Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew

My family’s favorite chickpea stew is a hearty vegan stew, loaded with roasted cauliflowers, carrots, and tomatoes. The warm Mediterranean spice mixture deeply flavors this comforting vegan chickpea stew with notes of cumin, cinnamon and turmeric!

Serve it on top of quick-cooked couscous, or rice. And if nothing else, grab your favorite crusty bread to sop up all the goodness! Be sure to read through for my step-by-step tutorial and important tips.

Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew

Cauliflower and chickpea stew is the type of thing North African grandmas would throw in a clay pot and bake for hours until each vegetable is melting with flavor and goodness.

Not to worry! Today’s chickpea stew recipe takes just over an hour start-to-finish, and the result is just as hearty, delicious, and deeply flavored.

The gist: protein-packed chickpeas are combined with quick-roasted cauliflower, sweet carrots, and tomatoes, and flavored with a bold Mediterranean spice mixture of turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, sweet paprika and a hint of cardamom. 

I know the spice combination has you thinking warm, deeply-flavored Moroccan chickpea stew, something like a tagine–you’re on the right track!

My family loves Moroccan lamb stew, but this vegan chickpea stew is a great way to enjoy the comfort of these warm flavors even in the absence of meat.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make this chickpea stew recipe

– Spice Mixture: a bold, and warm combination of ground turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, sweet paprika and a hint of cardamom. I like to combine the spices together in a bowl before applying to my veggies and stew, this way, the flavors are distributed evenly. (Spices are available at our online shop here.)

– Vegetables: cauliflower and sweet carrots are the star hearty veggies in this stew. To get a head-start, and to coax out the natural sweetness of carrots and cauliflower, they’re roasted on high heat for about 25 minutes or so (after taking on a bit of the spice mixture.) Onions and garlic come in later to kick-start the stew.

– Chickpeas: you can absolutely use canned chickpeas here to save time. They’re tasty and loaded with nutrition. Just rinse and drain them well before using. (I’m never out of canned chickpeas because, outside of hummus, there are so many ways to use them!)

– Tomatoes: a good amount of chunky canned tomatoes is what gives this stew the liquid it needs, while adding umami and depth.

– Garnish: to finish this beautiful stew, a sprinkle of fresh parsley and some toasted nuts (either slivered almonds or pine nuts will work, and you can toast them stove-top with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.) The nuts are optional, but they due add texture and a welcomed nutty flavor.

How to Make Chickpea Stew: Step-by-Step

Step 1: Roast Cauliflower and Carrots

Crank up the oven heat to 475 degrees F. Toss your cauliflower and carrot pieces with salt, pepper, and about more than half of spice mixture ( turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, sweet paprika and a hint of cardamom.) A drizzle of extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve EVOO)  will help you in making sure the veggies are well-coated with the seasonings.

Be sure to spread the cauliflower and carrots well on your lightly-oiled sheet pan. Roast for 20 to 25 minutes or until the veggies have softened and gained some color. (It’s okay if they still have some bite to them, there is more cooking yet.)

Step 2: Saute onions and garlic to start building your stew

Grab a nice large Dutch oven like this one (affiliate link). Heat up a little extra virgin olive oil till shimmering but not smoking. Saute onions for a brief 3 minutes, then add garlic and the remainder of the spice mixture. Stir for a couple minutes till nice and fragrant.

Step 3: Combine remaining stew ingredients with roasted vegetables & cook 

Now add the chickpeas and canned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the roasted cauliflower and carrots.

Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover part-way (just allow a bit of room for the stew to breath) and cook for another 20 minutes or.

Be sure to check the stew, stir occasionally, and add a little water if needed.

Step 4: Garnish and Serve!

Remove from the heat and transfer to serving bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley and the toasted nuts.

What to Serve Along?

This chickpea stew makes a great vegetarian entree. And as with many soups and stews, you don’t need to add much else next to it. But it’s great served over quick-cooked couscous or Lebanese rice. Or grab pita or your favorite crusty bread to sop up all the goodness.

To start the meal, try a bright salad like Shriazi salad or fattoush.

Can you freeze chickpea stew? 

This recipe makes enough to a small crowd of 6 or so. It will last well packed in a tight-lid container and refrigerated for 4 days or so.

And because there is no cream involved here, you can easily freeze leftover cooked chickpea stew. Be sure the stew is completely cooled before freezing in freezer-safe containers.

More one-p recipes to try:

Greek-Style Black Eyed Peas

Braised Eggplant and Chickpeas

Simple Italian Minestrone

Crock Pot Italian Beef Stew

Find Mediterranean diet recipes here.

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Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Stew

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4.9 from 53 reviews

• Author: Suzy Karadsheh
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: serves up to 6

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Description

My family’s favorite chickpea stew is loaded with beautiful roasted cauliflowers, carrots, and tomatoes. The warm Mediterranean spice mixture, including turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, and paprika deeply flavors this comforting vegan chickpea stew.

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Ingredients

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• 1 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 1/2 tsp  ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp Sweet paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
• 1/2 tsp ground green cardamom
• 1 whole head cauliflower, divided into small florets
• 5 medium-sized bulk carrots, peeled, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
• Salt and pepper
• Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 14-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 28-oz can diced tomatoes with its juice
• 1/2 cup parsley leaves, stems removed, roughly chopped
• Toasted slivered almonds (optional)
• Toasted pine nuts (optional)

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the spices.
3. Place the cauliflower florets and carrot pieces on a large lightly oiled baking sheet. Season with salt and pepper. Add a little more than 1/2 of the spice mixture. Drizzle generously with olive oil, then toss to make sure the spices evenly coat the cauliflower and carrots.
4. Bake in the 475 degrees F heated-oven for 20 minutes or until the carrots and cauliflower soften and gain some color. Remove from the heat and set aside for now. Turn the oven off.
5. In a large cast iron pot or Dutch oven, heat 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the onions and saute for 3 minutes, then add the garlic and the remaining spices. Cook on medium-high for 2-3 more minutes, stirring constantly.
6. Now add the chickpeas and canned tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the roasted cauliflower and carrots. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover part-way and cook for another 20 minutes. Be sure to check the stew, stir occasionally, and add a little water if needed.
7. Remove from the heat and transfer to serving bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley and the toasted nuts (optional.) Enjoy hot over some quick-cooked couscous or with a side of warm pita bread.

Notes

• How to Serve this chickpea stew? This chickpea stew goes very well on top of quick-cooked couscous or  Lebanese Rice. If nothing else, grab a piece of warm pita or some good crusty bread to sop up all the goodness.
• Leftovers? This recipe makes enough to a small crowd of 6 or so. It will last well packed in a tight-lid container and refrigerated for 4 days or so. And because there is no cream involved here, you can easily freeze leftover cooked chickpea stew. Be sure the stew is completely cooled before freezing in freezer-safe containers.
• Visit Our Online Shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil and all-natural spices including turmeric, cumin, cinnamon, coriander, sweet paprika and cardamom. 

• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 50 mins
• Category: Entree
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Mediterranean

*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2016 and has been recently updated with new information and media for readers’ benefit.