My family’s favorite chickpea stew is a hearty vegan stew, loaded with roasted cauliflowers, carrots, and tomatoes. The warm Mediterranean spice mixture deeply flavors this comforting vegan chickpea stew with notes of cumin, cinnamon and turmeric!
Serve it on top of quick-cooked couscous, or rice. And if nothing else, grab your favorite crusty bread to sop up all the goodness! Be sure to read through for my step-by-step tutorial and important tips.
Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew
Cauliflower and chickpea stew is the type of thing North African grandmas would throw in a clay pot and bake for hours until each vegetable is melting with flavor and goodness.
Not to worry! Today’s chickpea stew recipe takes just over an hour start-to-finish, and the result is just as hearty, delicious, and deeply flavored.
The gist: protein-packed chickpeas are combined with quick-roasted cauliflower, sweet carrots, and tomatoes, and flavored with a bold Mediterranean spice mixture of turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, sweet paprika and a hint of cardamom.
I know the spice combination has you thinking warm, deeply-flavored Moroccan chickpea stew, something like a tagine–you’re on the right track!
My family loves Moroccan lamb stew, but this vegan chickpea stew is a great way to enjoy the comfort of these warm flavors even in the absence of meat.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this chickpea stew recipe
– Spice Mixture: a bold, and warm combination of ground turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, sweet paprika and a hint of cardamom. I like to combine the spices together in a bowl before applying to my veggies and stew, this way, the flavors are distributed evenly. (Spices are available at our online shop here.)
– Vegetables: cauliflower and sweet carrots are the star hearty veggies in this stew. To get a head-start, and to coax out the natural sweetness of carrots and cauliflower, they’re roasted on high heat for about 25 minutes or so (after taking on a bit of the spice mixture.) Onions and garlic come in later to kick-start the stew.
– Chickpeas: you can absolutely use canned chickpeas here to save time. They’re tasty and loaded with nutrition. Just rinse and drain them well before using. (I’m never out of canned chickpeas because, outside of hummus, there are so many ways to use them!)
– Tomatoes: a good amount of chunky canned tomatoes is what gives this stew the liquid it needs, while adding umami and depth.
– Garnish: to finish this beautiful stew, a sprinkle of fresh parsley and some toasted nuts (either slivered almonds or pine nuts will work, and you can toast them stove-top with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.) The nuts are optional, but they due add texture and a welcomed nutty flavor.
How to Make Chickpea Stew: Step-by-Step
Step 1: Roast Cauliflower and Carrots
Crank up the oven heat to 475 degrees F. Toss your cauliflower and carrot pieces with salt, pepper, and about more than half of spice mixture ( turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, sweet paprika and a hint of cardamom.) A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve EVOO) will help you in making sure the veggies are well-coated with the seasonings.
Be sure to spread the cauliflower and carrots well on your lightly-oiled sheet pan. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until the veggies have softened and gained some color. (It’s okay if they still have some bite to them, there is more cooking yet.)
Step 2: Saute onions and garlic to start building your stew
Grab a nice large Dutch oven like this one (affiliate link). Heat up a little extra virgin olive oil till shimmering but not smoking. Saute onions for a brief 3 minutes, then add garlic and the remainder of the spice mixture. Stir for a couple minutes till nice and fragrant.
Step 3: Combine remaining stew ingredients with roasted vegetables & cook
Now add the chickpeas and canned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the roasted cauliflower and carrots.
Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover part-way (just allow a bit of room for the stew to breath) and cook for another 20 minutes or.
Be sure to check the stew, stir occasionally, and add a little water if needed.
Step 4: Garnish and Serve!
Remove from the heat and transfer to serving bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley and the toasted nuts.
What to Serve Along?
This chickpea stew makes a great vegetarian entree. And as with many soups and stews, you don’t need to add much else next to it. But it’s great served over quick-cooked couscous or Lebanese rice. Or grab pita or your favorite crusty bread to sop up all the goodness.
To start the meal, try a bright salad like Shriazi salad or fattoush.
Can you freeze chickpea stew?
This recipe makes enough to a small crowd of 6 or so. It will last well packed in a tight-lid container and refrigerated for 4 days or so.
And because there is no cream involved here, you can easily freeze leftover cooked chickpea stew. Be sure the stew is completely cooled before freezing in freezer-safe containers.
More one-p recipes to try:
Braised Eggplant and Chickpeas
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Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: serves up to 6
Description
My family’s favorite chickpea stew is loaded with beautiful roasted cauliflowers, carrots, and tomatoes. The warm Mediterranean spice mixture, including turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and paprika deeply flavors this comforting vegan chickpea stew.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground coriander
- 1 tsp Sweet paprika
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 tsp ground green cardamom
- 1 whole head cauliflower, divided into small florets
- 5 medium-sized bulk carrots, peeled, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
- Salt and pepper
- Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 14-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
- 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes with its juice
- 1/2 cup parsley leaves, stems removed, roughly chopped
- Toasted slivered almonds (optional)
- Toasted pine nuts (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
- In a small bowl, mix together the spices.
- Place the cauliflower florets and carrot pieces on a large lightly oiled baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Add a little more than 1/2 of the spice mixture. Drizzle generously with olive oil, then toss to make sure the spices evenly coat the cauliflower and carrots.
