Chickpea Stew Recipe (2024)

• 1.5 cups dried chickpeas
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 tbsp fennel seeds
• 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
• 1 tsp red chili flakes
• 2 cups chopped tomatoes
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1 cup short pasta (i used Italian couscous or fregola)
• 3 cups mustard greens or any dark leafy greens (baby kale, scarole, spinach, chard)
• 8 cups water + more as desired
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

US Customary - Metric

• Soak the dry chickpeas in a large bowl of cold water overnight, or in the morning for evening cooking.

  1.5 cups dried chickpeas

• Preheat a heavy bottom soup pot over medium heat and sautee the onion with a pinch of salt in a drizzle of olive oil until translucent.

  1 yellow onion

• Stir in the fennel seeds, chili flakes, garlic and rosemary. Toss to coat well and cook just until the garlic is fragrant (3 seconds or so). Add the chopped fresh tomatoes and cook just until they start releasing their juices.

  3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp red chili flakes, 2 sprigs rosemary, 2 cups chopped tomatoes

• Add the soaked chickpeas and the water and bring to a boil. Season with a good pinch of salt, cover with a lid and cook for one hour until the chickpeas have softened. Stir in the nutritional yeast if using and adjust seasonings with more salt if needed.

  1.5 cups dried chickpeas, 8 cups water, 2 tbsp nutritional yeast

• Remove about 5 ladles of the soup (making sure to get a little bit of everything) and transfer to a powerful blender. Puree until silky smooth and set aside.

• Meanwhile add the pasta to the simmering soup and stir well. Boil until al dente following the package directions and making sure to stir often to prevent sticking. Once the pasta is cooked add the pureed soup back into the pot and mix well to combine.

  1 cup short pasta

• Stir in whatever greens you are using and cook another minute or so just until wilted. Discard the rosemary sprigs and serve with vegan bread.

  3 cups mustard greens or any dark leafy greens

• The Greens -Any dark leafy greens that need using up from the fridge will work. I love using mustard greens, baby kale or spinach to boost up the micronutrient and fiber profile of the stew.
• Tomatoes - Use just enough fresh tomatoes to balance out the earthiness of the chickpeas with their mildly sweet aroma. (Avoid using tomato paste or canned tomatoes here unless you are after a very tomatoey broth of course, in which case go wild!)
• Pasta - I used toasted Italian couscous here but you can use a short shape pasta like orzo, little shells, elbows, pearled Israeli couscous or a gluten-free variety. Color outside the lines and maybe add in some dumplings, cooked rice, quinoa, barley or farro.
• Veggie Add Ins - This stew is already hearty but you can certainly add in more vegetables here. I'm thinking steamed green beans, any leftover roasted broccoli or cauliflower florets mixed in just before serving would be really lovely.
• Storage - Refrigerate any leftovers up to 5 days or freeze in lidded containers for 3 months. Thaw out overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on stovetop pr microwave oven.

Course: Stew

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: chickpea stew, plant based, vegan stew

Author: Florentina