Have you been halfway through the month and left with a tight cooking budget? Our chickpea stew recipe will help you cook up a wholesome dinner with a few pantry-ready ingredients.
With today’s recipe, making this one-pot stew can’t get any easier! We sauté garlic with olive oil to create an aromatic base for the smoked sausage, diced tomatoes, carrots, and chickpeas. After that, unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, and spices are added to the pot for flavor enhancement and consistency support.
Finally, we add canned chickpeas with the remaining ingredients, stir well, then simmer everything for 25 minutes. Serve this delectable stew chickpea with a bed of white rice or slices of baguette on the side.
Is This Chickpea Stew Healthy?
Our chickpea stew recipe makes a delicious and nutritious meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
We combine canned chickpeas, rich in high-quality protein and low in calories, with carrots, tomatoes, sausages, and spices to give this stew a diverse nutrition profile—both macronutrients and micronutrients.
Besides dietary fiber, carrots and tomatoes introduce a bulk of antioxidants to your diet. Specifically, Lycopene, extracted from ripe tomatoes, has been shown to help prevent chronic diseases and heart problems.
Due to its high sodium content, processed meat (sausage, ham, salami, bacon, etc.) is not usually a part of a healthy diet. Though this recipe has smoked sausage, our chefs have adjusted its amount to fit our nutrition guidelines’ standards.
Overall, one serving contains 488 calories, 7.2 g of saturated fat, and around 581 mg of sodium.
Main Ingredients
As always, we keep the list of ingredients very straightforward:
- Chickpeas: Thanks to their mild nuttiness, whether enjoyed on their own or paired with other ingredients, chickpeas still work wonders. Since fresh and canned chickpeas don’t differ much in flavor and texture—fresh ones may have a slightly richer taste, we opt for low-sodium canned chickpeas to reduce the prepping work.
- Tomatoes: We eat with our eyes first, so using fresh tomatoes as a natural food coloring is a brilliant way to give the dish a mesmerizing presentation. Apart from adding a red-orangish hue, this fruit also gives a burst of umami flavor to each spoonful you take.
- Carrots: This vegetable is super common in cooking, especially for making soups and stews, as it adds more filling, flavors, and textures to the dish.
- Smoked sausage: If you are looking for healthier alternatives and don’t mind the minor flavor change, we suggest chicken/turkey sausage or plant-based sausage (usually made from soy or other beans).
- Butter: If you’re a big herb enthusiast, why not swap regular unsalted butter for herb butter? It will add a subtle earthiness to your stew without the risk of turning bitter as fresh herbs do.
- Tomato paste: With less liquid than canned tomato sauce, tomato paste helps enhance the umami flavor without making your stew too watery.
- Chicken broth: We use unsalted chicken broth for an extra hint of savoriness.
- Flour: Together with the vegetable starch released during the cooking process, all-purpose flour helps thicken the consistency of this stew.
- Seasonings: A pinch of salt and black pepper balances out the sweetness and tanginess of the sauce but still allows you to taste the natural flavor of the vegetables.
Beyond the chickpea stew recipe, there are quite a few other stews that you can try out. They’re just as hearty, warming, and filling, with subtle differences in flavors that will make your meal rotations a lot more exciting. Give our Brown Stew Chicken a try to get a glimpse of the wonders that Caribbean cuisine has to offer. If you’re looking for something with a more classic, homey touch, our Beef Stew and Shrimp Stew are perfect!
How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers
- How to Store
Once finished cooking, your chickpea stew should be consumed within two hours for the best quality. If you want to save the leftovers for later, store them in an airtight container and refrigerate them for 3-4 days.
Since the dish contains heavy cream, we don’t recommend freezing it —the fat may separate from your stew.
- How to Reheat
To reheat, stir the leftover chickpea stew in a pot over medium heat or microwave it at ‘high’ until heated through.
What to Serve With
- Peach Salad recipe
- Mixed Greens Salad recipe
- Beet and Feta Cheese Salad recipe
- Kale Salad recipe
- Spinach Salad recipe
FAQ
1. Can I Make Chickpea Stew Vegan?
The answer is yes.
With a few twists made to the ingredient choices, you can create a vegan version of chickpea stew.
- Substitute chicken broth with water or vegetable broth.
- Replace heavy cream with nut milks (almond, cashew, or hazelnut milk) or coconut milk.
- Omit sausage or use plant-based kind instead.
2. Can You Overcook Chickpeas?
Yes, of course.
The more you cook them, the softer they become.
While soft chickpeas are ideal for mashing in hummus or dips, we prefer them with a firmer texture in stews.
Chickpea Stew Recipe
This chickpea stew packs tons of flavors in one pot: rich and snappy chickpeas, sweet and crunchy carrots, and savory sausage smothered in a sweet-tangy tomato-based sauce.
- cook TIME 35 mins
- prep TIME 15 mins
- total TIME 50 mins
- COURSE Main Dish
- CUISINE American, Global
- SERVINGS servings
- CALORIES 488 kcal
INGREDIENTS
- 14 oz canned chickpeas
- 6 oz tomatoes (diced)
- 6 oz carrots (diced)
- 2.5 oz smoked sausage (diced)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken broth
- 1 tbsp Hunt's tomato paste
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp parsley (chopped)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 cups cooked medium-grain rice (from 1 1/2 cups uncooked)
INSTRUCTIONS
Prep:
Halve the tomatoes lengthwise, then cut those halves in half again into wedges. Slice away the seeds with a paring knife. Cut each tomato wedge into 1/4-inch strips, then cut those strips into small cubes.
Slice off the top and peel away the skin of the carrot. Halve the peeled carrot crosswise, then cut each half crosswise into 1/4-inch thick slices. Cut those slices into fingers, then chop those fingers into cubes.
Halve the smoked sausage crosswise, then cut those halves in half lengthwise. Place the smoked sausage cut-side down on a cutting board and slice it in half into strips. Cut those strips into small cubes.
Finely chop the peeled garlic.
Finely chop the parsley.
Cook the rice using a rice cooker or an Instant Pot.
Cook:
Sauté the garlic and add the smoked sausage: Place a large pot over medium heat and pour in 2 tbsp olive oil. When the oil is hot, add 1 tbsp minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Then add 2.5 oz diced smoked sausage and stir to cook for 1 minute.
Add tomatoes and carrots: In the same pot, add 6 oz diced tomatoes and 6 oz diced carrots. Stir to cook for 3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste: Add 1 tbsp of Hunt's tomato paste to the same pot and mix for 2 minutes.
Add butter, flour, and spices: Add 1 tbsp unsalted butter, 1 tbsp all-purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Stir well for 30 seconds.
Add the chickpeas and the chicken broth: Stir in 1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken broth and 14 oz canned chickpeas. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat. Simmer the mixture for another 25 minutes.
Add the heavy cream: Pour in 3 tbsp heavy cream and stir continuously to cook for 2 more minutes.
Garnish and serve: Transfer your desired portion onto a shallow serving plate and garnish with 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Enjoy the chickpea stew with 3 cups of cooked white rice!
NUTRITION
Tuyet Pham
Head Chef, Culinary Consultant
Luna Regina
Writer, Author
- David PlessHearty chickpea stew - a comforting delight!