This Spicy Chickpea Stew is packed with hearty chickpeas, healthy spinach, and flavorful Moroccan spices. And it comes together in just 25 minutes, making it a perfect easy weeknight meal. Serve it over couscous for an easy, delicious vegetarian dinner!
Mina compensated me for the time spent developing and photographing this recipe. All opinions are my own.
Are you ready for a delicious and simple meatless meal? Well, you've come to the right place! This chickpea stew is:
- Hearty, healthy, and delicious.
- Packed with fresh Moroccan flavor.
- Ready in under 30 minutes.
- 100% vegetarian and vegan friendly!
While you're here, be sure to grab our FREE 5-Day Meatless Meal Plan. It's packed with tasty recipes to make vegetarian cooking easy and delicious!
Let's Spice Things Up
When I did my last reader survey, quite a few of you asked me to write more about the products I use everyday in my kitchen. Some people even requested that I take photos of the inside of my refrigerator. But trust me - you do not want to see that!
Although really, there's not that much to see. I keep a whole lot of fresh fruit and veggies on hand and then all the racks on the refrigerator door are jam packed with sauces and condiments. It's like a United Nations of hot sauces in my fridge.
I have definitely come a long way from the girl who grew up thinking that Tombstone frozen pizza was unbearably spicy. Now I like spicy foods!
I add hot sauce to so many dishes - sriracha on salad (don't knock it if you haven't tried it!), Cholula on tacos, harissa in soups. All hot sauces are not created equal and I've come to appreciate their wide variety of flavors. Hooray for hot sauces!
What is Harissa?
Harissa is a hot sauce that's often used in Tunisian and Moroccan food. It's a flavorful combination of chili peppers, garlic, olive oil, and spices.
I've found that different brands have different levels of heat - some just right, others almost unbearably hot. Some are thick like a paste, others are more saucy. Because there's such a wide variety in formulations for harissa, when you use it in a recipe, it's best to add a little, taste, then add more as needed.
When Mina Harissa asked me to develop a recipe using their products I was excited because their harissa is my favorite harissa. The spice level is perfect in their Spicy Harissa and I like the consistency of it too - it's more of a sauce than a paste.
(If you want to try it for yourself, you can buy Mina Harissa here!)
Mina Harissa is made with only 6 ingredients and it's all natural, so unlike a lot of other hot sauces, there are no preservatives or food coloring in it. A few teaspoons will perk up a soup or add a welcome kick to your next batch of roasted potatoes.
Some of my favorite ways to use harissa are these Vegan Eggplant Involtinis or these Oven Fries with Harissa Ketchup for dipping. Yum!
Tips & Tricks for Perfect Chickpea Stew
This stew is delicious on its own, but it's incredible when you add the harissa and a big squeeze of lemon juice. (So don't skip the lemon juice!)
The heat of the sauce is a slow one - at first, the stew doesn't seem spicy, but every spoonful gives you a little more heat. So add the spice with this in mind!
I used baby spinach for an added dose of protein and healthy greens. But you can also use kale - just trim the hard stems before adding to the dish.
This chickpea stew is delicious served over whole wheat couscous, rice,or quinoa. Experiment with your own favorite grains!
Related Recipes
If you love this chickpea stew, be sure to check out these other delicious ideas:
- Easy Eggplant Stew
- 66+ Vegetarian Chickpea Recipes
- Vegetarian Soups, Stews, & Chilis
- Savory Moroccan Couscous
- Jamaican Chickpea Stew
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 29 oz chickpeas canned, drained and rinsed
- 14.5 oz crushed tomatoes canned
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 tbsp harissa
- 6 oz baby spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
- lemon wedges for serving
- couscous or rice cooked, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add the onion and cook until softened, 5–7 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and cumin and cook for a minute, until fragrant.
- Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, and broth.
- Bring the stew to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes.
- Add the harissa and spinach to the pot and stir until the spinach has wilted.
- Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve over couscous or rice with lemon wedges.
Nicole says
My husband and I love chickpeas so I'm always looking for new ways to use them. This recipe immediately peaked my interest - minimal ingredients and on the table in less than 30 minutes. I didn't have Harissa so I used chili garlic sauce and added a little cumin to it. Delicious! Thank you for the recipe!
Jana says
Was looking for a good vegan recipe for this jar of harissa I purchased and I think I've found it! Thanks for the harissa chickpea stew idea.
Adrianna says
Harissa, Harissa, Harissa, Harissa... Love me some Harissa! Great recipe! In love with Moroccan food now.
Marina says
Just bought some harissa and this spicy harissa chickpea stew is on my list of dishes to make. Thanks for the wonderful harissa recipe.
Barbara says
Looking for recipes using harissa and found yours. Looks healthy and delicious. Will try my spicy harissa on with this. Thanks for the harissa recipe!
Kathy Lever says
Just made this....delicious!!
Cassandra says
I wasn't totally in love with the flavour profile. I think it could have had more kick. Maybe a blend of Indian spices would have kicked it up a notch.
KGL Staff says
I made these yesterday and they were SO good! The spinach was so flavorful and the tzatziki was perfect. My kids voted this their favorite quarantine meal so far!
Simon says
That's look so delicious, curious about it's taste.
Celeb Networth says
Thank you for the nice recipe, can't wait to try it!