Spanish Chickpea Stew is a budget-friendly meal that's perfect for quick and easy meat-free, plant-based, vegan, & gluten-free week night dinners. You can also prepare this chickpea stew as added fat-free if preferred, and switch up the vegetables as it's an easily adapted recipe.
This is our version of a Spanish Chickpea Stew and is not meant to be a traditional or authentic recipe. It is just our family's way of enjoying a chickpea stew with Spanish flavours.
Ingredients
The ingredients you will need for this chickpea stew are:
- olive oil (or a little vegetable stock or broth)
- onion
- paprika
- fresh garlic
- dried garlic
- dried mixed herbs
- granulated sugar (or your choice of sugar/sweetner - recipe calls for just a teaspoon so you can use an unrefined sugar or a syrup like maple syrup, etc.
- tomato passata or can of chopped tomatoes
- tomato paste/puree
- potatoes (can replace with sweet potatoes)
- vegetable stock or broth
- red bell pepper
- red wine vinegar
- kale or cabbage
- salt & pepper
How to prepare
This is a nice and easy chickpea stew which is perfect for fuss-free midweek meals. It's even tastier prepared in advance as the flavours have a chance to meld together so this is a good recipe for batch cooking or preparing in advance and storing in the refrigerator for 1-2 days before reheating for dinner.
Step 1: Heat up the olive oil, or vegetable stock, in a non-stick pan, and sauté the onions until they become translucent.
Step 2: Mix through the paprika, both fresh and dried garlic, dried herbs, and sugar.
Step 3: Pour in the tomato passata (or canned chopped tomatoes), followed by the vegetable stock and tomato paste.
Step 4: Add in the diced potatoes, chickpeas, and red bell pepper.
Step 5: Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
Step 6: Add in the red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Step 7: Mix in the kale and let the stew simmer for an additional 10-15 minutes.
Step 8: To finish, we like to add in a few garlic stuffed olives or just ordinary olives.
Recipe notes
Storage
Leftover Spanish chickpea stew can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Alternatively, you can freeze the stew in a freezer-safe bag or container for up to four months.
Reheating
To reheat leftover Spanish chickpea stew, simply place it in a non-stick pot or pan with a splash of extra vegetable stock to loosen up the sauce. Reheat the stew over medium heat, stirring frequently, until it is piping hot. Alternatively microwave until piping hot.
Yes, feel free to add any other vegetables you like to the stew, such as carrots, zucchini or courgettes, aubergines, frozen sweetcorn, or perhaps some extra greenery such as spinach. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed, depending on the type of vegetables you use.
Yes, if you prefer, you can substitute the white potatoes in this recipe with sweet potatoes as we do this often. The cooking times may need to be adjusted as sweet potatoes tend to cook more quickly.
Yes, you can use dried chickpeas in this recipe, however, you will need to soak them overnight and cook them separately [according to package instructions] before adding them to the stew. Cooking a whole packet of chickpeas at once and freezing the leftovers is a budget-friendly way to always have chickpeas on hand for recipes like this one.
The recipe includes paprika, which gives the stew a subtly spiced sweet flavour, but it's not particularly spicy. If you do prefer a spicier stew, you can add some chilli powder, cayenne pepper, hot sauce, or fresh chopped chilli's to taste.
Spanish chickpea stew is fine for gluten-free diets. The recipe itself is naturally gluten-free as it does not contain any wheat, barley, rye, or other gluten-containing grains. However, do check the ingredients of any canned or packaged products you use in the recipe, such as the vegetable stock, to ensure they are certified gluten-free. Additionally, make sure to serve the stew with gluten-free bread or grains, such as rice or quinoa, to keep the meal gluten-free.
More chickpea recipes
Chickpeas are a staple in our family's diet and we love to add them into lots of different meals. Some of our favourite chickpea lunch recipes include this old-fashioned Creamy Chickpeas on Toast and this Scrambled Chickpeas which is an egg-free version of scrambled eggs.
We also love the roasted chickpeas croutons that garnish our Cauliflower Soup, which includes an easy method for chickpea croutons. These roasted chickpeas also make for a delicious snack and a great alternative to crisps. Another one of our family soup recipes that contain chickpeas are this Spicy Chickpea Soup.
