Meatless Monday never looked so good! This Moroccan Chickpea Stew is a delicious and satisfying vegetarian meal. It’s deliciously hearty and ready in under 30 minutes.

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Why You’ll Love This Vegetarian Stew:
In the past 10 years, I’ve really made an effort to seek out and make entrees that were meatless. In the past I’d get frustrated because I didn’t consider most of the vegetarian options I’d find to be satisfying. But one meatless recipe that I’ve been making for years is both satisfying and delicious. It’s a veggie stew recipe I found a while back in Cooking Light Magazine. Over the years I’ve adapted it a bit but it still remains a meatless favorite of mine and here’s why:
- Easy to make
- Ready in under 30 minutes
- Nutritious and balanced
- Versatile enough to change out veggies to your preference
- Great to make ahead and eat all week long
- Hearty and satisfying
Ingredient information and substitutions:
- Vegetables- This recipe includes a mix of chopped onions, carrots, garlic, and jalapeño pepper. If you don’t like things too spicy, you can easily remove the seeds and membranes from the pepper. The original recipe calls for potatoes but over the years I’ve substituted turnips, which I love the flavor and similar texture. You can total substitute your favorite veggies into this- I’ve loved adding chopped greens and cauliflower in the past!
- Chickpeas- Canned chickpeas add a ton of protein and are delicious to boot. I’ve also substituted canned beans like black beans or Great Northern Beans and they’ve been super tasty. Just be sure to drain and rinse your canned beans for this recipe..
- Flavorings- In terms of seasonings, this recipe calls for ground Cumin, Chili powder, Ground Turmeric and a small amount of sea salt (you really don’t need a ton!). Diced tomatoes and vegetable broth round this out, but if you’re looking for a little more flavor and are ok with it not being vegetarian, you can also use chicken broth.
- Toppings- I love serving this over brown rice, but it’s also fantastic over farro. Any cooked grain that you love works. And then I finish it with some plain Greek yogurt for creaminess and fresh cilantro.
How To Make Moroccan Veggie Stew
Step 1- Sauté the vegetables in oil
Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and sauté onion, garlic, carrots, jalapeños and potatoes (or turnips if using them) until softened, about 7 minutes.
Step 2- Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.
Add seasonings, tomatoes, chickpeas and broth to the pan and bring to a boil.
Step 3- Simmer and serve.
Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring periodically. Serve over rice with Greek yogurt and fresh cilantro.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not for this recipe- the cooking time in the recipe helps make the vegetables perfectly tender without being mushy.
This recipe gets its fantastic flavor from ground Cumin, Chili powder, ground Turmeric and a little bit of salt. The chopped jalapeño gives it a nice kick and the cilantro adds the right amount of freshness.
The vegetables will be tender and the liquid will have reduced slightly.
While the original recipe is not vegan due to the addition of Greek yogurt, it can easily be made vegan by omitting this topping and using a vegan yogurt instead.
Stew tends to be thicker, heartier and the vegetables are a bit larger and chunkier than a soup.
Helpful Cooking Tips:
- Cut the veggies to uniform size- this allows them to cook more evenly.
- Taste the veggies for tenderness after cooking. When you think the stew is done, taste the vegetables to make sure they’re tender enough. If not let it cook a few minutes longer and try again until they’re cooked to your liking.
- Adjust seasonings before serving- Taste the stew before serving and add more seasonings if needed.
- Prepping ahead- All veggies except the potatoes and garlic can be chopped ahead. Garlic may be peeled ahead and then minced just before cooking but hold off on peeling and chopping potatoes as the air will oxidize them and cause them to turn brown. I typically cook my rice ahead and wash my cilantro in advance.
- Leftovers and storage- This veggie stew recipe will last up to a week covered in the refrigerator. It reheats beautifully in the microwave or in a pan on the stove over medium heat.
Other delicious vegetarian recipes to try:
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Moroccan Chickpea Stew
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced onions
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 2-3 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 jalapeno pepper minced (if you don't want it too spicy, remove the seeds)
- 1 ½ cups diced potatoes or turnips
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes undrained
- 1 14 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
- 1 14 ounce can vegetable broth I've also used chicken broth with great results
- Brown rice
- Greek yogurt
- Fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- Add onions, carrots, garlic, jalapeno and potatoes for about 6-7 minutes to soften.
- Next add cumin, chili powder, turmeric, sea salt, diced tomatoes, chickpeas and broth to the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Once it's boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes.
- Serve over hot brown rice, topped with the Greek yogurt and plenty of cilantro. Serve immediately
Video
Notes
- Cut the veggies to uniform size- this allows them to cook more evenly.
- Taste the veggies for tenderness after cooking. When you think the stew is done, taste the vegetables to make sure they’re tender enough. If not let it cook a few minutes longer and try again until they’re cooked to your liking.
- Adjust seasonings before serving- Taste the stew before serving and add more seasonings if needed.
- Prepping ahead- All veggies except the potatoes and garlic can be chopped ahead. Garlic may be peeled ahead and then minced just before cooking but hold off on peeling and chopping potatoes as the air will oxidize them and cause them to turn brown. I typically cook my rice ahead and wash my cilantro in advance.
- Leftovers and storage- This veggie stew recipe will last up to a week covered in the refrigerator. It reheats beautifully in the microwave or in a pan on the stove over medium heat.
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