Name: Brothy Chickpea Stew
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 100 g/3.5 oz smoked bacon, cut into strips; 2 cans (400g/14 oz) chickpeas, drained; 50 g/2 oz lentils, black or green; 50 g/2 oz spinach leaves; 2 carrots, peeled and cut into cubes; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 1 small onion, finely chopped; 3 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp each: ground cumin, smoked paprika, black pepper; 1 bay leaf; 1 tbsp lemon juice; 1,5 L/6 cups vegetable or chicken broth; 4 thick slices bread; 4 thin slices cheese, cheddar or gouda; 2 tbsp unsalted butter; 2 tbsp olive oil; chopped chives and black pepper, for serving; Tabasco, for serving (optional)

This brothy chickpea stew is incredibly hearty, easy to make and delicious. It’s one of those magical recipes with chickpeas and lentils that turns into a deep, rich stew. A small amount of bacon also goes a long way here, it’s mainly to add some saltiness and a smoky, richer flavor. Just toast some cheese on bread and drop it into the bowls, the bread will soak up all those delicious brothy flavors. A super satisfying meal in a bowl.

We start by cooking the bacon for a nice smoky flavor, then we let the onion, garlic and carrot sweat in olive oil. There are also a few spices for a particularly savory undertone. Then we pour vegetable stock, add lentils, close the lid closed and simmer the stew for 20 minutes, until the lentils are soft. Then add the chickpeas to the stew, spinach, a splash of lemon juice and done.

You can stir in a few leaves of savoy cabbage, kale, or other seasonal vegetables about 5-10 minutes before the end of the cooking time, and I don’t need to tell you that this stew tastes even better the next day. We serve it with some cheesy toasted bread, and some drops of Tabasco. Highly recommended.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.

And also this: It’s a hearty, chunky stew that makes enough to feed a couple people. But if you want to stretch it out even further and make a soup, add another 4 cups of broth. Simmer and the rich flavor will spread through the extra liquid.
One last note: We’re using canned chickpeas, but if you want, you can use dry, soaked overnight chickpeas and boil them in the stew for 40 minutes.

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RECIPE VIDEO

Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.

Yield: serves 4