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Lebanese chickpea stew in black bowl with spoon.
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5 from 79 votes

Lebanese chickpea stew recipe

A vibrant and simple Lebanese chickpea stew with smoky, spicy flavors from roasted red peppers, za'atar spice mix and paprika. It is so easy and quick, and it makes a delicious dinner with pita bread or steamed rice.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Stew
Cuisine: Lebanese
Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 282kcal
Author: Vaishali · Holy Cow Vegan

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 5 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3 cups cooked chickpeas (canned is fine too. If starting with dried chickpeas use 1 cup of chickpeas and cook until tender, Drain out any liquid).
  • 2-3 heaping teaspoons za'atar (add 2 teaspoons first and add more as needed)
  • 2-3 bay leaves
  • 1 roasted bell pepper (chopped in small, bite-size pieces)
  • 2 cups water
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 tablespoons parsley (chopped)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Place garlic cloves and cumin seeds in mortar or in a food processor. Crush into a coarse paste.
    Garlic and cumin in mortar.
  • Place olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven along with the crushed garlic and cumin. Turn heat to medium low and saute until the garlic and cumin are very aromatic, about a minute.
    Crushed garlic and cumin in olive oil in clay pot with wooden ladle.
  • Add the tomato paste, paprika and red pepper flakes to the pot and stir to mix. Continue to saute for a couple of minutes.
    Tomato paste, paprika and red pepper flakes added to pot with garlic and cumin.
  • Add the chickpeas to the pot along with the za'atar, roasted red peppers and bay leaves. Stir to mix.
    Za'atar, bay leaves and red peppers added to chickpeas and spices in clay pot.
  • Add 2 cups water to the pot and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover the pot and cook 10 minutes for the flavors to merge and for the stew to thicken. Remove the lid in the last two minutes of cooking. I like crushing some of the chickpeas with the ladle to help thicken the stew.
    Water added to Lebanese chickpea stew.
  • Add salt to taste, stir in the parsley and turn off heat. Serve the chickpea stew hot or warm.
    Water added to spices and tomato paste in clay pot.

Notes

  • If you cooked the chickpeas from scratch, you can add the cooking stock back to the stew instead 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 it will thicken further as it stands.
  • If you like the stew with plenty of heat, use cayenne pepper instead of paprika.

Nutrition

Calories: 282kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Potassium: 455mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 693IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 6mg