***please note: For US measurements: 'cups, tablespoons, and ounces' click the button within the recipe that states US customary and the measurements will change***
📖 Recipe
Spanish Chickpea Stew
Equipment
- Non-stick sauté pan/deep frying pan/ skillet, with a lid
- cooking spatula/mixing spoon
Ingredients
To sauté veggies:
- 125 millilitres vegetable stock [or 2 tablespoons of olive oil]
Stew:
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (diced, use more garlic if liked)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder [optional but adds an extra flavour dimension]
- 2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs
- 1 tablespoon paprika powder
- 500 grams tomato passata (or 1 x 400g (14oz) can of chopped tomatoes plus 100mililitres of vegetable stock)
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree/paste
- 1 teaspoon sugar (or your usual sugar or syrup such as maple syrup)
- 1.2 litres vegetable stock (use extra if required)
- 550 grams potatoes (Chopped into ½ inch pieces, can replace with sweet potatoes)
- 1 large red bell pepper (sliced, can replace with mixed frozen peppers)
- 1 can chickpeas (400 grams (14 oz) drained. About 1 ½ cups (240 grams) cooked chickpeas)
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (or balsamic vinegar)
- 150 grams kale (chopped, or replace with spring greens or a cabbage such as savoy cabbage)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil or vegetable stock in the pan.Add the onion and sauté over a low-medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.125 millilitres vegetable stock, 1 medium onion
- Add the garlic, paprika, mixed herbs, sugar, and garlic powder and mix well.Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring to avoid sticking to the pan.4 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 2 teaspoons dried mixed herbs, 1 tablespoon paprika powder, 1 teaspoon sugar
- Next stir through the tomato paste and passata. Pour in the vegetable stock and mix.500 grams tomato passata, 1 tablespoon tomato puree/paste, 1.2 litres vegetable stock
- Next stir through the potatoes, chickpeas, and and bell pepper.550 grams potatoes, 1 can chickpeas, 1 large red bell pepper
- Add a lid to the pan and bring to the boil.Place the lid over the pan askew, so that some steam can escape as it cooks, and cook over a medium heat for 20 minutes.
- Add the red wine vinegar, kale, and some salt and pepper. Bring back to the boil for 15 minutes, placing the lid askew over the pan.2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 150 grams kale
- Check to see if the potatoes are cooked. If not pop on the pan lid and allow to sit off the heat for 10 minutes and they should soften up. If not add some extra stock and keep cooking until the potatoes have cooked.
- Taste the seasoning and adjust if necessary.Add an extra 125-250ml (½-1 cup) of vegetable stock if you prefer a looser sauce.
Optional serving suggestion:
- Optional: To finish a squeeze of lemon juice over the stew is nice as is garlic stuffed olives or plain olives mixed through. Plus a sprinkle of chopped basil or parsley. A drizzle of vegan sour cream or plain yogurt is also a nice addition. We like to have quinoa or brown rice, and flat breads, with our chickpea stew.
Notes
- Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to three days. To reheat, add a little extra stock to the pan and cook over medium heat until the stew is piping hot throughout.
- Or freeze for up to 3-4 months. Thaw the stew completely before reheating.
- Leftovers can be used in a variety of ways, such as a filling for baked sweet potatoes or cabbage rolls. Or as an addition to wraps or flatbreads, although do strain off the liquid to avoid soggy wraps.
- Sweet potatoes can be used instead of white potatoes although do adjust the cooking time as sweet potatoes may cook faster than white potatoes.
- If replacing the passata with a can of chopped or diced tomatoes then also add an extra 100 mililitres (about 5-6 tablespoons) of vegetable stock.
- If you have any fresh tomatoes than need using up they can be sliced and added to the stew.
- Balsamic vinegar can replace the red wine vinegar.
- The kale can be replaced with spring greens, or a cabbage such as savoy cabbage.
Nutrition
Comments
We would love to know if you prepared our take on a Spanish Chickpea Stew. Do drop us a comment below. We appreciate all feedback. Thanks so much. Jacq x
Anjali says
This stew was super flavorful, hearty and so filling!! My whole family loved it - even the meat eaters at my table were satisfied!
Jacq says
So glad your family enjoyed the chickpea stew 🙂
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
This stew is so delicious and nutritious - so flavourful too! A new addition to our weekly meal plan!
Jacq says
Awesome! Glad you enjoyed the chickpea stew. Its a regular favourite at our house 🙂
Jeff says
I love this hearty meal. It works great on the days I choose vegetarian dinners.
Jacq says
That's great! Here's to many more meat-free dinners 🙂
Renee | The Good Hearted Woman says
I love this combo of flavors, and the fact that it's vegan is a welcome bonus! I like to make this stew a day ahead of time to allow the flavors to marry.
Jacq says
I so agree. Preparing stews a day in advance does result in more developed flavours 🙂
Rika says
I love vegan meals! This Spanish chickpea looks healthy. I also love that you used passata in the stew.
Jacq says
Thanks so much. I love passata in a stew as it always makes the sauce so smooth and creamy 🙂