This hearty vegetarian Moroccan chickpea stew is full of mouth-watering flavours and so simple to make. This is healthy and nutritious comfort food at its best!
This chickpea stew makes the perfect easy weeknight meal and warmed up the next day can make super tasty leftovers! The Moroccan-inspired spices give this dish loads of delicious flavour while the lightly toasted almonds give the dish a lovely texture by adding some crunch.
The weather is starting to turn here and I am craving lots of warm, healthy and filling food at the moment! I do love healthy vegetarian dishes like these which are full of nutrient-dense veggies.
I have used carrots and pumpkin in this stew, both of which are high in the antioxidant Vitamin A. They bring a natural sweetness to the flavour of the stew. Butternut squash and/or sweet potato could also be used instead of pumpkin.
The chickpeas in this dish soak up the delicious aromatic spices which gives them a delicious flavour. Chickpeas are an excellent source of fibre and protein meaning they help keep you nice and full and are good sources of iron and zinc, both of which are important minerals that can help support the immune system.
The spices are what really make this dish come alive! A combination of ground cumin, coriander, harissa, paprika, cinnamon, turmeric and garam masala gives it a little kick and lots of mouth-watering flavour.
Morrocan Chickpea Stew Swaps and Variations
- All of these warming spices are great to help keep circulation healthy and colds at bay. I have added some currants for a tiny bit of sweetness and a different texture you could also try blackcurrants, sultanas or raisins, or omit altogether if dried fruit is not your thing.
- I have served this chickpea stew with brown rice but white rice, buckwheat or quinoa can be used. If you are looking for a grain-free option then cauliflower rice could be used. Alternatively, you could enjoy it alone or serve it with crusty bread.
- I have used pumpkin and carrot in this, you could also use orange sweet potato or butternut squash.
For other gluten free + vegetarian recipes… you may like to try:
Roasted Red Pepper, Tomato & Lentil Soup
Loaded Lentil Salad
Gado Gado Indonesian Salad
Eggplant, Chickpea & Kale Curry
I hope you enjoy this Morrocan Chickpea Stew! Please leave a star rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
For more tasty recipes and to see what I’ve been getting up to you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest .
Have a lovely week!
Hope
Moroccan Chickpea Stew (Gluten Free & Vegan)
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil or coconut oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 1.5 cups pumpkin cut into cubes (approx 220gm / 7.07oz)
- 1 carrot medium, chopped (approx 136gm / 4.8 oz)
- 2 cups chickpeas, cooked or 1.5 can chickpeas rinsed and drained
- 400gm/14.5 oz chopped tomatoes 1 can
- 2 tsp ground coriander
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp harissa
- 1 tbsp turmeric
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 3 tbsp currants dried
- 1 tbsp coconut sugar or more if you prefer a sweeter taste
- 2 tbsp fresh coriander/cliantro leaves to garnish
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium sized pan add the olive oil and then on a low heat saute the onions and garlic for a couple of minutes until translucent.
- Add the spices to the pan and stir through the onions and garlic cook for 1 minute.
- Add the chopped pumpkin, carrot and chickpeas and stir through the spices and onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and tomato paste, cover and simmer on a medium low heat for 20 – 25 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through.
- While the stew is cooking place a small skillet on a medium heat and then add the sliced almonds. “Dry roast” them for a couple of minutes, turning frequently so they don’t burn. Remove and set aside.
- After the vegetables are cooked through in the stew remove the lid, stir through the sugar, currants, salt and pepper and cook for another 2-5 minutes until stew is reduced to desired thickness. Taste and add more sugar or salt and pepper if desired.
- Remove from heat and place in a serving bowl, top with fresh coriander and the sliced almonds.
- Serve with cooked brown rice or quinoa.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrtition Information
This nutritional information is an estimate only and is provided as a courtesy to readers. It was auto-generated based on serving size, number of servings, and typical information for the ingredients listed in the recipe card. Please feel free to use your preferred nutrition calculator. Please consult your doctor about any specific dietary requirements.
This sounds like such a bowl of goodness, I love a good stew and this looks very tasty!