- Bake in the 475 degrees F heated-oven for 20 minutes or until the carrots and cauliflower soften and gain some color. Remove from the heat and set aside for now. Turn the oven off.
- In a large cast iron pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and saute for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and the remaining spices. Cook on medium-high for 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly.
- Now add the chickpeas and canned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the roasted cauliflower and carrots. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover part-way and cook for another 20 minutes. Be sure to check the stew, stir occasionally, and add a little water if needed.
- Remove from the heat and transfer to serving bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley and the toasted nuts (optional.) Enjoy hot over some quick-cooked couscous or with a side of warm pita bread.
Notes
- How to Serve this chickpea stew? This chickpea stew goes very well on top of quick-cooked couscous or Lebanese Rice. If nothing else, grab a piece of warm pita or some good crusty bread to sop up all the goodness.
- Leftovers? This recipe makes enough to a small crowd of 6 or so. It will last well packed in a tight-lid container and refrigerated for 4 days or so. And because there is no cream involved here, you can easily freeze leftover cooked chickpea stew. Be sure the stew is completely cooled before freezing in freezer-safe containers.
- Visit Our Online Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil and all-natural spices including turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, sweet paprika and cardamom.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 50 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2016 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit.
I made this dish tonight for my 12 and 13 year old sons and my husband. Everyone absolutely loved it and it is so healthy. We liked the heat from 1/2 the amount of cayenne. I was hoping for leftovers for lunch but there were none. Will absolutely make this again and may just use the spice mixture to do roasted veggies because they were amazing even before adding to the stew. Little bit of water was necessary -I used one can of water from the emptied chicpea can. WINNER
So glad this was such a hit, Sharon! Thanks for the great review!
I will try this Recipes
Very nice receipts
What if you only have dried garbanzo can I substitute for canned some way?
Sure! You would just need to cook them first. You can find some tips for that here. Enjoy!
Really enjoyable to cook and a very tasty end result.
As with many recipes, I made a few alterations: I added 3 finely chopped sticks of celery and 4 anchovy fillets with the garlic and spices. 10 minutes towards the end of cooking I added 4 cubes of frozen chopped spinach and half a cup of frozen peas.
Delish!
Thanks for sharing, Gary!
This recipe turned out good but I reduced the liquid in it a bit and added coconut milk and liked it a heck of a lot more. Added fresh cilantro at the end also. But I have a question why do bloggers nowadays write out how to make the recipe in excruciating details and then turn right around and give us the recipe that gives us the same information? It just means that you have to scroll and scroll and scroll to actually find the recipe that you want to print or follow. I just find it baffling.
Hi, Nancy. We’ve not tested this one with walnuts, but I don’t see why that wouldn’t work. If you give it a try, please stop back an share your thoughts!
Hi Millie, most recipe bloggers, including this one, have a button at the top of the page “Jump to recipe” so you can avoid all the superfluous filler!
Gary
A very tasty recipe that turned out perfectly. I added some feta which was also nice.
I made this with a few modifications for my vegan daughter in law. I omitted the cumin (can’t stand the stuff) and cardamom (I have whole cardamom and was too lazy to grind!). Halved the recipe and added chopped spinach near the end and served over some Lebanese rice. DELICIOUS!!! Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks for sharing, Annie! So glad you enjoyed it!
delish!!
p.s. don’t skip on toasted nuts, they bring so much texture!
I agree! Thanks, Natasha!
Delicious recipe. I didn’t have coriander or cardamom to hand but the flavours were so good anyway. I also used zucchini in place of carrots as that’s what I had in the fridge, and added some olives and someone else suggested in the comments. I let it simmer for – little longer than suggested and served over quinoa for dinner. Absolutely delicious, look forward to making again (with all the right ingredients next time!)
Thanks for sharing, Angela! So glad you enjoyed it!
Made this for dinner last night and what a wonderful, easy dish! I wasn’t too sure about the spice mixture, but went ahead and made it exactly as listed. The flavor was wonderful! This dish is very filling and satisfying–I found no need for bread or rice, but I did add some fresh sugar snap peas and celery sticks for some crispiness to go alongside. The veggies roast while the rest of the dish is being prepared so it comes together easily and quickly. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!
This is also great leftover for breakfast with a fried egg on top! Yum!
Oooo! Great idea! Thanks, Norma!
This recipe looks delicious Is there a substitute I can use for the chickpeas. Perhaps white beans or a kidney bean.. thank you. I have enjoyed so many of your other recipes and can wait to try this one.
Sure, Diane! I think either of those would be fine here.
Soooooo good !!! Another amazing dinner. LOVE the flavors. So comforting and tasty
Thanks, Barb!
Thank you! I have been making this recipe for a couple of years now. It freezes well for lunches and I have served on basmati rice cooked in coconut milk – the flavors are delicious!
That sounds like a wonderful combo, Susan! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for a delicious Vegan recipe! I’m trying to incorporate more in my day to day and this one is going into the weekly rotation!
Yay! I’m so glad to hear that!
I stepped out of my comfort zone and to my Surprise it was amazing. At first I didn’t taste the heat I’m glad I didn’t add anything else because it was just right.