A fresh, flavorful spiced pot of tomatoes and chickpeas is the perfect accompaniment to any whole grain, flatbread, or even a bowl of noodles. This dish is a perfect way to use up your summer tomatoes and get some plant protein while you're at it!
Prep time: PT10M
Cook time: PT30M
Total time: PT40M
Rating
4.27 stars (159 reviews)
Keywords
beans, chickpeas, make ahead, meal prep, stew, summer, tomatoes
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 white or yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 pounds chopped plum tomatoes, or 1 28-ounce can whole, peeled tomatoes*
1-4 teaspoons cane sugar ((optional and to taste; will vary based on level of acidity and whether you use fresh or canned tomatoes))
1/2 teaspoon salt ((adjust to taste))
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups low sodium vegetable broth or water ((480ml))
1 tablespoon tahini (substitute cashew butter or a few tablespoons plain non-dairy yogurt)
3 cups cooked chickpeas ((480g, or two 15-ounce / 425g cans, drained and rinsed))
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
cooked couscous, bulgur wheat, quinoa, brown rice, pita or other flatbread, or toast, for serving
fresh chopped parsley leaves, for serving (optional)
Categories
entree
main dish
Cuisine
Moroccan
Steps
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the onion. Cook onion for five minutes, stirring now and then, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently and adding a tablespoon or two of water if the garlic starts to stick.
Add the tomatoes to the pot. If using canned whole peeled tomatoes, use a potato masher or the back of a large spoon to crush them well. Add 1 teaspoon sugar (more as needed), salt, coriander, cumin, red pepper flakes, cloves, and cinnamon. Cook the tomatoes, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, or until they're thickening up and very bubbly. Add the broth or water, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, for another 10 minutes.
Stir in the tahini and use an immersion blender to blend the stew partially, so that some pieces of tomato are still visible but the mixture is thick and resembles a chunky soup (you can also transfer half of the mixture to a standing blender and blend till smooth, then return it to the pot).
Stir in the chickpeas and vinegar. Cook for another 5 minutes. Taste the stew and adjust seasonings as desired. Serve the stew over a grain of choice and garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired. Enjoy.
Reviews
Andrew on 2025-11-07 (5 stars): This was surprisingly good, I expected something a little more ordinary! The red pepper and tahini really elevate this above just a standard chickpea tomato stew. I served it with some tinned sardines which went perfectly.
One thing though...this ain't just four servings. We ate this with rice, and find that it made closer to 8 servings in my house. No complaints, and it freezes well, but I could have halved it fine.
Bec on 2025-06-07 (5 stars): OMG…. This is absolutely delicious. I adapted to cook in my Thermomix, added paprika instead of chilli and served it with risoni to make it kid friendly. I could eat it every day!!!! Sooo good
Kate on 2025-05-13 (5 stars): Love it! Will be adding it to my regular rotation.
Conner on 2025-01-13 (5 stars): Hi - did you recently update the recipe? Came back to this and it wasn't exactly what I remembered, I believe there were more spices in the original recipe. I made this version and preferred the older version (more complex flavor profile). Does anyone have the original recipe?
sara on 2024-09-15 (5 stars): I've been doing this recipy for years. It is a classic now at my home. Love it :)
Moe Miller on 2023-07-05 (4 stars): Just tried the soup love the flavor thx
Catey on 2023-02-01 (4 stars): I enjoyed making this, using a the variety of spices. I felt like it needed something at the end and added extra garlic powder and curry powder. I would make this recipe again with those ingredients. Thanks!
Gayle on 2022-07-02 (5 stars): Very tasty!
Danielle Lockhart on 2022-05-05 (5 stars): I made this tonight. I kind of messed up a little bit but it still turned out really good.
Rich Haney on 2022-03-04 (5 stars): Super recipe! We were looking for an alternative to fish for a Lenten Friday - and this fit the bill beautifully. I made it just as it’s printed, but served it with a crusty bread instead of on grains, and we loved it. There are just two of us, so we’ll have leftovers for later in the weekend. Next time, I might add a little harissa, but we really thought the spice level was just about perfect (but I’m sure we’ll enjoy the additional flavor from the harissa)!
Pam on 2021-09-29 (5 stars): Whoa! It looked so good, but that's nothing compared to the taste! SO good. I used harissa in place of the red pepper flakes, and added chopped crookneck squash, because I needed to use some of the bumper crop from my garden. Thanks so much for this recipe - absolutely yummy!
