Lebanese Chickpea Stew Recipe

This recipe consists of plump chickpeas simmered in a rich, deep-red sauce with smoky roasted red peppers, za’atar, and a little bit of spice. It takes only 30 minutes to make.

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Prep Time 10

Cook Time 20

Total Time 30

Servings: 4

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: lebanese

Calories: 282

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

5 cloves garlic
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 heaping tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp red pepper flakes
3 cups cooked chickpeas canned or from scratch
2 –3 heaping tsp za’atar
2 –3 bay leaves
1 roasted red bell pepper chopped into small pieces
2 cups water
Salt to taste
2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped

Method

Crush the garlic and cumin into a coarse paste using a mortar and pestle or food processor.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot and sauté the garlic-cumin paste until fragrant.
Stir in the tomato paste, paprika, and red pepper flakes, then cook for 2 minutes.
Add the chickpeas, za’atar, roasted red peppers, and bay leaves, stirring to coat everything evenly.
Pour in the water, bring to a boil, then cover and cook for 10 minutes, uncovering for the final 2 minutes.
Lightly mash some of the chickpeas to thicken the stew.
Season with salt, stir in the fresh parsley, and remove from the heat.
Serve hot or warm with pita bread or steamed rice.

Notes

If you cooked your chickpeas from scratch, use the cooking stock in place of the two cups of water for even deeper flavour. Vegetable stock works beautifully here too. Add more water or stock as needed — this stew thickens considerably as it stands. And if you love heat, cayenne pepper in place of paprika should work better.

Nutrition