Thank you Bintu!
I love chickpeas, especially in a Moroccan dish like this one!
Thanks Amy, chickpeas are so versatile aren’t they ? 🙂
This stew looks so rich and flavorful. I love Moroccan food, but sadly have never attempted it myself. You make it look easy!
Thanks Lisa! This dish is so nice and easy, you really can’t go too wrong and can mix up the vegetables or spices to suit your preference 🙂
I LOVE your blog Chickpeas and lentils are my top 2 favorite beans to eat! This recipe looks so good. Do you think it would work if I swapped out pumpkin for sweet potatoes?
Thanks so much Gina for your kind words. Yes sweet potatoes would work well and can easily replace the pumpkin. I hope you enjoy it if you give it a try 🙂
I love the vibrant color this has. It is such a pretty meal to serve. The chickpeas are my favorite bean we are all sure to love this version of stew. Thanks for posting
Thanks so much Claudia! Chickpeas are one of my favourites too! 🙂
I can imagine this would be a gorgeous warming bowl of food for a chilly night! I spent some time in New Zealand in the south island and loved its beautiful winters. It is summer here but I will be pinning to save for the colder months. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks Anna! I am in Auckland in the North Island where it is slightly warmer (and usually wetter) than the South Island winters but is still chilly at the moment! I am jealous of your warmer weather but it is nice to enjoy cosy meals like this one 🙂
This stew is lovely! All of those beautiful spices sound so good, I especially love recipes that use garam masala – such a yummy one!
Thanks Emily! Me too – I’m a big fan of my spices!
gosh so many amazing flavors happening in this, gorgeous spread!
Thanks so much Tessa!
Such a satisfying meal with so much flavor. It gets even better the next day as leftovers since the flavors have a chance to develop. My boys love this dish!
Thanks so much Yvonne, yes this dish makes very good leftovers!
I love all the flavors combined in this stew! It sounds delicious. 🙂
Thank you Raia! 🙂
Just ran out of garam masala, and now I have a reason to buy it again. This dish is calling my name!
Thanks Joni, I hope you enjoy it 🙂
Garam masala is one of my favorite spice blends. It’s so warming and flavorful! Perfect for a winter stew like this!
I love it too Lindsey, it brings so much flavour to a dish 🙂
A stew like this, with Moroccan spices and legumes, is one of my favorite foods!! What a beautiful recipe!
Love the flavor combo of this dish and everything comes together beautifully. Thanks for sharing !
Thanks ChihYu!
Chickpeas are my favorite! This looks so comforting and delicious.
Thanks Jean, it is a great bowl of comfort food 🙂
So many great flavors and such a great meal change up! My girls will love this!
Thanks Renee! Let me know how you get on if they try it, my little boy loves it 🙂
Love all the flavors going on here, the garam masala plus the harissa sounds fantastic! I’ve only dabbled a bit with harissa, so thanks for a great recipe to get me out of my comfort zone and use some more harissa!
Thanks so much Kari! Yes harissa is one of those spices that can easily be forgotten to use, but can really jazz up a dish when you use it!
Cannot wait to try this recipe! LOVE the flavours. On the top of my list!!
Thanks!
Thanks so much Carol! 🙂
This was delicious! I added half cup of dried apricots and prunes after coming to boil. Served with couscous, coriander, almonds and yoghurt.
Thanks Danika, I’m so pleased you liked it! They sound like great additions, thanks for sharing 🙂
It was really delicious and my vegan friends so loved it.
One change I did to enhance the taste of the butter squash or pumpkin was to grill it in the oven on high heat till it started to brown and soften, and add it to the stew at a later stage, some 5-10 min before the end.
Hi Stas, thanks for your feedback, I’m pleased it went down well. Thanks for the variations, sounds great 🙂
Hi, this looks great!
Would you use smoked paprika or sweet paprika in the dish?
Hi Damien, thank you. I would use sweet in this dish but smoked would work too if you are after a smokier flavour, I hope you got to try it 🙂
Wonderful!! yummy!
Thank you!