Moroccan Chickpea Stew

This Moroccan chickpea stew is in our regular dinner recipe rotation. It’s so warm and comforting, and it fills our apartment with the most relaxing and welcoming smells. Some foods give me this immediate ‘home’ sensation— my best guess it has something to do with the spice profile — but I know it when I taste it. Ethiopian food, Mediterranean, and Moroccan dishes all do it for me. Try this one. I promise you will be happy you did.

This Moroccan chickpea stew dish is also great because of the myriad of textures and flavors in each bite. You will experience the hearty protein of chickpeas, the acidic tang of tomatoes, the delightful sweet pop from golden raisins, and the lightness and crunch of couscous with chopped almonds added in. It’s also a flexible recipe that allows for fun or necessary flavor substitutions – Ras el Hanout for a Moroccan profile or garam masala for an Indian profile.

If you make this Moroccan chickpea stew, leave a comment, rate the recipe, and and tag a photo with #plantandvine on Instagram. Let me know if it feels like home for you too.

Moroccan chickpea stew and wine pairings

This is a fun dish for wine pairings because it’s hearty and bursting with flavor, so a variety of different wines can pair nicely. Here are my favorite wine pairings:

• Malbec: full-bodied red wine with black cherry, plum, and cocoa flavors. Less tannic than other big-bodied reds so the spice in this dish doesn’t get overwhelmed.
  • Suggested Regions: Mendoza, Argentina
• Syrah: plum, olive, leather, and cocoa powder flavors will play nicely with the savoriness of this dish. A full-bodied but medium tannin wine that won’t interfere with the spices.
  • Suggested Regions: Northern Rhône, France or Chile
• Chardonnay: full-bodied white that can handle the flavor of this dish while providing a nice contrast to the spices. Go for oaked if you want to add in buttery softness or unoaked if you want bright acidity.
  • Suggested regions: California for oaked wine or Chablis, France for unoaked versions

Moroccan Chickpea Stew

Comforting, delicious, and easy. This Moroccan chickpea stew is an immediate favorite among our family and friends.

• Author: Plant & Vine
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 5 servings
• Category: Vegan, vegetarian, dinner, lunch
• Method: Stove
• Cuisine: Moroccan, Indian

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 large red onion, thinly sliced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1 tablespoon Ras el Hanout (Moroccan spice) or garam masala
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 2 (15 ounce) cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup water
• 8 – 10 ounces of kale, roughly chopped with major stems removed
• 1/2 cup unsalted roasted almonds, roughly chopped
• Regular cooked couscous for serving

Instructions

1. Prepare couscous according to package directions. When ready, fluff with fork, add in chopped almonds, keep covered, and set aside.
2. Heat large pan (we use our dutch oven) over medium heat. Once heated, add olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until translucent and fragrant (3-5 minutes).
3. Add the garlic, raisins, Ras el Hanout or Garam Masala, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and cinnamon. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
4. Add lemon juice, tomatoes, chickpeas and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add kale and cook until just wilted. You can start with less kale and add more as desired — we like a lot of kale so we tend to use close to an entire 10 ounce package. Season to taste with additional salt and pepper as needed.
6. To serve, add couscous with chopped almonds to bowl and layer on chickpea stew.
7. Store chickpea stew and couscous separately in covered container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Notes

*Adjust measurements and ingredients as needed. Adapted from Dishing up the Dirt’s Moroccan Spiced Chickpea and Kale Stew 

Keywords: Moroccan Chickpea stew, chickpea stew, easy chickpea stew