissa says
I'm thinking all those spices simmering away in the slow cooker all day would make my house smell amazing! That alone is enough to get me to try it, but I'm a sucker for Indian food as well, so making this is pretty much a done deal, as far as I'm concerned. 🙂
Deborah @ Confessions of a Mother Runner says
Love chick peas!
Andrea says
we just harvested over 2,000 pounds of potatoes and chickpeas just so happen to be my favorite legume. Throw in some Indian spices and I'm a happy girl! Pinning this for later. I can almost smell your kitchen from Oregon!
Ordinary Blogger (Rivki Locker) says
Love the warm spices you use in this recipe. My kids really love chickpeas and I don't think of cooking with them often enough. Thanks for the inspiration.
Joanne says
I *gasp* gave my crock pot to my mother! And now I am REALLY regretting that action. Hopefully if I send her this recipe and hint HEAVILY then she will show up on my doorstep with a container of it!
Melanie says
Can you freeze after step 1 and throw in the crockpot later?
KV says
Do you soak the chicken peas overnight?
Robyn says
I made this yesterday. Put it on low while I was away working for the day. The flavor profile is great, I was just bummed at how dry it came out. Think I'll double the tomatoes next time and broth, or just try to cook it for less time? I wanted it to be all juicy like the picture to soak up with my naan.
Michele says
Thanks for your comment. I'm going to try this recipe, but certainly want it to turn out right in the end. In reviewing the ingredients, I can't see how 1 c liquid is enough. Maybe a misprint? There isn't enough liquid in 1 14-oz can of tomatoes to adequately augment the 1 c broth considering the 1 lb potatoes need liquid to cook in. I will try it with at least 2 c broth. Am also thinking that sauteed sliced portabella mushrooms would add both good flavor and liquid - not sure though! Hoping to try this; if I do, I will re-post.
Kare says
Slow cookersrequire much less liquid than many other cooking methods. That said, as you can see, at least one person had it turn out dry. If you know your slow cooker tends to need more liquid then you may indeed want to increase the quantity. Either way, I hope you love it!
Kare says
Hi there, thanks for your comment. Slow cookers can definitely vary. I have made this recipe several times as it is written and here at Oh My Veggies at least one other person tests the recipe as well before we publish it. I hope that simply adding a little more broth will help you better enjoy the recipe as you make it in your kitchen!
Jennfier says
This is delicious -- I am eating it right now. Thank you for the recipe!
Amanda says
I have these spices but was looking at doing something with Thai red curry paste. Would I be able to use it instead of the spices? Thanks.
Wendy Bullivant says
Have only just bought a 1.4l slow cooker, am vegetarian and live alone. So, my question is, if I halve the recipe because it is just for me, do I have to change the cooking times in the recipes, or stick to the same amount of time. Thank you and regards Wendy
joel sira says
add a half teaspoon of crushed cardamon seeds. Remove out shell of 5 or 6 seekds and pistle/mortar them.
Cook on high from 4-5 rather than 8-10
Serve with flavored basmati rice: Rinse and soak basmati raw rice for 20 min in cold water.
while its soaking:
for one minute, sizzle cook with a bayleaf or curry leaf, and a half teaspoon of cumin seed, then add proper amount of water, 2 pinches of threads of safron, and rice.
serve with toasted kronos masala naan
Rhonda says
This recipe is sooooooo good. I used fresh peppers and tomato from my garden instead of canned tomato. It was delicious. Served with naan bread from Whole Foods. I will definitely make this again. My slow cooker needed a few extra splashes of broth because I may have added too many potatoes.
Christina says
This was absolutely wonderful!! Unfortunately I didn't have any garam masala but I substituted Chinese 5-spice & thought it turned out great 🙂 Will definitely make this again after I find some gm. I did add another cup of water but mostly because I wanted it a bit more soupy than stew-y. Thanks for the fabulous recipe!!
Alex says
Just made this in a pressure cooker last night. Only change to the recipe would be that you should bloom your spices in the olive oil before adding the garlic and onion (to help distribute the flavor more evenly), then cook for 5 minutes under low pressure (10 psi). Quick steam release and everything comes out perfectly
Shannon says
Do you know the container count for the 21 day fix for this?
Cathy says
Hi
What is a yellow onion? I'm Australian
Alissa says
Just a regular old onion with pale brown skin and yellowish on the inside. In the U.S. it's the most common onion - I think it would be in Australia too. 🙂
Cathy says
Thank you
francine pinoni says
Thank you for this recipe Kare! I make a lot of bean-based meals in the crockpot so I wasn't expecting anything this special but WOAH! So much better then the others! So happy surprised. My husband: "how much spice is in this dish?" ALOT!! The spices were the best part! Thanks again!
Katie Trant says
Woot! We're glad you loved this recipe as much as we do!
Gail says
This was delicious. I made it and had it the second day. I reheated with a little veg broth and added a bunch of baby spinach and sprinkled nutritional yeast on top..I will be making this again!
Katie Trant says
Ooooh, nutritional yeast on top sounds divine. Thanks, Gail!
Alisa Haitoff says
This came out delish. I didn't have red potatoes so I used white and although not as colorful still yummy. I froze all of it in 3 quart size ziploc bags and can't wait to use them. Recipe is so easy and filled with goodness - thank you!