Moroccan Chickpea Comfort Stew
This Moroccan chickpea stew is wonderful made on the stove or in a slow cooker. The smell is amazing, and the taste is even better. My mom made this one night after a long hike, along with sweet potato biscuits and a fresh salad, and it was such a satisfying meal. When done in the slow cooker, the chickpeas expand and really suck up the rich flavors of the spices.
Servings: 6 bowls
Ingredients
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced (or 1/2 tsp ground ginger)*
- 1 cup carrots, chopped
- 1 cup zucchini, diced
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cumin, *
- 1/2 tsp turmeric, *
- 1/4 tsp paprika, *
- 1/2 tsp curry powder, optional replacement for other spices
- 28 oz diced tomatoes
- 2 cup vegetable stock, unsalted – or water
- pinch saffron, soaked in 1hot water, optional
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- pinch black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup apple, chopped – or pear
- 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped – or figs
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 1/2 cup chickpeas, cooked or canned
- 2 Tbsp fresh mint, minced, or parsley
- 2 Tbsp sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat until hot. Add the oil and onion, and saute until softened, then add the ginger (if you're using ground ginger, add it with the spices later). Add the carrot and zucchini, stir and cook for 2 minutes, or until they've just started to sweat.
- Add the cumin, curry, cinnamon, turmeric, paprika, and pepper and saute for a minute or two. Stir in the tomatoes, stock or water, saffron, salt, apple or pear, apricots, lemon zest and juice, and chickpeas. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 30 minutes.
- You can also saute the vegetables in a small pan, then transfer to a slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients. Turn to high heat until the stew gets to a simmer, then turn to low and leave for about 4 hours.
- Just before serving, stir in the mint or parsley, spoon into bowls and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.
Nutrition
Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 678mg | Potassium: 642mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 7100IU | Vitamin C: 42.9mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 6.3mg
