Chickpeas are delicious in a multitude of recipes, including chana masala and chickpea curry. Another one of my favorite chickpea recipes is this smoky, vibrant, absolutely gorgeous Lebanese Chickpea Stew flavored with the warmth of za’atar. This is a weeknight stew, especially if you’re using canned chickpeas. There is a minimum of chopping required, lots of flavor added by the roasted red bell peppers, rich tomato paste, and the smoky, tangy, spicy, nutty za’atar, an herb and spice mix used across the Mediterranean. Lebanese food is not only extremely tasty, it often uses a terrific complement of vegetables and beans which makes it really healthy. Even meat dishes often contain beans or grains. And many dishes, as flavorful they are, can also be uncomplicated to make, requiring a bare minimum of spices and herbs that combine skillfully to give you loads of flavor and oomph. It’s almost impossible to describe the incredible fragrance that wafts through the kitchen and the house when this stew is bubbling away on the stove. Desi walked in the door sniffing the air, and wolfed down a bowl of rice topped with the chickpea stew. “It’s very good,” he declared.
Why you will love this recipe
Flavorful. It’s hard to believe that you can get so much flavor from a few ingredients, but this hearty chickpea stew is truly extraordinary. Easy. There’s very little chopping and cutting involved and you can get most of the ingredients out of a jar or a can. Gorgeous. If you eat with your eyes first, as most of us do, this is an absolutely stunning stew with a rich, deep-red, appetizing sauce punctuated by the plump, beige chickpeas. Healthy. The chickpeas, bell peppers and za’atar make this an immensely healthy recipe. If you are watching how much fat you eat you can cut down the oil to as little as a teaspoon. Allergy-friendly: The recipe is vegan, nut-free, soy-free and gluten-free.
How to make Lebanese chickpea stew
Helpful tips
If you don’t have za’atar, substitute with two to three teaspoons of a mix of dried oregano, marjoram and thyme. At a pinch, thyme alone will do. Squeeze in some lemon juice for a bit of tang that the sumac would have added. I do highly recommend buying or making za’atar–it’s a really simple recipe and you will find all sorts of uses for it, like this eggplant hummus and manakish, a Lebanese flatbread. Drain out the chickpeas before adding them to the pot. If you cooked the chickpeas yourself, you can add the cooking stock back to the stew in place of the 2 cups of water in the recipe. You can also use vegetable stock or vegetable broth instead of water. Add more water or stock as needed to thin out the recipe. I like this stew quite thick, and keep in mind that it will thicken further as it stands. If you like the stew with plenty of heat, use cayenne pepper instead of paprika.
More delicious Mediterranean stews
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