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You are here: Home / Blog / Spanish Chickpea Stew

Spanish Chickpea Stew

January 6, 2015 By Garden Fresh Foodie

Chickpea Spanish Stew Rice BowlChickpeas-powerhouses of protein and substance. I was inspired to make this dish for a class assignment in my plant-based cooking class www.rouxbe.com. I had to switch up a stewed chana masala and take it to another country. Well, it landed in Spain. The smoked paprika gives this dish its Spanish flair, along with turmeric and golden raisins-colors often found in Spanish dishes. The sweetness of the raisins balanced perfecting with the smokey flavor of the paprika. Olives would fit well in this dish too, but I didn’t add them due to the olive haters in the house (but if you love them like I do, throw 1/4-1/2 cup on in). This recipe was adapted from a Chickpea and Spanish Stew from Food and Wine Magazine.

I visited Spain with my sister back in graduate school (a few years back 😉 and always loved eating inexpensive tapas.  Tapas are hors d’oeuvre. Chickpeas and spinach was my favorite tapas. This stew could be served cold as a tapas, or as a main meal, as we had it served over rice.  It’s great cold too!

I cooked the chickpeas for this myself, as I prefer to do. Why make your own? It’s easy and inexpensive to make your own beans. By doing so, you decrease waste of cans, avoid exposure to BPA-lined cans, and control your sodium intake. If you are cooking your own chickpeas, soak 2 cups of chickpeas overnight. Rinse and drain. Place into a pressure cooker and cover with water. Bring to pressure, reduce to low and cook for 12 minutes. Let pressure drop and drain, reserving the liquid. If cooking in a regular pot, cover with water, bring to boil and reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 1/2-2 hours until beans have softened but not fallen apart.Chickpea Spanish Stew Rice Bowl and Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 4 cups cooked and drained chickpeas (or 2 cans), reserving 2 cups cooking liquid
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp ground pepper (or to taste)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1-15 oz or pint of canned tomatoes
  • 1/3 cup golden raisins
  • 11 oz. fresh baby spinach
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • Pepper to taste
  • Garnish: freshly chopped parsley/cilantro and crushed pistachiosChickpea Spanish Stew Mise En Place

Instructions:

  1. Cook chickpeas and drain, or drain if using canned, and reserve liquid.
  2. Add onions, spices, and bay leaf to hot pan, adding in a little of the tomato liquid (a few tbsp) to prevent sticking. Sauté until softened.Sauteeing Base of Spanish Chickpea Stew
  3. Add chickpeas, tomatoes with juice, raisins and enough liquid to measure out to 2 cups.Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
  4. Once flavors have blended, add in spinach until it wilts. You will need to do this a few handfuls at a time.
  5. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice, season with salt/pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste
  6. Serve on top of brown rice and garnish with fresh parsley/cilantro and some chopped pistachios for some crunch. Gets even better the next day!

Chickpea Spanish Stew and Salad Nutritional Benefits:

  • High in plant-based protein: great for healing and repairing the body
  • High in fiber: helps to lower blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, and helps to regulate blood sugar. Increases satiety
  • Good source of plant-based calcium: plant-based sources of calcium are better absorbed by the body
  • Vegan and oil free: this dish is cholesterol and fat free
  • Gluten free: reduces inflammation
  • High source of potassium: 937 mg, helps to regulate kidney and nervous function, as well as heart rate
  • Packed with Vitamin A: 91%, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, skin, eye, bone, and dental health, as well as helps to regulate blood pressure
  • Good source of Vitamin C: antioxidant and anti-inflammatory-helps to boost immunity
  • High in plant-based source of iron, 44%: better for the body to absorb iron from plant sources.
Spanish Chickpea Stew
 
Print
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
20 mins
Total time
30 mins
 
Spanish Chickpea Stew Made Oil Free: Vegan and Gluten Free
Author: www.gardenfreshfoodie.com
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Spanish
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 4 cups cooked and drained chickpeas (or 2 cans), reserving 2 cups cooking liquid
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • ½ tsp cumin
  • ¼ tsp ground pepper (or to taste)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • ¼ tsp ground cloves
  • 1-15 oz or pint of canned tomatoes
  • ⅓ cup golden raisins
  • 11 oz. fresh baby spinach
  • 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • freshly grated nutmeg
  • pepper to taste
  • Garnish: freshly chopped parsley/cilantro and crushed pistachios
Instructions
  1. Cook chickpeas and drain, or drain if using canned, and reserve liquid.
  2. Add onions, spices, and bay leaf to hot pan, adding in a little of the tomato liquid (a few tbsp) to prevent sticking. Sauté until softened.
  3. Add chickpeas, tomatoes with juice, raisins and enough liquid to measure out to 2 cups. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
  4. Once flavors have blended, add in spinach until it wilts. You will need to do this a few handfuls at a time.
  5. Squeeze in fresh lemon juice, season with salt/pepper and freshly grated nutmeg to taste
  6. Serve on top of brown rice and garnish with fresh parsley/cilantro and some chopped pistachios for some crunch. Gets even better the next day!
Notes
Based on 6 servings: Packed with potassium: 937 mg, 91% Vitamin A, 44% iron, 30% Vitamin C, 12% calcium
Nutrition Information
Serving size: ⅙ Calories: 192 Fat: 2.7 g Saturated fat: 0 g Carbohydrates: 39.7 g Fiber: 11 g Protein: 9.5 g Cholesterol: 0 mg
3.2.2885

Filed Under: Blog, Fall Foods, Main Dishes, Soups & Stews, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian Main Meals, Winter Foods, Winter Holidays Tagged With: appetizer, chickpea stew, chickpea tapas, fall foods, gluten free, gluten free stews, how to cook beans, oil free stews, pressure cooker, spanish chickpea stew, Spanish recipes, spanish stew, tapas, Thanksgiving, Vegan, vegan and gluten free, vegan stews, winter foods

« Pasta Fagioli: Vegan and Gluten Free
Peppers Stuffed with Italian Lentils and Rice »

Comments

  1. Natasha says

    January 8, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    I made the Spanish chickpea stew for dinner last night. My family loved it, and the house smelled fantastic!

    • Garden Fresh Foodie says

      January 11, 2015 at 5:05 pm

      So glad to hear Natasha! I love those warming smells-perfect for this cold weather!

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Hi! I'm Jessica, the author, creator, and photographer of Garden Fresh Foodie! I'm a certified plant-based chef, hold a MEd and MPH, and have a certification in plant-based nutrition. I am a passionate educator, and have taught wellness, science, community gardening, and food education for the last 20 years. I now combine my passion for health and cooking, with my passion for teaching through employee wellness and healthy cooking classes in Buffalo, NY. Read More…

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Hi! I'm Jessica, the author, creator, and photographer of Garden Fresh Foodie! I'm a certified plant-based chef, and have a certification in plant-based nutrition. I am a passionate educator, and have taught science, community gardening, and food education for the last 17 years. I now combine my passion for cooking & gardening with my passion for teaching healthy cooking classes in Buffalo, NY. Read More…

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